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The Doolittle Tokyo
Raiders Silver Goblets
In honor of the
Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, the citizens of Tucson, Arizona
presented a set of 80 sterling goblets to the Raiders following
WW II. In turn, they were presented to the Air Force Academy in
Colorado Springs by General Doolittle on behalf of the surviving
members of the Raiders for safekeeping and display between
reunions.
The silver goblets
are housed in a special glass-enclosed trophy case which is
guarded by two Airmen. In addition to the goblets, the case
contains a bottle of brandy to be used by the last two remaining
Raiders at the last reunion to toast their departed comrades.
Many of the goblets are already turned upside down for the men
who were killed in the raid or who have since died.
At each reunion,
the Raiders hold a brief ceremony to honor those who have passed
away. This emotional remembrance often marks the passing of
additional Raiders during the year since the last reunion.
Each goblet is
inscribed twice with a Raider name - both right-side up &
upside-down - so that the names are always readable.
A vicarious reunion (Article from the 60th Reunion
held in Columbia, SC)
While trying to preserve the history of veterans, Master Sgt. Wes Fields
gives Ed Horton an anniversary experience he wouldn't have otherwise had
By KIMBERLY BLAIR, Daily News Staff Writer
Ed Horton pored over an album filled with photos of aging comrades
celebrating the 60th anniversary of a legendary air raid on Japan.
The photos filled Horton with nostalgia and bittersweet regrets.
"This is wonderful," the Fort Walton Beach man said. "It brings back
memories."
Because of illness, Horton and his wife, Monta, could not attend the
milestone April reunion of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders held in Columbia,
S.C., this year.
The 86-year-old veteran is one of 23 surviving members of 80 who
followed Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle off the deck of a Navy
carrier and into the history books.
Flying in 16 B-25 bombers, they became known as Doolittle Tokyo Raiders
for attacking Japan's capital and five other major cities in retaliation
for the bombing of Pearl Harbor four months earlier.
Nearly every April since the end of the war, Horton has reunited with
his fellow Raiders. It was hard not to be with them this year.
Friday, though, the couple got to enjoy the reunion vicariously through
photos, stories and other memorabilia that were presented to them by
Master Sgt. Wes Fields.
The Hurlburt Field air commando and World War II history buff attended
the reunion to meet the legendary aviators.
"I went to meet the greatest generation," said Fields, an aerial gunner
on an AC-130H Spectre Gunship.
Fields is intent on letting the veterans - who are dying at a rate of
1,100 a day - know they are not forgotten.
He has been attending reunions and special events for WWII veterans
around the country, and he sponsors a WWII veteran tail gunner at the
Soldiers and Airmen's Home in Washington, D.C.
He wants to host a 1940s dance to honor local veterans later this year.
"I think that in the last days of their lives it would be nice for them
to know they accomplished something and for them to know they are
important," he said.
Attending the Raiders' reunion was a special treat.
As 14 of the Raiders gathered in a hospitality room in the Adams Mark
Hotel in Columbia, Fields learned that Horton - whom he had chatted with
over the years - did not attend.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Horton's Fort Walton Beach
number.
"I said, 'Ed. You are not going to believe where I am. I'm at the
reunion in Columbia and I have a few guys who want to talk to you,' "
said Fields.
"I handed my cell phone to them and all the Raiders talked to him. The
last one he talked to was his co-pilot, Roy Stork."
Stork slipped off into a quiet corner of the room and chatted with
Horton privately.
Stork, Horace Crouch and Horton are the only remaining survivors of the
No. 10 Crew.
"After a while, he handed the phone back to me. He had tears in his
eyes. He said, 'Thank you, thank you very much,' " said Fields.
Friday, it was Horton who was thanking Fields as they sat and talked for
an hour in McDonald's on Eglin Parkway.
Fields gave Horton a program from the reunion and a commemorative
baseball that only the Raiders received from Columbia's minor league
baseball team, The Capital City Bombers.
The team is named in honor of the Raiders, who trained for the mission
there. They spent a few weeks training at Eglin Air Force Base, too.
Fields also presented Horton with a number of other items, including
Columbia's daily newspaper, The State, filled with photos of the Raiders
and stories about reunion events.
Before the veteran gunner and the young gunner departed, Fields offered
to escort Horton to next year's reunion.
Said Monta Horton: "We'll go even if I have to walk."
Pictures and
Doolittle Raider information on this website were provided by
Todd Joyce and his website www.doolittleraider.com
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