[ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the departure of the official party. ♪ ♪ this weekend on the c-span netwo networks, politics, books and american history. on saturday, at 6:00 p.m. eastern, hurricane katrina, the 10th anniversary. speakers include bill clinton and the mayor mitch landrieu. and sunday evening at 6:30, speeches from hillary clinton and bernie sanders at the democratic national committee in minneapolis. on c-span 2 book tv on saturday at 10:00 eastern on afterwards, author dan-el padilla peralta talked about his book, chasing his journey from an grbt to his college education. and then hurricane katrina, featuring haley barbour and investigative reporter ronnie green. on american history tv on c-span 3 a few minutes past 2:00 p.m., don thomas discusses the history of space station and comparing russian and american development and looking at the future of international space station efforts. and on sunday at 4:00 p.m. on real america, appointment in tokyo as a signal corp film documenting the course of world war ii in the pacific theater from the japanese invasion of the philippines and to the surrender ceremony on september 2nd, 1945. get the complete schedule on c-span. in april the house and senate hold a gold medal ceremony at the capitol honoring the doolittle tokyo raiders during their service during world war ii. the 80 men conducted the fair air raids on japan in april, 1942, four months afrp the attack on pearl harbor. mitch mcconnell and nancy pelosi and dick durbin speak at the ceremony. >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [ applause ] >> well good afternoon, everyone and welcome to the capitol. normally speaker boehner would preside over this ceremony. but sadly over the weekend his younger brother rick passed away. so the speaker is with his family today in southwest ohio and asked me to send his deepest reguards, regrets he's unable to be here. today pursuant to hr 1209 we'll present a congressional gold medal to the doolittle tokyo raiders. the gold medal shows the highest gratitude for the distinguished achievements and constitutions. it is being presented to the doolittle raiders for their out standing heroism during world war ii. after today's ceremony, the medal will make its way to the national museum of the united states air force in dayton, ohio, where it will be permanently placed. general john hudson, the director of the museum, is with us to receive the medal. thank him for being here. [ applause ] >> thank you. this was the work of many people. especially the families of these heros and we thank you all for being here as well. i hope you enjoy today's remarks. thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces color guard. the single of our national anthem and the retiring of the colors. ♪ ♪ all present forward. ♪ ♪ whose bright stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming ♪ and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there ♪ oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave ♪ ♪ ♪ ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states senate dr. barry black gives the invocation. >> let us pray. eternal lord god, the source of our hopes and dreams, we thank you for the doolittle tokyo raiders. a group of 80 patriots who more than self their country loved. we're grateful for the moral boost their exploits provided, a beleaguered nation, infusing america with the spirit of hope when it needed it most. lord, we ask your special blessings on the two surviving raiders, retired lieutenant colonel richard cole and staff sergeant david thatcher. bless also and comfort the family of the third doolittle raider, retired lieutenant colonel robert hite who recently died. may the inspiration we receive from this congressional gold medal ceremony, that celebrates the humble heroism of the doolittle tokyo raiders, motivate us to live more laudable lives. we pray in your great name, amen. >> please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, united states representative from the 22nd district of texas, the honorable pete olson. [ applause ] >> good afternoon. i want to start by thanking the republican and democrat leaders of both bodies for making this long, overdue day happen. my special thanks to senator brown for allowing me to be his wing man on this endeavor. and in my navy career, i have landed and taken off an aircraft carrier many times. i want you all to know what these 80 heros did on april 18th, 1942. that was the first day they dropped off a carrier deck and saw the rush of water come up to greet them. a japanese patrol boat spotted the hornet 12 hours before their intended launch. america could not lose the hornet. so the men were given a choice. watch, knowing that it would go down in enemy territory, or scrub the mission forever. all 16 bombers took off and bombed japanese soil. that soil had never been touched by a foreign power in over 1,000 years. those 64 bombs did little damage through japanese navy and army. but the fear that raid put into japanese admirals made them want to have a takeoff fight with our navy in the pacific. we won that fight two months later at midway. after midway, america was going to win world war ii. that would not have happened without the doolittle raid. this gold medal ensures that we'll never forget these heroes who saves our world from tyranny. