AFA to Host Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast  

The Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) is hosting the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast commemorating the 83rd anniversary of the Doolittle Raid in 1942. The ceremony, organized by AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center, will be held on April 17, 2025, and livestreamed on YouTube at 5:30 PM (ET). 

Gen. David W. Allvin, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force will be the keynote speaker and toastmaster. Units across all Department of the Air Force commands, AFA Chapters, and interested organizations around the world are invited to join the ceremony virtually. Learn how to participate here. 

The event is a revival of a decades-old Air Force tradition first started by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle—AFA’s founding president—and his fellow Raiders in 1946. Originally an annual reunion for the Raiders, the toast has since become a commemoration of the 80 Airmen who flew in the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942. 

“The Doolittle Raid was more than just retaliation for imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor or a temporary morale boost. It proved that nothing is beyond the reach of American airpower,” said Dr. Patrick Donley, a retired Air Force colonel and the director of AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center. “What the Raiders’ bravery and innovation demonstrated 83 years ago is still relevant today: that our Air Force and Space Forces are the most lethal in the world; that our air and space power, driven by the professional excellence of our Airmen and Guardians, are the backbone of U.S. national security. By upholding the Raiders’ tradition, we’re celebrating our heritage and recommitting ourselves to carry their legacy into the future.” 

For more information on joining the Doolittle Raiders Toast or AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center, please contact doolittleleadershipcenter@afa.org. 

About the Doolittle Leadership Center  

AFA’s Doolittle Leadership Center’s mission is “Building Better Leaders.” In the spirit of AFA’s founding President Gen. Jimmy Doolittle, the DLC delivers leadership-training courses, workshops, and resources to Air Force, Space Force, and aerospace industry leaders around the world. Using a “Lead, Develop, Care” model, the DLC equips cadets, enlisted leaders, officers, and industry professionals with a leadership framework to improve organizational, operational, and individual success. The DLC also organizes engagement series aimed at connecting senior military leaders to the next generation of leaders.  

About AFA  

The Air & Space Forces Association is an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 association dedicated to advocating for investment and support for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, and for supporting Airmen, Guardians, and their Families. Founded in 1946, AFA is the single largest entity of its kind focused on air and space power. With more than 120,000 members and 200 chapters spread around the world, our mission is to promote dominant U.S. Air and Space Forces as the foundation of a strong National Defense; to honor and support Airmen, Guardians, and their Families; and to remember and respect the enduring heritage of the Air and Space Forces.