AFA Grand Opening & Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast
AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center was thrilled to once again present the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast on April 17, 2025. Continuing a decades-long Air Force tradition started by AFA’s founding president Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and his fellow Raiders in 1945, Air and Space Force units and AFA members around the world raised a glass to the 83rd anniversary of the legendary Doolittle Raid and the Raiders’ enduring warfighting spirit, bravery, and innovation.
This year’s program included the grand opening of AFA’s new building in addition to the traditional Toast—a cheers to our future as well as our heritage. The event featured keynotes from both the Chief of Space Operations and the Air Force Chief of Staff.
This event is now over. Please enjoy the recording from the ceremony below.
Featuring:
Gen. B. Chance Saltzman
Chief of Space Operations
Opening Keynote Speaker
Gen. David W. Allvin
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
Toastmaster
This event was made possible by
Share photos of your Toast
Wherever you’re joining us from, your toast is part of ours! Share photos and videos from your event with us so we can include them on social media, in Air & Space Forces Magazine, and more.
Make a gift in honor of a hero
Your gift of $25 or more will directly support the Doolittle Leadership Center, which trains leaders to have the same courage and innovation as the Raiders.
FAQ
How can I participate in the Doolittle Raiders Toast?
AFA will be livestreaming the event on YouTube so that you or your organization can toast along with us from anywhere in the world. The livestream will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET and last for 40-45 minutes.
The ceremony livestream time doesn’t work for me. Can I still access the Toast?
The Doolittle Leadership Center will post the recorded livestream on our YouTube channel as soon as the event is over. Feel free to use the recording in your own ceremony or on its own.
What does the ceremony entail?
The ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET with an invocation, a keynote from Chief of Space Operations B. Chance Saltzman, and the ribbon-cutting of AFA’s new building. It will continue with a brief historical background on the Doolittle Raid and a keynote from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, our toastmaster. A presentation remembering all 80 Doolittle Raiders will culminate in the traditional Toast.
Are there instructions for how I or my group can prepare for participating?
Yes! Please download this PDF explaining the traditional requirements and wording for the Doolittle Raiders Toast. We recommend using Hennessy Cognac, Jimmy’s favorite, for the Toast itself.
My organization already has plans for the commemorating the Toast. Can I still be involved?
Yes! We encourage using our livestream or recording in your own ceremony. We will provide the basics—historical background, an invocation, a listing of the Raiders according to bomber crew, and the traditionally worded Toast presented by our toastmaster—but we encourage more detailed, unique traditions to live on in your organization or unit.