Robert L. Hite, blindfolded by his captors, 1942
Posted on 03/30/2015 10:22:44 AM PDT by Borges
Robert L. Hite, blindfolded by his captors, 1942
RIP
Thank you.
Gone West Salute! RIP
Salute, Sir. May you rest in peace among your fellow heroes. May God bless you forever.
Fortunately, I was able to see him and the remaining Raiders (via video)as they performed the last ceremonial toast at Dayton. I wept almost the entire time. From where did we get such great men? I am just so thankful for all of them. I strive to maintain even a small fraction of their ‘can-do’ attitude. It is the least I can do, as well as cherish their memory forever in my heart.
Dick Cole was Doolittle’s copilot.
David Thatcher was the engineer/turret gunner on Plane #7, Ted Lawson’s “Ruptured Duck” made famous in Thirty Seconds over Tokyo.
Thatcher was the youngest Raider. He’s actually outlived the actor who portrayed him in Thirty Seconds by 64 years ...
RIP, Sir.
I saw that live video. Very touching and I used a Kleenex, too.
Devastation B-25 Style Ping!
Got to meet him at the reunions in Tucson and San Antonio.
Actually received a letter from him when I sent him photos of the event. It is a shame to see them go.
The book FOUR CAME HOME by Carrol Glines is required reading for all true Americans.
What those men went through was unspeakable and deserves revisiting as much as was done with the movie “Unbreakable”.
True heroes who should have been honored accordingly.
I doubt 1 in 100 kids graduating in the last 20 years have any knowledge of them. Shameful
I am going to check with the group and see if I can’t get permission to post the video I took of Ed Saylor’s presentation. They were and are an amazing bunch of guys the likes of which there is not much of a chance we will ever see again.
RIP Sir! Thank you for your service.
May he rest in peace.
I was fortunate to be able to attend the last Raiders Reunion in Florida with my dad who is also a WWII vet. At the time, Hite couldn’t make the trip because he was too frail.
The highlight of the reunion was seeing Dick Cole fly one of the remaining airplanes. The owner of the plane was quoted as saying he turned the controls over to Cole and it was as if he had been flying them daily. He never varied his altitude and actually landed the aircraft.
It was an honor to have the opportunity to share a week with these brave men. It was also a rare opportunity to share some memories of my dad’s service before he started his slide into Alzheimers.
Although I am a Viet Nam era vet myself, I was embarrassed to be in the presence of these great men and have people thank me for my service.
May Col.Hite rest in peace and continue to raise a glass with his other Raider comrades in heaven.
I join in prayer for Lt. Col. Hite’s family and loved ones as they deal with his homegoing.
That would be great I you can do so. Please give me a ping if you are able. If not, I’ll be satisfied knowing that I was able to view he and these men on live TV. Still, some people you would just love to listen to for hours and hear them speak. Recent and throughout history. Take good care.
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