Medal for WWII Vets

Doolittle's Raiders have gathered for a reunion every April since WWII. Today, there are only four members left. They've decided they may not all make it until next April, and on November 9, they will meet at the... National Museum of the US Air Force in Ohio to open the 1896 bottle of cognac they've held for decades (1896 celebrating the year of James Doolittle's birth).

Here's the problem: while Doolittle got the Congressional Medal of Honor, the other 79 men were not awarded. There's a movement to give the Raiders, as a group, the Congressional Gold Medal. This is NOT a Medal of Honor, but a lower recognition. Frank Sinatra has one. So does Arnold Palmer and Danny Thomas. You'd think Doolittle's Raiders would be worthy.

Bills have been in the house and senate SINCE FEBRUARY to award the Raiders the Congressional Gold Medal, and it has not been voted on. These last four members are out of time. IT'S TIME TO MAKE CONGRESS VOTE.

Follow Doolittle Tokyo Raiders on FB, and go to this link to get more details:

Doolittle Tokyo Raiders - Official Web Site of the Raiders
 

1BROWNWRENCH

Amatuer Malthusian
Wow. So disappointing. I often envy guys that had a life like that with such a monumental event in them. I worked with a Pearl Harbor vet. He helped pick survivors out of the water, raise the ships and later was a sparring partner for Jake LaMotta. I loved his stories.
 
My dad joined the Navy and fought the Japanese at the age of 17. At the age of 17 I was a punk kid with no clue in life. I'll never come close to living up to him.
 

1BROWNWRENCH

Amatuer Malthusian
I recently found out he had passed away a few years ago. He was the Grand Poobah of the survivors association. He was stationed on the rear gun of the USS Tangier, a Seaplane tender. It was not hit.
 

ajblakejr

Age quod agis
Time to ACT is now!
These men have few precious days left with us.
They never asked for rewards.
Just write, call, tweet, make a move and make a difference.

Cach - thank you and I like this....
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I always idolized these guys since I was a little kid. I read "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", which was written by one of the pilots and later made into a movie. I used to build models of B-25 bombers and I had one of the Hornet with those 16 planes on its deck. That was an amazing feat to got those planes off the flight deck, they had to turn the ship straight into the wind to get enough lift to take off.

​The number of WW2 Vets are dwindling, these guys are in their nineties now, they deserve this honor.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I always idolized these guys since I was a little kid. I read "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", which was written by one of the pilots and later made into a movie. I used to build models of B-25 bombers and I had one of the Hornet with those 16 planes on its deck. That was an amazing feat to got those planes off the flight deck, they had to turn the ship straight into the wind to get enough lift to take off.

​The number of WW2 Vets are dwindling, these guys are in their nineties now, they deserve this honor.

Another fact to remember; the Hornet was spotted by a Japanese patrol ship about 250 miles east of the planned launching point for the B-25's. With the element of surprise lost, they were forced to take off immediately, knowing full well that they did not have enough fuel to reach safe landing fields in China. It was basically a suicide mission and they knew it, but they went anyway. Talk about having big brass ones!
 
Another fact to remember; the Hornet was spotted by a Japanese patrol ship about 250 miles east of the planned launching point for the B-25's. With the element of surprise lost, they were forced to take off immediately, knowing full well that they did not have enough fuel to reach safe landing fields in China. It was basically a suicide mission and they knew it, but they went anyway. Talk about having big brass ones!

And in order to make extra air miles they lightened the planes of all but the most essential items including the ball turret and tail guns. To deter enemy fighters they replaced them with black painted broom handles.

​Make me that big brass ones with nothing to fight back with.
 
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