[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17683-17684]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE DOOLITTLE RAIDERS

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, it is with pride and humility that I stand 
and thank my colleagues for passing S. 381 by unanimous consent last 
night. Once passed by the House and signed by the President, this bill 
will award Congressional Gold Medals to the surviving World War II 
heroes we know as the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders.
  The effort to pass this measure has been a personal one to me. I 
thank 78 of my colleagues who have cosponsored the resolution. It 
proves the Senate can still reach consensus. I especially thank Senator 
Boozman, who is my original Republican counterpart, in introducing this 
bill in February. Also, original cosponsors Senator Murray and Baucus 
and Tester and Nelson and Cantwell and Schatz--original cosponsors.
  I wish Senator Lautenberg, also an original cosponsor and close 
personal friend, the last World War II veteran in the Senate, were here 
today to see its passage.
  My special thanks to Senator Cornyn for his work on this and 
especially Senator Ayotte. They have my personal thanks for helping to 
bring so many Republicans to sponsor this bill with us.
  Many of you know the story of the Doolittle Raid. More than 71 years 
ago, following the attack of Pearl Harbor just 4 months earlier, 80 
brave American airmen launched a mission that would become our Nation's 
first offensive action against Japanese soil in the Second World War. 
They volunteered for what was called an ``extremely hazardous mission'' 
without knowing at the time what it actually entailed. Under the 
leadership of LTC James Doolittle, the raid involved launching 16 U.S. 
Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell bombers from the deck of the USS Hornet, a 
feat that had never been attempted in combat before.
  On April 18, 1942, again just a few months after Pearl Harbor, 650 
miles from its intended target, the Hornet encountered Japanese ships. 
Fearing the mission might be compromised, the raiders decided to launch 
170 miles earlier than anticipated. These men accepted the risk that 
they might not have enough fuel to make it safely beyond Japanese-
occupied China. The consequences meant the Raiders would almost 
certainly have to crash land or bail out, either above Japanese-
occupied China or over the home islands of Japan. Any survivors would 
certainly be subjected to imprisonment or torture or death.
  After reaching their targets, 15 of the bombers continued to China. 
The 16th, dangerously low on fuel, headed to Russia. The total distance 
traveled by the Raiders averaged 2,250 nautical miles over a period of 
13 hours, making it the longest combat mission ever flown in a B-25 
during the war. Of the 80 Raiders who launched that day, 8 were 
captured. Of those eight prisoners, three were executed, one died of 
disease, and four survived as prisoners of war and returned home after 
the war.
  The Doolittle Raid was a turning point for the Pacific theater and 
set the stage for Allied victory. Of the original 80 Raiders, 4 survive 
today. A Raider from Cincinnati, my home State, MAJ Tom Griffin, passed 
away on February 26 of this year, the very night I introduced S. 381. 
Major Griffin was the navigator of plane No. 9, the Whirling Dervish, 
on the Doolittle Raid.

[[Page 17684]]

He survived the mission and continued to fly until he was shot down in 
1943 and held in a German POW camp for 2 years.
  When the war ended, Major Griffin returned home to Cincinnati and 
later owned his own accounting business.
  Similar to our veterans past and present, he asked for nothing. These 
veterans served simply because their Nation asked. For many years the 
surviving raiders gathered to celebrate the mission and to honor their 
departed fellow Raiders. This year's celebration was bittersweet. It 
was their final reunion, they decided. All the remaining Raiders are in 
their nineties and it is becoming hard for them to make the trip. It 
was decided this would be their final reunion.
  This is an article, a story in the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, of the 
final reunion which took place in Dayton, OH. The three remaining 
survivors who could make the trip called out ``here'' as a historian 
read the rollcall. They then raised a goblet inscribed with their names 
and toasted their fellow Raiders with a bottle of 1896 Cognac, a bottle 
that Commander Jimmy Doolittle passed down for the Raiders' final 
toast. Seventy-six other goblets were turned upside down, one for each 
of the comrades who had passed away. Hundreds of people watched the 
solemn ceremony and offered their respects.
  Speaker Boehner, whose district is nearby Dayton, OH, sent a letter 
in honor of the occasion.
  In an Associated Press article on the ceremony, a 12-year-old boy 
whose grandparents brought him to the event said, ``I felt like I owed 
them a few short hours of the thousands of hours I will be on this 
Earth.''
  This journey started 2 years ago for me when Brian Anderson, the 
Sergeant at Arms for the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association, 
approached my office seeking a proclamation for the 70th anniversary of 
the raid. We achieved that goal, passing S. 418 in August 2012 by 
unanimous consent. But that was not enough for Brian. It was not enough 
to honor these men and what they had accomplished. We set our goal of 
awarding the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award 
bestowed by Congress, limited to two a year in this body, to the 
Raiders.
  This honor is designated to those who ``have performed an achievement 
that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be 
recognized a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the 
achievement.''
  These 80 veterans met that description. They exemplified our highest 
ideals of courage and service. They deserved to be recognized.
  President Kennedy said ``a nation reveals itself not only by the men 
it produces but also by the men it honors and the men it remembers.''
  We, our Nation, honor those who serve. I call on the House and I call 
on the Speaker to quickly act on this legislation. Sitting in the 
Chamber today is a Senator from Texas, the senior Senator from Texas, 
who played a major role with Senator Ayotte and others in gathering 
cosponsors for this Congressional Gold Medal. I thank Senator Cornyn 
for his work.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I wish to turn the compliment around and 
extend my appreciation to the Senator from Ohio Mr. Brown for his 
leadership on this issue. This is long overdue to these great American 
patriots, the recognition they so justly earned.

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