Bringing The Past Into The Present
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Air Heritage Aviation Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is run by unpaid volunteers who have a passion for aviation and a dedication to preserve its history. We are 100% dependent on donations and fundraisers to keep our museum doors open “free to the public” and to keep our Warbirds flying for generations to come! Please consider donating today. You can stop by the museum to donate, send a donation in the mail, or you can send a donation via Venmo or PayPal. Every little bit helps, and we truly appreciate it!!! Thank you!
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We are always looking for new members. Memberships are the lifeblood of our museum, and the income we generate from membership dues help support the upkeep of our Warbirds and the museum. We are a non-profit organization and are run 100% by unpaid volunteers. All of the money we raise is used to keep our planes flying and museum doors open. Please join today!
If you are attending the “Aviation History Alive Day” today, please don’t forget to bring your donation! Thank you!If you are planning a visit to Air Heritage Aviation Museum in the coming weeks, please bring a donation to help those affected by Hurricane Helene in Eastern Tennessee and North Carolina. Three of our members have volunteered to make frequent flights to deliver our collected items to the people in need. The deadline for donations is October 31st. Suggested items are diapers, formula, wipes, toilet paper, and hygiene items. *Please no bottled water or canned goods ~ they are too heavy). Thank you so much for your help and thank you to the Cote family for organizing the relief drive and delivering the much-needed supplies to “our neighbors.”
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Join us tomorrow for a "Memorial Toast" to the DOOLITTLE RAIDERS in honor of the 82nd Anniversary of their mission!
The Doolittle Raid also known as the Tokyo Raid of April 18, 1942, was the first U.S. air raid to strike the Japanese home islands during WWII. The mission is notable in that it was the only operation in which U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES bombers were launched WITHOUT FIGHTER ESCORT from U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Hornet into combat.
James “Jimmy” Doolittle, who flew SIXTEEN B-25 Mitchell bombers from the USS Hornet enroute to an air raid to attack Tokyo in World War II, after the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941.
16 planes and 80 airmen executed the Doolittle Raid. With one exception - the plane piloted by CAPT Edward J. York - none of the planes made a proper landing: all either were ditched or crashed after their crews bailed out. Nonetheless, all but three men survived the flight.
A Raider's Toast: The Doolittle Raiders' Goblets
In December 1946 General James "Jimmy" Doolittle and his fellow Raiders gathered to celebrate his birthday, and that event turned into an annual reunion.
At every reunion, the surviving Raiders meet privately to conduct their solemn "Goblet Ceremony” using 80 silver goblets. After toasting the Raiders who died since their last meeting, they turn the deceased men's goblets upside down. Each goblet has the Raider's name engraved twice -- so that it can be read if the goblet is right side up or upside down. When there are only two Raiders left, these two men will drink one final toast to their departed comrades.
The goblets are now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Raise a glass and honor these 80 men tomorrow (12 Oct 2024 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.) right after our "Aviation History Alive Day" B-25 Ghost Bomber Unsolved presentation at 1 p.m.
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