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, united states senator from ohio, the honorable sherrod brown. [ applause ] >> thank you to our legislative leaders, to general hudson and to john crown to congressman olson, thank you. this has been a long time coming. it has been four years since brian aend, the sergeant at arms for the doolittle tokyo raiders came seeking recognition. something the rads never sought for themselves. go back to 1942, americans were still reeling from pearl harbor. we lost battle after battle in the pacific. to many allied forces were in retreat across the globe. across the ocean, japan's arrogance reached new heights. japanese generals said no one could launch an air attack against japan. they boasted in all of the 2,000 years of history, japan had never lost a war. then that spring 80 americans embarked on a mission many thought impossible. the airmen knew the dangers and knew many of them would not come home. but the raiders showed america and showed the world that, yes, japan could be invaded. they showed that, yes, the u.s. and allied forces could win the war. after the war when the airmen returned, they talked little of their service. they went back to their daily lives in ohio and texas and kentucky and illinois and louisiana and california. they blended into american life of the 1940s. when asked about the raid by the new york times, lieutenant sornl sailer said it was just a mission we did in the wore. we did what we had to do. like my dad, the doolittle raiders came from a generation that spoke proudly of service to our country, but rarely drew attention to their own courage. they sought no recognition, but oh, how they earned it. that is why i'm so honored to play a role in the awarding of this medal today. so the raiders still living, lieutenant colonel dick cole, and jeff thatcher, whose son is with us today and for the 78 to longer with us. thank you for what you did for this country. because of you, we live in a free and grateful nation. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army band. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ music playing ] ♪ ♪ [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the majority whip of the united states house of representatives, the honorable steve scalise. [ applause ] good afternoon. i'm proud to be here with you today and specially as someone who represents part of the city of new orleans where we host the national world war ii museum where we pay tribute to those brave men and women, the greatest generation that defended our freedoms during world war ii. almost 73 years ago today, 80 brave airmen stepped forward and volunteered for a mission that they knew may very well be their last. these 80 men, the doolittle tokyo raiders believed that our american way of life was worth flying into the unknown and risking their lives for. they believed that the selfless participation in this mission was simply, as they put it, doing their job. after japan's attack on pearl harbor, the american war effort was demoralized and wounded. james doolittle and his men's raid over tokyo turned the tide back in our favor and telegraphed a message to the rest of the world that america will not back down and america will fight and will win. today as members of the house and senate leadership, but more importantly as americans, it is our honor and privilege to present this congressional gold medal to the doolittle tokyo raiders in recognition of their bravery, valor, sacrifice and great service to our nation. god bless america. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. [ applause ] >> good afternoon. senator brown, representative olson, thank you for giving us this opportunity today. it is an honor to be here with all of you. lieutenant general john hudson, thank you for your leadership. just looking at the program and all of these names listed here, what a heavy -- what a heavy list of honor and valor and courage. how wonderful that we are honoring them today. it is fitting that we come together today in emancipation hall. because today marks the 150th anniversary of the death of president abraham lincoln, 7:22 a.m. this morning. as we gather to pay tribute to the impossible, incredible bravery of the doolittle raiders, president lincoln's words on the battle of gettysburg ring true as ever. the world will not remember what we say here but it can never forget what they did. what they did. [ applause ] as a representative of san francisco, i take special pride because it was less than four months after pearl harbor on april 2nd, 1942, the uss hornet steamed out of san francisco bay. on her deck, 16 b-25 medium bombers, planes never intended to take off from an aircraft carrier, planes that could never land back on the hornet once launched. their crews had volunteered when they knew nothing more than the mission's importance would be matched only by its perils. the training and preparation for an unprecedented action had been compressed into a scant few months. still at every chance to backout, these 80 men kept stepping forward to see the raid through. and so, days later, hundreds of miles short of the planned launch point, 80 men and 16 planes vaulted into the sky, racing toward their targets and the enemy homeland, placing their hopes in a successful crash landing on the china coast. reeling from the surprise attack on pearl harbor with the forces of democracy being driven back in every theater, our nation needed a reason to believe. the doolittle raid was just that. in a letter to captain ted lawson after the war, the commander officer of the uss hornet during the mission wrote, to americans grimly facing reverses on every front, it brought an electric shock of hope. as general jimmy doolittle himself wrote years later, our country faced with the greatest adversity we had ever experienced, had fought back. some were killed or executed. some were grievously wounded. some faced years of captivity. but the doolittle raiders had pierced the axis war machines and given american a reason to believe victory was reason reach. for all of the men who made it through the raid in one piece, the war was only just the beginning. with many more dangerous missions ahead. more raiders would give their lives before the final victory was won. too sure, into danger, was the motto. and dangerous it was. and i want to