Doolittle Raiders Reunion | Taxiing for Take-off The B-25 Champaign Gal, along with another B-25, was taxiing for takeoff at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH while giving rides before attending the 70th Reunion of the Doolittle Raiders. Luckily, I was able to get a media pass so I could get out to the end of the runway for possibly a better shot. Champaign Gal is based at Grimes Field as part of the Champaign Air Museum. She has the home field advantage, but doesn’t seem to need it. Similar images could have easily been taken at numerous airfields around the world in 1942. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | B-25 Gathering B-25 Tondelayo was just one of the 20 B-25s attending at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion. Tondelayo is owned and operated by the Collins Foundation. To find more information about this distinguished B-25, visit the Tondelayo on the Collins Foundation Website. To learn more about Doolittle Raiders Reunion, see Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story.
Doolittle Raiders Reunion | a 7 Image Story On 18 Apr 1942, 16 brave flight crews took off from the USS Hornet aircraft carrier in B-25 bombers to strike the Japanese mainland in a daring mission early in WWII. Today, only one of the 80 men on the mission, Doolittle’s co-pilot, Colonel Richard “Dick” Cole, remains with us to remember that day. In 2017, the 75th Doolittle Raiders Reunion took place at Grimes Field in Urbana, OH and the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH. Colonel Cole was the only Raider able to attend. He came to both the official reunion at the Air Force Museum and to Grimes Field where a group of eleven B-25’s assembled before the official ceremony.
In April 2012, I also had the good fortune to attend a larger reunion at the 70th Doolittle Raiders Reunion, again at Grimes Field and the Air Force Museum. Five raiders celebrated 70th anniversary of their successful mission. The reunion remembered them and all the brave WWII air crews who fought and sometimes died to keep us a free nation. Twenty B-25 aircraft attended the reunion along with their pilots, flight crews, and ground crews.
The Heart of the Volunteer from Pearl Harbor; a musical score composed by Hans Zimmer.
What was the 70th reunion like to attend? The day before the reunion flight to the Air Force Museum was a great day to see the planes and talk with flight crews, ground crews, and even several WWII pilots. I even met “Bud”, an Army Signal Corp photographer assigned to the 5th Air Force. He and my dad served on the same base in New Guinea in WWII. The day before gave way to the night before. The planes were ready; 0530 would come early for these hard-working ground and flight crews. As the sun set, the crowds began to thin out a bit and the photogs began to do their thing. Solitary B-25s, soft light, and longer exposures can sometimes make for great images. It’s going to be a short night for the crews and for the photogs as well. At 0530, Grimes Field will be alive with flight crews, ground crews, airport staff, onlookers, and the Air Force Band. Take-off will be at 0700. But, for now, it’s a peaceful place; not unlike the peaceful nights WWII bomb crews enjoyed before the next day’s mission. Wonder what thoughts crossed their minds on the night before…
And, of course, the night before gave way to dawn; the day of. So, it’s 0530. The flight crews are being briefed. The ground crews are making last-minute checks of the airplanes. By 0600, ground crews begin to move the B-25s into position. Each plane must take-off in a prearranged order. By 0600, enough dawn light allows us photogs to begin capturing images as the Air Force Band plays Stars & Stripes. And, by 0630, flight crews complete their preflight checks and soon after, the planes begin starting engines and taxiing into line to wait their turn to take-off. Now, the pilots are focusing all their attention on the mission ahead.
Take-off is not a time to be nervous, but rather a time every pilot cherishes. Today’s mission is a “milk run” to the U.S. Air Force Museum at Dayton, OH. The 20 B-25’s take-off 90 seconds apart beginning at 0700. After landing at the U.S. Air Force Museum, the planes were on display along the Museum’s runway before, during, and after the formal reunion ceremonies. (The 75th reunion with fewer planes had a similar display.) Meet Mark; as a living historian and Doolittle Raider Reenactor, Mark portrays a WWII Pilot. The photo could have been taken in 1942 in New Guinea just before a mission. Yes, they were that young.
Yellowstone 1953 | 1953 Travel Attire Travel attire has really changed since 1953. Obviously, jeans and tennis shoes were not in style then. Of course, not everyone traveled so formally. Still, can you imagine traveling cross-country from the midwest to Yellowstone and beyond, dressed in a shirt, tie, and dress pants or a long skirt and dress blouse? To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Yellowstone 1953 | Feeding Deer Well, if you can feed the bears, you should be able to feed the deer too. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Yellowstone 1953 | Bears in Canyon Camp Of course, black bears in a camp can end up being bad for the bear. This image obviously degraded over the years. Still, the image clearly shows the rustic 1953 camp. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
Yellowstone 1953 | Yellowstone Canyon The Yellowstone River created today’s Yellowstone Canyon. It begins on the slopes of Younts Peak and travels more than 600 miles to North Dakota where it empties into the Missouri River. It’s the longest undammed river in the continental United States. The specific geologic history of the canyon are not clearly understood. The canyon today is 800 to 1,200 feet deep and 1,500 to 4,000 feet wide and was made by erosional forces not glaciation. The canyon is a classic V-shaped valley made by river-type erosion and is still eroding today. Still, when viewing it from Inspiration Point, it does not look like it has changed much since 1953.
After the caldera eruption some 600,000 years ago, the canyon area was faulted by the doming action of the caldera before the eruption. The present canyon as well as previous canyons was probably the result of this faulting, which accelerated the rate of erosion. Still, the present canyon area was also covered by glaciers that followed the volcanic activity. Glacial deposits may have filled the canyon. The present canyon is less then than 10,000 to 14,000 years old.
Yellowstone 1953 | Feeding Bears Yellowstone policy has changed since 1953 and now discourages people from approaching and feeding any wildlife, particularly bears. It’s better for the bears and safer for the visitors. The bears in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how cute they appear. Bears that become dependent on human food and/or become too accustomed to being around humans may become aggressive and need to be killed. To learn more about Yellowstone in 1953, see Yellowstone 1953 | a 7 Image Story.
