Just a few weeks ago, Doolittle Raider, David Thatcher passed away at his home in Montana.
Thatcher was just 20 years old when he flew on the infamous bombing mission that is credited with changing the course of WWII for the Allies.
You can find details of that mission on our website WYSO.org, as well as the story of the Doolittle Raiders annual toast – a celebration and a memorial commemorating the young men who never returned from the mission, and of those who passed in the years after.
In 2013, three of the last four survivors the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders gathered at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. They raised a final toast in honor of their accomplishment and to their comrades. They also spoke to reporters before the ceremony, recounting the details of their mission.
In this WYSO Weekend excerpt, Thatcher, then 92, began by telling us how surprised he was that people still remembered and still held their mission in such high regard, and then talked about his experience.
That day, we also spoke with Thatcher’s son Jeff about the American legacy his father was a part of. And finally, we offer some audio of the final toast that day from a report we filed for NPR.
With the passing of Doolittle Raider David Thatcher, there remains only one left – Lt. Col. Dick Cole who you heard make that final toast in 2013. Cole is was able to make it to Thatcher’s memorial service in Montana. He turns 101 in September.
