Tag Archives: eglin afb

Tom Griffin, Doolittle Raider, Dies

B-25 navigator Maj Thomas Griffin died in a VA nursing home last week.  While most such deaths would be noted by surviving family members, Griffin’s was noted by how many Doolittle Raiders he leaves behind:  only 4.

As noted previously (and clarified by Doolittle Raider Association manager Tom Casey), the final public Doolittle reunion will be this year.  The remaining Raiders will gather at another location privately and open the bottle of cognac reserved for the final survivors.

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Doolittle Raiders Announce Final Reunion

The Doolittle Raiders — the 80 men who made the daring Tokyo raid that inspired a nation — have had an annual reunion for the past 67 years.  At each one, they have toasted their comrades who have passed the prior year and ceremoniously turned their goblets over.  The plan was that the final two Raiders would open and drink a cognac bottled the year their then-leader, Jimmy Doolittle, was born.

There are five remaining Raiders, four of whom are “active.”  All are well into their 90s.

The Doolittle Raiders have decided to make 2013 their last reunion, and they will open the bottle this year.

For their final reunion, they will return Read more

Christian Fighter Pilot, Astronaut Addresses Eglin Prayer Breakfast

US Air Force Col James Dutton, a NASA astronaut, addressed the Eglin National Prayer breakfast and reminded his listeners of the sense of awe — and the presence of God — that people often miss in their daily lives:

“The world around us is really amazing,” he said. “Our sense of wonder we had as a kid is often lost when we become adults…”

“Being in orbit was like being a two-year old and being a fighter pilot is like being a six-year-old again,” he joked.

MajGen Kenneth Merchant told Col Dutton he “gave us a feel for what it is like to touch the heavens.”  Dutton reiterated that it is “tremendously evident” there is a God Read more

F-35 Training Units Stand Up

An Air Force Times article highlights the progress in standing up the multi-service training units for the F-35 Lightning II at Eglin AFB, which is scheduled to begin this fall with the arrival of the first F-35 in November.

For the record, the F-35 variants have taken their first flights in only the past few months.  The 200 “instructors” cited in the article (which may include maintainers) haven’t logged a single hour in an actual aircraft.

No worries, though; according to the wing vice commander, Marine Col Arthur Tomassetti, the training shouldn’t be too difficult:  Read more

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