Last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raiders dies....

[M1903A1]

http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_17061321

[hotreds]

RIP! One has to remember this was early in the war, so these are among the older survivors thereof.

[Sled Dog]

Never has there been a more important counterpunch.... in terms of morale, and sending a message. RIP

Very cool. Sounds like an amazing man. The type of guy I would have loved to of met and sat down with a cold brew while he shared amazing stories of his life.

[357]

Amazing story, even more amazing heroes. RIP.

[maninblack]

Wow another American hero passing on. RIP.

[drjammer]

RIP

RIP Thanks for your service!

[billybarue]

Interesting story about the 80 silver goblets given to Gen. Doolittle. He in turn gave the case for safe keeping to the US Air Force Academy. I went to school there and saw the case many times. A contingent of cadets is commissioned to carry the case to the annual reunions. There won't be too many more, God bless them. When only two are left they will supposedly open the bottle between themselves and toast the other 78 that have preceeded them. Here's the story of the goblets :

The Doolittle Goblets and the Mystery of the Missing Brandy

The silver goblets were a gift to the Raiders from the city of Tucson, Arizona, presented to Doolittle during the Raider reunion in that city in 1959. In October of that year, during halftime of the Air Force-Colorado University football game, Doolittle turned them over to the superintendent of the Academy for safekeeping.

The portable display case currently used to transport them to annual Raider reunions was built in 1973 by Richard E. "Dick" Cole, Doolittle’s copilot during the 1942 raid.

At some point, the president of the Hennessy Company gave Doolittle a bottle of Very Special cognac, vintage 1896, the year of Doolittle’s birth. Doolittle, in turn, donated the cognac to the goblet collection with the stipulation that the last two surviving Raiders would open it to drink a final toast to their departed comrades.

The brandy and goblets, in their original gift case, were put on display at the old AFA Visitor Center. One night circa 1970, the vintage bottle of cognac disappeared. A subsequent investigation failed to identify the culprit(s). Nor has anyone ever stepped forward, even anonymously, to claim credit or accept blame.

The Hennessy Company later donated a replacement bottle of cognac, also vintage 1896, which remains in the possession of the surviving Raiders. Authorities at the Academy have been unable to produce any record as to the origin of the bottle on display in Arnold Hall until 2006 when the entire display was relocated to the AF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Here's a picture of the case and goblets:

http://www.doolittleraider.com/the_goblets.htm

The goblets that are upside down are the goblets of "Doolittle's Raiders" who have passed away. They turn them over at the annual reunions in rememberance of those who passed during the preceeding year.