Across the Globe, AFA Raises a Toast to the Doolittle Raiders and Today’s Force
April 28, 2026 | By Patrick Fish
On Friday, the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) commemorated the anniversary of the 1942 Doolittle Raid, honoring the courage of the Airmen who carried out the daring mission and the Airmen and Guardians who continue that legacy today. While the main ceremony—featuring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Ken Wilsbach—took place at AFA’s national headquarters in Arlington, Va, AFA chapters joined Air Force and Space Force units in marking the occasion around the world.
The 2026 Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast commemorated the 84th anniversary of the 1942 Doolittle Tokyo Raid, continuing a more than five-decade tradition established by the Raiders themselves. Flown by 80 Airmen in 16 modified B-25B bombers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet just months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the raid demonstrated American resolve and boosted wartime morale by striking the Japanese home islands. Of the 80 Airmen who took part, 69 survived.
After the war, raid leader Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and his men began a memorial toast honoring “those who have gone,” a tradition carried forward until 2013, when three of the last surviving Raiders gathered to observe a final toast. Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” Cole, the last surviving Raider, passed away in 2019. His son, Dr. Rich Cole, took part in the 2026 ceremony at AFA and toasted not only to his father’s crewmates but also to the current and next generations of Airmen and Guardians.
The tradition was resurrected in 2015 by AFA’s Gerrity Chapter—based in central Oklahoma near Tinker Air Force Base—after the surviving Doolittle Raiders were unable to continue the tradition. Under AFA Gerrity’s management, the tradition expanded to other AFA chapters and the Air Force and Space Force units they support. In 2024, the stewardship of the memorial toast was passed to AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center (DLC) to reach a wider audience and preserve the legacy and sacrifice of the Doolittle Raiders.
During the 2026 memorial toast, shots of Hennessy Cognac—the Raiders’ traditional drink of choice—were raised in unison across the country from Arlington and Dallas, Texas, to Airmen and Guardians serving on the forward-deployed front lines. AFA chapters and Air Force, Space Force, and Civil Air Patrol (CAP) units worldwide joined the ceremony via a livestream from AFA Headquarters, led by toastmaster Gen. Dan Caine. “To those who have gone,” Caine said, raising his glass, as the audience echoed the toast. The moment resonated beyond the in-person ceremony, as participants around the globe shared images and greetings from their own observances.
AFA’s D.W. Steele Sr. Chapter—representing the National Capital Region—hosted its members, service members, and cadets from Civil Air Patrol (CAP), Junior ROTC, and Arnold Air Society to commemorate the event. More than 90 participants took part in the memorial toast, followed by a presentation from Col. Matt Coleman, USAF (Ret.), who spoke on the significance of the Doolittle Raid and the bravery demonstrated by the Raiders.
AFA’s David C. Jones Chapter—representing the Dakotas and Minot Air Force Base—held its toast surrounded by historic aircraft at the Dakota Territory Air Museum, including a P‑51C fighter. The Paul Revere Chapter also hosted an observance at Hanscom Air Force Base, welcoming participants from across the base community. In Washington state, the AFA Greater Seattle Chapter commemorated the Raiders with a public toast held at the Museum of Flight.
During the livestreamed ceremony at AFA headquarters, Col. Patrick Donley USAF (Ret.), the director of AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center, recognized several active-duty units participating from locations around the world. Among them was the 28th Expeditionary Operations Group from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, which joined from a forward-deployed location within the U.S. European Command area of responsibility. Donley noted that the unit shares a direct lineage with the Doolittle Raiders, as several of the Raid’s pilots were drawn from the organization at the outset of World War II. Donley also recognized the 100th Air Refueling Wing and the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, both of which joined the ceremony via livestream.
“The Doolittle Raid is an airpower success story that all Airmen and Guardians can celebrate. It’s our legacy to continue,” Donley said in the aftermath of the toast. “It’s my hope that one day in the near future, all U.S. Air Force and Space Force units around the world will gather together to toast with us in a unified ceremony.”
As the tradition continues, the memorial toast remains a powerful reminder of the enduring bond between the Doolittle Raiders and today’s Airmen and Guardians. View photos from the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast commemorations around the world in the gallery below.
