This week marks the 71st anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Japan. Of the 80 men who took off in their B-25 bombers from an aircraft carrier far off the coast of Japan, only four now remain. Three of the four are meeting this week in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, not far from Eglin Field, where they trained for their heart-stopping mission. This will be their last official public reunion, but they plan to meet one more time later this year with a more private mission.
For those not familiar with the raid, it came just months after the U.S. was devastated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. American forces were reeling from defeats in the Philippines, Wake Island and throughout the Pacific. Trained in secret by Jimmy Doolittle — already an aviation legend for his air racing, blind-flying research and other feats — the crews took off from an aircraft carrier in their B-25s, never designed for carrier duty, bombed Japan, and flew on to China where many crash-landed. Though little physical damage was done, it was a devastating blow to the confidence of the Japanese people.
