View From HQ - 2010/07

168 MODEL AVIATION
scored the first attack on Japanese soil. In
addition to the morale boost to America, it
caused Japanese high command to recall some
fighting units to the home islands for defense.
Urbana became the origination point for
this historic reunion fly-in. On Thursday and
Friday before the event, 17 Mitchell B-25s,
small WW II twin-engine bombers, flew in
from across the United States for the memorial
flight in to Dayton and the Air Force museum.
Grimes Field, the small Urbana airport,
was more than alive with the roar of the
bombers as they took a few lucky individuals
with deep pockets—$400 each—for rides in
the historic airplanes. Others were treated to
impromptu formation flying of the 25s, along
with two P-51 Mustangs that flew in for the
celebration. It was said that this was the
largest gathering since WW II of B-25s since
a movie production of Catch 22 in 1970.
Being able to walk among these historic
giants of the sky was inspiring. To be within
100 feet when one came to life was
breathtaking.
Mixed among the crowds and the youth
of today were a few true American heroes—
men who had dealings with the airplanes
during the war. Their then-youthful
expressions now only exist in old black-andwhite
photographs that the passage of time
has faded. These heroes viewed the aircraft
with long-ago memories coming back to life.
You could see it in their eyes.
The Academy had an information booth
at this event, thanks largely to one of the
event organizers. We were inside the
museum hangar amid the restored and stillunder-
restoration museum projects. Our
exact location was beneath the wing of a B-
25 that was still missing an engine.
On Saturday April 17, at 7 a.m., 17 of the
B-25s took off one by one with a threeminute
separation. The aircraft call signs of
the day for the event were “Raider 1”
through “Raider 17.” As Raider 1 was
turning on final to the museum runway in
Dayton, Raider 17 was beginning its takeoff
roll in Urbana. One by one the Raiders took
to the sky for the short hop to Dayton and a
rendezvous with the four original Raiders.
As Raider 7 was on final for landing, a
voice over the headphones came on with the
question, “I wonder what happened to these
Executive Director Jim Cherry
Dedicated to the living and departed
heroes of the famous Doolittle Raiders.
View From HQ
Jim Cherry
Executive Director
[email protected]
guys after the war. Did they just go back to
normal life or what?”
No one answered. The silence spoke
volumes about what those young men, the
“class of ’45,” did to defend our nation at that
time, only to return home and build a greater
nation.
Following are two Web sites with
information about the 68th Doolittle
Reunion: www.youtube.com/user/MsPolley
Vision and www.warbirdradio.com/2010/
04/b-25-formation-flying-doolittle-radiersreunion-
2010.
An event of this size doesn’t just happen;
a special thank you goes to Dave Millner of
Urbana, Ohio, one of the many volunteers
who made this historic event possible.
Another thank you goes to Joe Hass, who
flew in on Friday and helped with the
transportation logistics on Saturday.
I’m pleased to announce that Tony Stillman,
former AMA District V vice president, was
selected to be the new nationwide Flying Site
Assistance Coordinator. Tony brings a wealth
of knowledge to the position and will be
working with the staff in moving this effort in
a new, more aggressive direction. MA
In the spirit of flight.
he “View from HQ” will not be from
AMA Headquarters this month. It
will shift approximately 95 miles
east to Urbana, Ohio. This small town is
located 45 miles from Dayton, home to the
National Museum of the Air Force, more
commonly called the Air Force museum.
It was in this setting that the 68th and final
reunion of the famous Doolittle Raiders took
place on April 16-18, 2010. Only eight
veterans are left of the original 80 who took
off from the Carrier USS Hornet on April 18,
1942, and only four were able to attend.
For those who recognize the name
Doolittle Raiders but fail to recognize the
historical significance, a little history lesson
is in order. On December 7, 1941, Pearl
Harbor was bombed by the Imperial
Japanese Navy and America was drawn into
World War II. American morale was low
and the Japanese, with little effort, began
taking over the Southeast Pacific.
Japanese leadership had told its population
that the US could not reach mainland Japan
without being stopped; it was too far. The
president of the United States, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, was looking to boost American
morale. He sought a way to show the Japanese
that their island nation was not too far
removed from American might. A plan was
developed to bomb mainland Japan.
Sixteen B-25s, under the command of
Jimmy Doolittle, were secretly trained to
launch from a carrier on a one-way trip to
bomb Tokyo. After the bombing run, most
went on to run out of fuel and ditch at sea or
crash in China. One successfully landed in
Russia.
It is a fantastic story of how America
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