At a ceremony held on April 15, 2015 at Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, members of the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Authorized under Public Law 113-106, the medal was awarded to the volunteers of the 17th Bombardment Group, led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle during World War II, who made the first strike against Japan on April 18, 1942. The top-secret mission called for the raiders to take off from an aircraft carrier approximately 450 miles outside of Japan, bomb select Japanese targets, and then fly to safety in unoccupied areas of China. The operation was risky, as medium bombers had never before flown from a carrier, and sailing so far into enemy territory was dangerous.

The medal's obverse design features the North American B-25B Mitchell launching off the USS Hornet (CV-8), 16 stars representing the 16 flight crews that made up the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, and the inscriptions "DOOLITTLE TOKYO RAIDERS," "FIRST STRIKE," and "APRIL 18, 1942." The obverse was designed by Chris Costello and engraved by Don Everhart.

The reverse design features B-25B Mitchell aircraft approaching their target with four patches representing the four squadrons (34th, 37th, 89th, and 95th) that make up the 17th Bombardment Group. The inscriptions are "17TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP," "TOUJOURS AU DANGER" (French for "Still in Danger"), and "ACT OF CONGRESS 2014." The reverse was designed by Donna Weaver and engraved by Joseph Menna.

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Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Congressional Gold Medal (http://news.coinupdate.com/doolittle-tokyo-raiders-congressional-gold-medal-4785/)

More than seven decades after an audacious bombing run by the "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders" rallied their nation while stunning another, the World War II heroes are still adding to their legacy.

The group will receive the Congressional Gold Medal on April 15 in Washington, then present it to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 18 - the 73rd anniversary of the raid.

The gold medal will go on display at the museum near Dayton, joining an exhibit depicting the Raiders' launch from an aircraft carrier during their daring 1942 mission against Japan.

One of only three surviving Raiders, retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, 99, plans to return to his native Ohio from Comfort, Texas, for the museum ceremonies. Another Raider, and family members who survive others who were on the mission, are expected to take part in the weekend of events, some of them private.

To read the complete article, see:
WWII heroes to give congressional gold medal to Ohio museum (www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2015/03/29/wwii-heroes-give-congressional-gold-medal-ohio-museum/70644922/)