Doolittle Raid Reunion to Celebrate Veterans of Historic Mission

Bethany Whitfield

Thursday, April 12, 2012 at 08:44 PM ET

Verified

** B-25s prepare to take off from the USS Hornet
for the Doolittle Raid in April 1942.**

Key Takeaways:

The five remaining Doolittle Raiders are convening for a 70th-anniversary reunion (April 17-20 in Dayton, Ohio) to commemorate their historic World War II mission and share their stories.
The Doolittle Raid, the first air strike on the Japanese mainland, significantly boosted American morale and remains an iconic symbol of valor and an unparalleled aviation feat (land-based bombers launching from a naval carrier).
While successful, the mission came at a high cost, with all 16 B-25s lost and several Raiders killed during or after the raid, including those who died bailing out or at the hands of Japanese captors.

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Seventy years after the Doolittle Raiders took off from the USS Hornet in B-25s for the first air strike of World War II on the Japanese mainland, the five remaining Doolittle Raiders are coming together to commemorate their historic mission and share their stories with the public.

The reunion will take place April 17-20 at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, and will include educational programs with the Doolittle Raiders, a memorial service with a B-25 flyover and a showing of the film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, among other events.