Doolittle's Raiders

Most people know I am a bit of a history buff. I enjoy almost anything history related. I am by no means an expert in any given area of history. In fact I know a little bit about a lot things, but don't know a lot about anything. I am particularly interested in maritime history... especially shipwrecks and World War II naval battles. I have also been interested in anything related to aviation in WWII (the bombing of Pearl Harbor, dogfights over Europe with the Luftwaffe, the atomic bombs dropped on Japan and Doolittle's raid on mainland Japan).

Speaking of Doolittle's raid, here's a small description of the mission:
The Doolittle Raid, on 18 April 1942, was the first air raid by the United States to strike the Japanese Home Islands (specifically Honshu) during World War II. By demonstrating that Japan itself was vulnerable to American air attack, it provided a vital morale boost and opportunity for U.S. retaliation after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The raid was planned and led by Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAAF.

The mission involved 80 men (Doolittle's Raiders) and today only 5 raiders remain alive. One of those five raiders, Major Thomas Griffin lives right here in Cincinnati. Major Griffin is 95 years old and still makes public appearances. Last week Tami contacted the manager of Doolittle's Raiders and taking a shot in the dark asked if Major Griffin would be available to have dinner at our home on Thursday. To her surprise, it was no problem for Major Griffin to accept the invitation.

Soooooo.... as an early Father's Day gift to the men of the family, Tami will be cooking a delicious dinner for a dozen men and afterward the guest of honor will speak, probably tell some stories and maybe answer a few questions. It is quite an honor to have this war hero in my home. The men of World War II were most certainly the greatest generation and one of Doolittle's Raiders will be sitting in my living room. UNBELIEVABLE!

As a side note--- Tami scheduled this special evening and mistakenly planned it for an evening when I have to work. I won't even be able to be home to formally host this great man. She feels absolutely horrible about it, but I hold no ill will toward her for the error. I am bitterly disappointed that I cannot be home for this, but it was a simple oversight. Nothing more needs to be said about it :-)

I will have someone taking photos and I will post them after the big event.

One interesting story about Doolittle's Raiders--- Each man has a silver chalice with his name inscribed on it. These chalices are stored in a case with a bottle of cognac (bottled in the year of Jimmy Doolittle's birth) and each time a Raider passes away, his chalice is turned upside down. Right now only five chalices sit right side up. The story goes that when only two Raiders remain alive, they will open the cognac and drink a toast to their fallen comrades. Who knows, maybe Major Griffin will one day drink a toast to his fellow Raiders. Interestingly, the case containing the silver chalices is at the yearly reunion for the Raiders and is guarded by a member of the military. Wow!