Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Raider on April 18, 2002, 10:30:54 AM

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Raider on April 18, 2002, 10:30:54 AM

http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/3088498.htm

My building was just circled by 10 B-25's and two small fighters that I haven't been able to identify!!!!

There is not anybody working, we are all staring out the window and watching from the top floor of our parking garage.

I wish I had a digital camera so that I could post pictures for everyone.

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Maverick on April 18, 2002, 01:44:43 PM

Would have been nice to know where this happened. You have no origin listed on your header and the paper clip just says it's from Columbia. Which Columbia???  :)

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: moose on April 18, 2002, 02:00:36 PM

edit
Colombia SC?

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Raider on April 18, 2002, 02:21:28 PM

Sorry Columbia, South Carolina. I was too excited to be thorough.

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: LePaul on April 18, 2002, 02:32:46 PM

Nice article, says Doolittle wanted them to keep having reunions until it was down to just 2 of them left!  Impressive!

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Moose1 on July 12, 2002, 01:50:01 AM

I know I'm resurrecting a 3-month-old post here, but it's 2:45 and I can't sleep, so... :)

They held the Doolittle Raiders' 60th reunion here in Columbia, SC back in April.  They had a parade with the surviving Raiders (most of whom made the trip here) and flyovers by ten B-25s.  I think the "small fighters" Raider was talking about were a couple of T-6s or T-28s, I never got a clear view.  The flyovers were impressive--nothing like the sound of 20 big radials 500 feet overhead, echoing down a narrow street.

I don't know if it's still on that link Raider posted, but the local fishwrap newspaper did a fantastic series on the raid and many of the people involved.  I think there's something like 25 out of the original 80 crew left alive.  At least one of the brave Chinese that helped rescue some crew members also comes to all the reunions.

My only regrets were (a) the parade wasn't put together all that well and (b) attendance was very sparse. :(  But getting to see and hear ten B-25s thundering by kinda made up for it. :)

Title: Doolittle Flys Again !!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Raider on July 12, 2002, 12:00:13 PM

Moose,

I rode by Owens Airfield in Columbia earlier this week. As I rode by I noticed that the large hanger at the end of the airstrip had a resored B-25 sitting in it. The hanger is on the verge of falling down. The windows are broken, the trusses are rusted and just looked like crap.

As I left the airfield, I thought that leaving that priceless plane housed in such a delapidated building would be like marrying Cindy Crawford and chaining her to a pine tree in the back yard.