The Doolittle Tokyo Raiders will celebrate their 68th reunion with many free public events, April 16-18, in Dayton, Ohio. The full schedule, available here, includes plans for three autograph sessions, a memorial service and B-25 flyover at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, as well as a tribute concert at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
Other free events include the museum’s Family Day programs featuring the Doolittle Tokyo Raid, and the film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,” which will be shown in the museum’s Carney Auditorium April 17.
In addition, the public will also be invited to purchase tickets to attend a dinner with the Raiders on April 16. Seating is limited and additional information on how to purchase tickets will be released soon.
The public opportunity to interact with the Doolittle Raiders will be only at one of the three autograph sessions, April 16-18. There is a limit of one item per person at each session.
As a special tribute to the Raiders during the reunion, the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. is hoping to secure enough sponsorship funding to fly in and land 25 B-25 Mitchell bombers on the runway behind the museum. If their efforts are successful, this aviation event would be the largest gathering of B-25s since World War II. To date, 12 B-25 bombers have agreed to participate.
Those interested in helping to make this flight of B-25 bombers possible should contact Tom Casey with the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, Inc. at 941-921-7361 or by email at: [email protected].
On April 18, 1942, 80 men achieved the unimaginable when they took off from an aircraft carrier on a top secret mission to bomb Japan. These men, led by Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, came to be known as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located on Springfield Street, six miles northeast of downtown Dayton. It is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Admission and parking are free.
For more information: 937-904-9881 or NationalMuseum.af.mil.
