[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2419-2420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      DOOLITTLE ``TOKYO RAIDERS''

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I rise to recognize the lasting 
contributions of 80 courageous Americans who participated in the 
Doolittle raid, our Nation's first offensive action on Japan's soil 
during the Second World War. I am pleased to have Senator Boozman as 
the lead Republican of an effort to ensure these men have the 
recognition they deserve. Together, we introduced S. 381, which will 
award the surviving airmen, known as the Doolittle Raiders, with the 
Congressional Gold Medal. Senator Boozman's collaboration reiterates 
that bipartisan support for our veterans endures in this body. Joining 
us as original cosponsors are Senators Murray, Tester, Baucus, Nelson, 
Cantwell, and Schatz.
  As chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee during the last 
session, Senator Murray also cosponsored

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last year's resolution. We are grateful for her leadership. Our 
colleague Senator Lautenberg, the sole World War II veteran serving in 
the Senate, is also a cosponsor.
  Some 16 million Americans served this country during World War II. 
Today their average age is 92. These survivors have earned the respect 
of a grateful Nation. Now is the time for us to act to honor them.
  On April 18, 1942, 80 American airmen volunteered for an unknown 
assignment. These sons, fathers, and brothers accepted what they only 
knew to be ``an extremely hazardous mission.'' They were led by Lt. 
Col. James ``Jimmy'' Doolittle, a one-time flight instructor at Wright 
Field in Dayton, OH, in my home State. He also studied at Kelly Field 
and McCook Field in Ohio.
  The Doolittle Raid was the first time the Army Air Corps and the Navy 
collaborated on a tactical mission. These pilots flew 16 U.S. Army Air 
Corps B-25 Mitchell bombers from the deck of the USS Hornet into 
combat, a feat that had never been before attempted.
  On the morning of the raid, the USS Hornet was discovered by Japanese 
picket ships. Fearing the mission might be compromised, the Raiders 
launched 170 miles earlier than planned. The earlier launch meant these 
men now had to travel over 650 miles to their intended targets, leaving 
them with the possibility of running out of enough fuel to land beyond 
the Japanese lines in occupied China.
  Accepting this choice 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 survivor would certainly be subjected to 
imprisonment, torture or death.
  After reaching their targets, 15 of the bombers continued to China, 
while the 16th--whose plane was dangerously low on fuel--headed to 
Russia.
  The total distance traveled by the Raiders was about 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--3 of them 
were executed, 1 died of disease, and 4 of these prisoners survived and 
returned home after the war. Of the original 80, 4 are still with us 
today. They are residents of Montana, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington 
State.
  There was a fifth, MAJ Tom Griffin of Cincinnati, OH. On the evening 
of February 26, just 1 week ago--the date I introduced this 
legislation--Major Griffin of Cincinnati passed away surrounded by 
family and friends. His family lost a loved one, our Nation lost a 
hero.
  The remaining four Raiders will be commemorating the 71st anniversary 
of this raid this coming April in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Now is the 
time to award these survivors the Congressional Medal. Their valor, 
their skill, their courage proved invaluable to the morale of our 
country on that day more than 70 years ago and the eventual defeat of 
Japan in the Second World War. These men continue to remind us of the 
quiet determination and that uncommon valor in the face of sheer 
danger.
  I humbly ask my colleagues to join us in this bill in honoring the 
Doolittle Raiders.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.

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