say something to the families to the members of the air force. now it is the air force. as i travel in europe and north africa, and my colleagues can attest to this, we visit the american cemeteries there and what is remarkable and how we look across at the tomb stones and how proud we are, we have to go to the wall to see the names of those who were in the air force. because that's the way it is. no remains. and i know that that is another gift that the families give us, not just the courage of their family members, but to have -- not ever to be able to come home. but nonetheless to be recognized forever more on those walls. and it is not any surprise that when we go to those walls, we are escorted usually by the air force. everyone is in tears because of the freedom that people have given us with their lives, with their entire being. so i thank you, families of the air force, for that history, those gifts to our country. [ applause ] now after the raid, as before, these men believed they have a job to do and they meant to see it through, no matter how long or how hard it would be. seven decades later we are still awed by the sheer audacity of the doolittle raid and the incredible men whose grit and bravery made it possible. we are honored by their courage, inspired by their sacrifice, humbled by their humility and their effectiveness and their strength. the time in the ranks will never dim the daring of their deeds. for their service and their valor and for their awakening of the spirit of our nation and in the darkest hour of our need, we are proud to honor the doolittle raiders with a congressional gold medal with thanks and respect. thank you. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the assistant democratic leader of the united states senate, the honorable dick durbin. [ applause ] >> good afternoon. think back for a moment. where were you? where were you on september 11th, 2001. we all have that memory don't we. it is something you will never forget as long as you live. 60 years before there was another day just like that in american history. december the 7th, 1941. a message which electrified america. we had been attacked at pearl harbor. brave men and women had died. and a war was declared, just hours after, in the hall of the u.s. house of representatives when president franklin roosevelt came and described that day that would live in infamy. and then it was his job as commander and chief to rally the american people and forces to win that war. he summoned winston churchill to come across the ocean and meet with him in the white house. two weeks after pearl harbor, franklin roosevelt, the commander-in-chief, sent the order to the military, attack japan. he knew that he had to make the point that they were nottin vulnerable and he to prove to the american people that we had the will to stand up and fight back against the odds. lucky for him and lucky for america, 80 brave americans stepped forward to vunt for this -- volunteer for this mission. some may have described that as a suicide mission. we're going to fly bombers offer a carriers, without escorts and give up our armament because of the 400 or 500 pound bombs that we have to transport such a great distance. we're going to find out selves out in the ocean and as congressman olson said earlier, spotted by the japanese and we have to leave earlier now, a greater distance, and we're going to have to ditch these planes after it's over. perhaps in china, perhaps in russia, perhaps in the ocean. these 80 men stepped forward and said, we'll do it. nelson mandela was asked about courage. he said courage is not the absence of fear. but the triumph over it. these 80 men, the doolittle raiders, triumphed over fear. they went out on that mission and amazingly 69 of them returned. i would like to recognize major griffith paul williams, a raider from my home state of illinois. during the doolittle raid, he co-piloted the 15th b-25 bomber. it was a flight that almost didn't happen. one of the engines on the plane wasn't working. they couldn't get it running. and they told him, if they couldn't get that plane up and rubbing in time -- running in time, they have to push it overboard when the other bombers launched. that is when lieutenant colonel sailer, the crew's engineer, said we're in this mission to stay. remarkably, he took the engine off the aircraft and rebuilt it and put it back on the plane. and when they asked him, do you think it's going to work? he said a line we can all relate to, well, there aren't any parts left over. the engine worked. the mission was successful. unfortunately edward saylor couldn't be here today. he passed away just a few months ago. but before he died they asked him how it felt to be a hero and he said, there is no way you can call yourself a hero. that is for someone else to say. well today the congress of the united states of america is calling edward saylor and the other 79 other doolittle raiders just that -- heroes. and on behalf of the free loving people in the united states and everywhere, we say thank you for your service and a job well done. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [ applause ] >> for decades, a group of survivors gathered annually to recommend a mission that never should have succeeded. from silver challiss before them, the balmy aroma of strongelism you are, in chairs beside them, reminders of what they have worked together to accomplish. in empty spaces near them, reminder of what they had since lost. and then at the end of each ceremony, a roll call. heroes saluted, fallen comrades remembers. and with swills of brandy, a toast from the doolittle raiders, a toast to a fateful mission across the pacific that helped change the course of war and with it history. the success of their raid launched april 18th, 1942, did, indeed, seem improbable. but jimmy doolittle's volunteers flew any way. there were five extra crews and everyone wanted to go. one raider remembered. one individual offered $1,000 to anybody willing to give up his seat. but there were no takers. 