1 of 2 remaining Doolittle Raiders dies in Montana

MISSOULA – One of the last two surviving members of the Doolittle Raiders – who bombed Japan in an attack that stunned that nation and boosted U.S. morale – has died in Montana, his family said.

Retired Staff Sgt. David Jonathan Thatcher died Wednesday in a Missoula hospital. He was 94. He suffered a stroke on Sunday, Thatcher’s son Jeff told the Missoulian newspaper.

Thatcher’s death leaves Retired Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” Cole of Comfort, Texas, as the only living airman from among 80 who took off from an aircraft carrier on 16 B-25 bombers to target factory areas and military installations April 18, 1942, in Japan. Afterward, the planes headed for airfields in mainland China, realizing they would run out of fuel, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

The mission lifted American spirits five months after Pearl Harbor was bombed and forced the Japanese to spend resources defending their home islands.

Thatcher was engineer-gunner aboard the plane nicknamed “The Ruptured Duck.”

After the bombing, Thatcher’s plane crash landed in the ocean near China. The plane flipped over, and all the crew members except for Thatcher were seriously injured. Thatcher was knocked out, but soon regained consciousness, gathered the rest of the crew, administered first aid and persuaded some Chinese guerrillas to take the crew to safety in inland China.

Thatcher received a Silver Star for gallantry in action. The crew’s experiences were depicted in the movie “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”