Doolittle's Raiders in Utah

Sgt. Jacob Deshazer, a veteran of Doolittle's Raid during World War II, signs autographs Saturday at the Hill Air Force Base Museum. A crowd of 1,000 waited for autographs. About 19 of the veterans attended the 58th reunion of the Doolittle Raiders, which also included a banquet. The raid was one of the most daring exploits of the war and the first U.S. retaliation for the Pearl Harbor attack. About 80 crewmen in 16 B-25 bombers were assigned to bomb Tokyo and Yokohama. The plan was to take off from the USS Hornet in the North Pacific, about 800 miles from their targets, and then fly to friendly airfields in China. But the aircraft carrier was unable to get that close. Although the planes were modified to extend the fuel capacity, they ran out of gas after the attack. Crews either crash-landed or bailed out; 61 survived. Some of the men ended up in the East China Sea, others in friendly areas of China, and some in Japanese-controlled areas of China. Eight of the crewmen were captured by the Japanese. Of these, three were executed, one died in captivity, and four survived. Lt. Col. Chase Nielsen, of Brigham City, was one who survived captivity. He was in attendance at the reunion.