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Date set for Doolittle Raid homecoming

Northwest Florida Daily News
BY Mladen Rudman
03.31.08

FORT WALTON BEACH - Imagine this: Eight 1,700-horsepower engines thunder on the runway, wing flaps come down, manifold pressure rises ‹ and the brakes are released.

Gaining speed as they roll down the runway at Duke Field, the B-25s fly into the sky as quickly as safety allows.

The four-ship takeoff will be part of the four-day "Doolittle Raiders Homecoming, 1942-2008" hosted May 28 through 31 by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce.

The Raiders carried out a morale-boosting World War II attack against Japan nearly 66 years ago after launching in B-25 bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet.

They trained for the mission in March 1942 at then-Eglin Field. The Duke launch will re-enact part of that training.

One of the Raiders, E.W. Horton Jr., lives in Fort Walton Beach. He could not be reached for comment.

The celebration will feature panel discussions, book signings, and a reunion of at least five Raiders, including Horton. Proceeds will benefit Emerald Coast Fisher House at Eglin Air Force Base.

Chamber president and CEO Ted Corcoran said the Raiders' reunion will be the first at Eglin in four decades.

He hopes the homecoming will be as well-received as early indicators suggest.

"People who have heard rumors about it are really psyched," Corcoran said. The homecoming "is a wonderful thing. The community should be honored."

Robert Kane, Eglin's Air Armament Center deputy historian, agreed.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Kane, who has written about the Doolittle Raid. "I think it's an important reminder to the current generation, which doesn't remember the sacrifices their parents and grandparents" made during World War II.

Kane said the Doolittle Raiders were a spectacular example of the sometimes daring lengths to which America went to defeat Japan.

Having some of the Raiders come to the Emerald Coast to take part in panel discussions is a chance for attendees to relive a vibrant moment in American history.

"Here's an opportunity to get a glimpse at what the Greatest Generation did through the eyes of a very significant group (of flyers)," Kane said.

TO LEARN MORE: For updates on "Doolittle Raiders Homecoming, 1942-2008" events or information about purchasing tickets, go to www.fwbchamber.org.

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