UTD’s McDermott Library to host Doolittle Raiders

by PegNews wire

Surviving aviators of a fabled WWII mission share their 2008 reunion with conference attendees.

Survivors of the Doolittle Raid - in which aviators aboard 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers took off from the USS Hornet to bomb the Japanese homeland, knowing full well that they didn't have enough fuel to make it back - will pay a visit to the UTD campus this Saturday, April 19.

Nine of the surviving Doolittle Raiders and several widows are expected to attend the 1:30 - 3:30 event at the University of Texas at Dallas Conference Center, which will include a talk by historian and author C.V. Glines (the official historian of the Raiders); a panel discussion; a Q/A session; and an autograph opportunity.

Items available for purchase from the UTD Bookstore will be... um... books about the Doolittle Raiders. Also, the U.S. Postal Service will be offering first-class postage stamps and a pictorial cancellation which can be applied to commemorative envelopes, featuring the Raiders emblem (in color).

The storied airmen will pay a visit to the McDermott Library Special Collections earlier in the day, where they'll have a chance to view that facility's History of Aviation Collection, featuring historical books, artifacts, papers, photographs and personal effects. They'll then be feted at a private luncheon held in their honor (hosted by university dignitaries and U.S. Representative Sam Johnson). During the luncheon, U.S. Air Force personnel will coordinate delivery of the Raider 80 goblets; tradition dictates that goblets inscribed with the names of departed Doolittle Raiders are turned over, while those bearing the names of surviving fliers remain upright - hopefully to be filled with a festive beverage of some variety or other.

Hey, you only go around once, right?

posted by JM