ABATTBQ87 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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ABATTBQ87 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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I wonder was this Commission ceremony? one of the pics had a bunch of guys in all whites.

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I doubt that we were commissioning that many Navy guys. I wonder if they were not A&M cadets, but Navy guys brought from a Navy base on the coast.

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I just wish we could go back in time and document all these pictures more. To me the pics are great, but knowing the stories behind them would be even better.

I was looking thru some Aggie Band pics, and there is one a female Corps member playing a bass, but she was wearing Corps brass, so I'd love to know the story about that.

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Post that picture

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/cushinglibrary/3549027672/in/album-72157618443156225/

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This was just a joke, no women in the 1980s band played tuba, nor were they 3 diamonds

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that's why I'd like to know the story. Good prank and I bet it pissed off a whole lotta folks

BQ_90 said:

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ABATTBQ87 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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ABATTBQ87 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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BQ_90 said:

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I wonder was this Commission ceremony? one of the pics had a bunch of guys in all whites.

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I doubt that we were commissioning that many Navy guys. I wonder if they were not A&M cadets, but Navy guys brought from a Navy base on the coast.

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I just wish we could go back in time and document all these pictures more. To me the pics are great, but knowing the stories behind them would be even better.

I was looking thru some Aggie Band pics, and there is one a female Corps member playing a bass, but she was wearing Corps brass, so I'd love to know the story about that.

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Post that picture

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/cushinglibrary/3549027672/in/album-72157618443156225/

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This was just a joke, no women in the 1980s band played tuba, nor were they 3 diamonds

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that's why I'd like to know the story. Good prank and I bet it pissed off a whole lotta folks

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This was in fun so probably no one was upset; fish Abat and her 2 other female buddies who joined the band in the fall of 1985 pissed off a whole lotta folks

I love the Doolittle Raid, and I'm humbled that I got to talk to Richard Cole at an airshow in San Antonio in 2011(?). Me being an Aggie, I had to talk with him about Hilger. In short, Cole thought pretty highly about the raid's deputy commander. On thing I saw recently said the raid was supposed to be the "Hilger Raid." But then Doolittle pressured Arnold to go along for the whole raid. He was only supposed to demonstrate how to takeoff then fly back to the West Coast and ultimately back to Washington. Of course, that didn't happen, and the rest is history. I don't know how much I trust that article, however.

ANYWAY, the raid would not have happened as it did without one man: Captain Donald Bradley Duncan. If any of you are REALLY nerdy for navy stuff, you can listen to hours interviews with him here: Donald B. Duncan Oral History. For his planning of the raid, go to audio part 7, then jump ahead to ~51 minutes and 7 seconds.

Duncan was USNA class of 1917. He went into aviation in the 1920s after time on USS Oklahoma. He later served in Langley, Lexington, and Saratoga, with Bull Halsey, Ted Sherman, and other notables in various roles, including squadron commander, navigator, and executive officer.

In 1941, he was assigned to lead the conversion of Mormacmail to USS Long Island (AVG-1, later CVE-1). After proving the concept of escort carriers, he was assigned to Admiral Earnest J. King's staff in December 1941, and in January 1941 studied Captain Francis S. Lowe's idea of Army bombers being launched from carriers against Japan. He determined the most suitable airplane was the B-25, and that USS Hornet (CV-8) should be the carrier to do it. He presented the plan to General Hap Arnold and received his support. Duncan arranged for two B-25s to be launched off of Hornet's deck in February 1942, which proved his earlier analysis.

In mid-March, Duncan met face-to-face with Doolittle and Arnold in Washington and presented his plan. After the presentation, Doolittle was satisfied and pleased with the plan as presented. Then Duncan headed to Pearl Harbor to inform Nimitz and Halsey of it.

After telling the two admirals the plan, Duncan was the one to "Tell Jimmy to get on his horse." He then went back to the West Coast, met Pete Mitscher and told him about the plans for his ship (Hornet).

Duncan was able to witness some of the loading of the B-25s onto Hornet in early April, but went back to Washington, D.C. for further planning work on King's staff, somewhat forgotten to history.

The biggest mistake he made was leaving the one-page planning document with Captain Miles R. Browning, which has been forever lost to history. Browning was such a screw up.

However, Duncan was quite the able officer. While on King's staff he helped implement plans for CVLs and the two Great Lakes aircraft carriers Wolverine and Sable which trained thousand of naval aviators.

In late 1942, he was selected by John H. Towers to selected to command USS Essex (CV-9). If you continue listening to the recordings, he goes into the fitting out, commissioning, and early operations of that great ship. He laid the foundation of arguably the greatest carrier of the 20th Century, one that I'm proud to say my uncle served on from late 1943-1946. Sadly, Duncan was plucked by King to go back to D.C. after just two combat operations (strikes on Marcus and Wake atolls) in Essex. You can hear the frustration in Duncan's voice when he was relieved of command, and how this was the high point of his career.

Duncan went on to be a full Admiral, retiring in 1956 after over 40 years of service.

So here's to Doolittle, Hilger, Cole, all the Raiders, the crew of Hornet, Hank Miller, AND Duncan--the man the planned it all.

I would rather be dead than praise an Aggie, but credit where credit is due. Anyone on the Doolittle raid has my utmost respect. Props to you all. He does our country and your university great credit.

Because of men like him, we live in an excellent world.


Spirit 9: The Look - YouTube

Fitzhugh spent 2 years at A&M before transferring to t.u.

For that matter, no one's ever play a tuba in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, as nothing we do starts out tu.

aggiejim70 said:

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For that matter, no one's ever play a tuba in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, as nothing we do starts out tu.

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wanna bet, tuba players play tubas in the FTAB, just like those drummers play bongos.

Back on topic, from the Battalion July 14, 1942

Battalion July 9, 1942

pmart said:

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In the current Ukraine/Russia War, we have heard the presumed Ukrainian strikes across their border into Russia as morale boosting operations. I imagine the Doolittle strike would be like Ukraine hitting Moscow if Moscow was on the other side of the world from it.

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YES!

Does anyone have any audio for this?!

It's a video of Doolittle (and Hilger and others) on USS Oriskany (CVA-34) around the 25th anniversary of the raid.

I think it must have been taken by a film camera with no sound. Would have been 1967, and the images are too sharp for video of the time. So, no audio, but I did find more footage

I have a book on the Doolittle Raid Signed by Dick Cole, Doolittle's copilot. He signed it on his 100th birthday