Presentation of the congressional gold medal recognizing the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders of World War II fame is scheduled for April 15 in Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.

Just three members of the 80 servicemen who took off in B-25 bombers April 18, 1942, from the flight deck of the USS Hornet headed to bomb Tokyo survive today. They are Lt. Col. Robert Hite, 95; Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher, 93; and Lt. Col. Richard Cole, 99.

A fourth Raider still living in 2014 as the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and Commission of Fine Arts reviewed medal design recommendations, Lt. Col. Edward Saylor, passed away Jan. 28, 2015, at age 94.

As a lieutenant, Cole was Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle's co-pilot in the lead plane. The crew had to bail out as the aircraft ran out of fuel after bombig its target in Japan and eventually crashed in China. Doolittle, Cole, and the other three crew members were rescued by the Chinese.

The approved designs for the medal won't be released to the public until April 15. Bronze 1.5-inch and 3-inch duplicates of the gold medal will be offered for sale to the public by the U.S. Mint.
 

More from CoinWorld.com:

'Older, haggard' image of Ronald Reagan chosen by Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee

Gold prospector willing to part with 87-ounce nugget find for a price

Three-coin 2015 March of Dimes Special Silver Set goes on sale May 4 from U.S. Mint

$60,000 gold coin is lost at ANA National Money Show, found and returned within hours

2,500-year-old gold and silver coins found in U.S. college's library


Please sign in or join to share your thoughts on this story. 

Keep up with all of CoinWorld.com's news and insights by signing up for our free eNewsletters, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter. We're also on Instagram!