Max Baucus: “I rise today to recognize David J. Thatcher, a remarkable Montanan and American. On April 18, 1942, Thatcher was one of…”

“I rise today to recognize David J. Thatcher, a remarkable Montanan and American. On April 18, 1942, Thatcher was one of 80 Doolittle Raiders who carried out the first air raid on Japan during World War II. The unit was named for their commander, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, who planned and led the mission that dealt a devastating psychological blow to the Japanese Empire in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attacks. I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in honoring Mr. Thatcher and his comrades for their heroic deeds, carried out 71 years ago today. Staff Sergeant Thatcher was born on July 31, 1921 in Bridger, MT and entered the Army in December 1940. He volunteered for the secret mission that later became known as the Doolittle Raid and was assigned as an engineer/gunner to Crew 7 of the ``Ruptured Duck.'' On April 18, 1942, the Doolittle Raiders launched their B-25 bombers off the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, 250 miles further out than planned because they had been discovered by a Japanese fishing boat. During their approach to Tokyo, the crew of the ``Ruptured Duck'' spotted a formation of enemy planes, but because of their special training and unique flying tactics, the Japanese formation never detected the ``Ruptured Duck.'' Crew 7 successfully bombed the Nippon Steel Factory in Tokyo.…”