Doolittle, Mo., Welcomed James Doolittle Back in 1946-- Part 2

In early 1941, anew Army  post called Fort Leonard Wood was being built in south central Missouri.  Workers were offered really good wages and they began pouring into the area.  Many lived at tourist camps in Centerville, a community about half way between  Rolla and Newberg.  (This is on Route 66.)

When the town incorporated in 1944, the founders took the name Doolittle.

On October 11, 1946, James Doolittle flew a surplus B-25 from St. Louis to attend a dedication ceremony for a plaque from the town named after him.  There were about 4,000 people there to meet him.

He spoke at the event about the great things aviation was going to bring to the country and the world.  He said that this new town  had a "brilliant" future ahead.  As far as the town's name, he said the name Doolittle:  "It has served me well, however, it is occasionally misspelled and the people of certain foreign countries sometimes murder it when they try to pronounce it."

Today, some residents think the name has something to do with a place to relax, a place to do little.

Indeed, about the only place to find out about the town's connection was at  a local restaurant called Cookin' From Scratch which had the story on the back of its menu.  You could always find this place because of the El Camino with the giant plastic chicken in back.

However, that place is out of business now.

Oh Well.  --RoadLottle

Doolittle, Mo., Welcomed James Doolittle Back in 1946

From the October 11, 2021, St. Louis (Mo.) Post-Dispatch  "Story of Doolittle's daring raid on Japan disappears over Doolittle, Missouri" by Jesse Bogan.

He was such a hero in those dark days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  So much in fact, that a tiny town in Missouri renamed itself after him.  And, that town is right on Route 66.  But, over the years, that famous pilot and what he did  along with the excitement of Route 66 is gone, except for a small plaque that can easily be missed.

I remember the first time I drove through Doolittle, Missouri, on Route 66, that hey that's the same name as the famous WW II aviator.  I wonder if there is a connection.

A recent sampling of some of the town's 648 residents, including the mayor and others showed a definite lack of knowledge about the town's namesake.

It was James Doolittle who led that successful attack on the Japanese mainland just four months after Pearl Harbor.  It was a badly-needed shot in the arm for the waning United States prospects in the war.  The attack did not do much damage, but it was a national morale booster for the U.S. and a wake up call for Japan.

--RoadDog

Along66, Oct. 2021: Few in Doolittle Remember Their Famous Namesake Visiting

OCTOBER 16

Few in Doolittle, Missouri, remember their once-famous namesake visiting them 75 years ago.

Seventy-five years ago this month, famed World War II hero James Doolittle visited the town named for him just two years earlier.  This was a really bug deal and thousands attended the event at the time.

Doolittle's visit came on October 11, 1946.  In 1944, the town of Centertown became Doolittle (and on Route 66).

Doolittle's population today is just 648 and few living there know the origins of the name.

There is only a brass plaque in the community center about it.

I had heard it was named after him.  But the thing I remember the most about Doolittle is the very low speed limit through town, even though there is not much there to warrant such a low speed.

--RoadDog

Funeral for Dayton Native, Doolittle Raider, Richard Cole Set For Today

From the April 18, 2019, Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun.

Dayton, Ohio, native Richard Cole,  the last surviving member of  the Doolittle Raiders, will be honored today during a memorial service at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Cole was born in Dayton September 7, 1915, and graduated from Steele High School in Dayton and attended two years of college at Ohio University in Athens before enlisting as an aviation cadet on Nov. 22, 1940.  Receiving orders to report to Parks Air College in East St. Louis, Illinois, for training before arriving at Randolph Field, Texas, and later Kelly Field in Texas where he completed pilot training and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in July 1941.

He retired from the Air Force in 1966 with a whole lot of honors and medals as well as a Congressional Gold Medal given in 20014 for all of the Doolittle Raiders.

At the bottom of the article is a place for you to click titled "Photos: Doolittle Raiders through the years." Well worth a browse through.

Like I Said, the Greatest Generation.

Death of the Last Doolittle Raider, Richard Cole

While working on my Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog today, I suddenly got to thing about the Doolittle Raiders and whether or not any of them were still alive.  I did a search and found out the last one, Richard Cole, 103, had died on Tuesday April 9, just short of the anniversary of the raid by nine days (April 18, 1942.

That is quite a coincidence.

I have written about the raid many times:

World War II blog--  91 times
History blog--  20 times
Down Da Road I Go blog--  3 times

This raid, coming so soon after Pearl Harbor, was a huge lift to American morale and a great blow to the Japanese who were sure it would be impossible.