I actually got the pleasure to meet several of them at the Doolittle reunion in 2007, The line was about 3 hours long, and i was on crutches, but when we were about to leave a nice lady walked up to me and asked if i wanted to meet any of the guys, I replied with a quick yes and she introduced herself, She was Jimmy Doolittles granddaughter. I got to meet Jimmy Doolittles son, and one of them asked me what happened to my leg, and i told them (I fell off a ladder and fractured my left ankle in 4 places) And he started talking to me about how he had his knee replacement surgery. I also met Dick Cole, Davy Jones, Tom Griffin, and Robert Hyte.
Davy Jones isnt living anymore. These men were all very down-to-earth and kind, sweet people. Dick Cole still volunteers at soup kitchens and Habitat for humanity in san antonio, and have had the pleasure of meeting him several times at air shows. Hes a sneaky old guy and doesnt like any extra attention, chances are if you go to airshows in San Antonio (or surrounding area) you have seen him and didnt even notice. Caught him looking at one of the airplanes a S.W.R.F.I and couldnt point my finger on where i had seen him before. I pointed him out to my dad and he said "Thats Dick Cole" so i went up to introduce myself, and he said he remembered me from the reunion (which had been a year ago and i didnt mention it) and also said he was glad to see that i was doing better and off those "danged crutches" as he put it.
Its something ill always remember.
