Doolittle Raider, Thomas Griffin, dies at age 96

[Jacie]

One of the five surviving Doolittle Raiders passed away, Thomas Griffin.

He appeared in a show on the Military Channel about the Doolittle Raid that i watched a couple of weeks ago and interestingly enough, he was also prominently featured in an article about the raid in a magazine i received in the mail the same day.

He was looking forward to attending the final Doolittle Raiders reunion that will be held in April.

An incredible story of bravery by men who thought they were going on a suicide mission, check him out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/thomas-griffin-dead-dies_n_2781281.html

[olevetonahill]

Rest in Peace Sir, I salute you.

[KantoSooner]

I heard on the news last night and haven't had time to research. They said he had been shot down in China at the end of the raid, and then in a German prison camp for two years.
Now, either he got out of China and then went on to more combat in Europe (which would make sense as a B-25 crewman, we didn't use too many in the pacific that I can recall) or those damn Nazis had longer reach than I thought and picked him up in China! Damn those Nazis, they're everywhere!

On another note, a friend of mine is third generation Japanese/American. His father was visiting relatives in Tokyo when the raid took place and recalled his grandfather, with whom he was walking telling him, 'This war is over. If the Americans can hit Tokyo this soon after Pearl Harbor, we have no chance at all."
So, the psyops part of the raid was a success.

[olevetonahill]

Kant, He wasnt SAhot down, They all pretty much had to bail out because of Lack of fuel to get back to a Air base. he avoided Capture while in China and got back in the war

[KantoSooner]

I didn't think they'd been shot down (maybe groundfire, though). My bad for trusting Bryan Williams...

[olevetonahill]

I didn't think they'd been shot down (maybe groundfire, though). My bad for trusting Bryan Williams...

Oh a few did, Most tho had to ditch

[Wishboned]

RIP Major. Here's to you, and those like you. Damn few left.

[KantoSooner]

There are a group of CBI vets (China/Burma/India Theatre) who have lunch each Friday in the same cafe I do. One of them was even a Jedward 'Stay Behind' guy in Malaya. Stayed behind when the Brits retreated to Singapore. Since he had a Malay mother, he was able to blend in and spoke the language. Spent the whole war running around posing as a day laborer in various Japanese army camps.
Those guys have wild stories to tell. Unfortunately there are fewer of them each year.

Pity those B-25's had to ditch. Chenault could have used them. And a US medium bomber strike in Central China in, say, early 1943 would have been seriously depressing for the Japanese.

[Jacie]

None of the planes in the Doolittle Raid were shot down, they just ran outa gas. Some of the guys who participated were but that was later on over Italy. Talk about Catch-22. They survive one of the most celebrated actions in all of the war, of course, no one knew at the time the ultimate significance it would one day be credited, only to have to continue to fly combat missions halfway around the world. Being pilots they no doubt would not have had it any other way.

[StoopTroup]

None of the planes in the Doolittle Raid were shot down, they just ran outa gas. Some of the guys who participated were but that was later on over Italy. Talk about Catch-22. They survive one of the most celebrated actions in all of the war, of course, no one knew at the time the ultimate significance it would one day be credited, only to have to continue to fly combat missions halfway around the world. Being pilots they no doubt would not have had it any other way.

Great Stories came from that raid and definitely led to our eventual defeat of Japan.

Great Man who really put his life on the line. RIP.

[OklaPony]

One of my relatives was a pilot in the Tokyo Raid that managed to survive the ordeal. Amazing that any of 'em lived to tell the tale.

[stoopified]

One of my relatives was a pilot in the Tokyo Raid that managed to survive the ordeal. Amazing that any of 'em lived to tell the tale.Many of these pilots and crew owe their survival to Mao and his communit guerillas.I saw a feature about the Doolittle raid where some survivors were rescued by the Reds and even had photos with Mao.War makes for strange bedfellows indeed and proves the adage THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND. RIP and God bless to all raiders,living and passed.