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One of two remaining airmen who flew in World War II 'Doolittle Raid' dies
And now there's one.
One of two remaining airmen who flew in World War II 'Doolittle Raid' dies
Published June 22, 2016 · Associated Press
April 18, 2015: Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, front left, and Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, right, pose for photos with Lt. Gen. John "Jack" Hudson, rear left, Director National Museum of the United States Air Force, and Air Force Material Commander Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarge (AP Photo/Gary Landers,File)
One of the last two surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders -- who bombed Japan in an attack that stunned that nation and boosted U.S. morale -- has died in Montana, his family said.
Retired Staff Sgt. David Jonathan Thatcher died Wednesday in a Missoula hospital. He was 94. He suffered a stroke on Sunday, Thatcher's son Jeff told the Missoulian newspaper.
Thatcher's death leaves Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole of Comfort, Texas, as the only living airman from among 80 who took off from an aircraft carrier on 16 B-25 bombers to target factory areas and military installations in Japan on April 18, 1942. Afterward, the planes headed for airfields in mainland China, realizing they would run out of fuel, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The mission lifted American spirits five months after Pearl Harbor was bombed and forced the Japanese to spend resources defending their home islands. ... Thatcher was engineer-gunner aboard the plane nicknamed "The Ruptured Duck."
Published June 22, 2016 · Associated Press
April 18, 2015: Staff Sgt. David Thatcher, front left, and Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole, right, pose for photos with Lt. Gen. John "Jack" Hudson, rear left, Director National Museum of the United States Air Force, and Air Force Material Commander Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarge (AP Photo/Gary Landers,File)
One of the last two surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders -- who bombed Japan in an attack that stunned that nation and boosted U.S. morale -- has died in Montana, his family said.
Retired Staff Sgt. David Jonathan Thatcher died Wednesday in a Missoula hospital. He was 94. He suffered a stroke on Sunday, Thatcher's son Jeff told the Missoulian newspaper.
Thatcher's death leaves Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole of Comfort, Texas, as the only living airman from among 80 who took off from an aircraft carrier on 16 B-25 bombers to target factory areas and military installations in Japan on April 18, 1942. Afterward, the planes headed for airfields in mainland China, realizing they would run out of fuel, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
The mission lifted American spirits five months after Pearl Harbor was bombed and forced the Japanese to spend resources defending their home islands. ... Thatcher was engineer-gunner aboard the plane nicknamed "The Ruptured Duck."
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