80 raiders took off that morning. and just over a year ago at the national museum of the u.s. air force, three surviving raiders met to commemorate it. the raiders may have been few that day, but they weren't alone. as their motorcade rolled forward, grateful crowds came into view. as their eyes turned upward, b-25s soared overhead. the gratitude of an entire nation there for each of them to see. so a few weeks later when the raiders met to click goblets one last time, it would have been easy to think of so many empty cups with sorrow. but i hope they remembered all that had been gained instead. moral for a nation, achieved through their bravery. freedom for millions. secured with victories of free people and bonds of enduring friendship, strong as the brandy used to toast it. and there is something else too. the gratitude of a nation that hasn't forgotten, a nation that won't forget. lieutenant colonel dick cole and sergeant david thatcher saw it that day outside of the air force museum. and this saturday on the 73rd anniversary of the raid, these survivors with see another reminder when they present the medal we bestowed today to the very same museum. today we hope these veterans and the family of every raider veteran will see and hear too. so let me invite general hudson to join us on the stage. come on up, general. it is now our high privilege on behalf of the american people to present the congressional gold medal, the highest civilian honor congress can bestow in honor of the doolittle tokyo raiders. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, the director of the national museum of the united states air force, lieutenant general john hudson, united states air force, retired. [ applause ] >> leader mcconnell, assistant democratic leader durbin, leader pelosi, house majority whip scalise and senator brown and olson, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the great honor today of accepting the congressional gold medal on behalf of the doolittle raiders and having the chance to say a few words on their behalf. the 80 doolittle raiders led by then lieutenant colonel jimmy doolittle were 100% volunteers. none of them knew the details of the mission until the task force had departed the continental united states. the two who include their attendance here today, but if here though, the raiders will tell you they just wanted to help out with the nation's war effort and volunteered for a difficult and dangerous mission. the raiders would tell you they were within the army air force and it was their army air force crew chiefs and maintainers and fuel specialists and more who helped them train and prepare the airplanes for the mission. their professionalism, innovation and ingenuity continues in our nation's air force just as it did in the army a air forces. and they will tell you the navy transported the raiders and the aircraft to the launch point with a task force that included the uss hornet, the carrier which held the 16 b-25 bombers and navy captain fran isis lowe that came up with the mission and who helped them train and prepare for the mission. the raiders would tell you that north american aviation, part of our nation's arsenal of democracy, designed and built the b-25 bomber, a robust platform as it turns out that was capable of taking off from an aircraft carrier and delivering the blow which helped turn the strategic tide of world war ii. the raiders serve as a model to call all united states force airmen, and the joint team for that mission is an inspiration for all of today's military and indeed to america, all of america. the raiders, with the help and support of our army, navy and american industry achieved the unimaginable. in accordance with public law and consistent with the wishes of the doolittle raiders, our nation's national museum of the air force located at patterson air force base in dayton, ohio, will place the medal on display in the world war ii gallery. it will be next to the display case containing the 80 silver gone -- goblets, one for each raider, donated by the city of tucson in 1989. they hope to inform and educate the american public about the raid and our doolittle history and heritage and secondly to inspire and motivate current and future generations of american youth toward greatness as exemplified by the raiders and the military teammates. as the national museum of the united states air force we will keep the story alive and prominent. more than 1 million visitors annually will see the medal and read about it in person and another 4 million will see high definition photography of the medal and read about the story online. in just a minute, you'll hear a prerecorded video statement from retired dick cole, the senior of the two surviving raiders. he was then doolittle's co-pilot on the mission which took place 70 years ago -- 73 years ago this coming saturday, 18 april. jimmy doolittle, dick cole and the other three coup members were in the first aircraft off the flight deck of the uss hornet. they had the shortest amount of takeoff space available. they did it and paved the path airplanes. lieutenant colonel dick cole turns 100 years young this september. he and then sergeant david thatcher, now 93, are the two surviving doolittle raiders of the 80 who flew the mission on 58, april, 1942. can you be assured that the doolittle raiders, the two who still survive and all of the others who have passed on are extremely grateful for this most prestigious medal bestowed on the doolittle raiders but the united states congress. thank you very much and now let's play the video. >> my name is lieutenant richard e. coal and along with sergeant david m. thatcher, we are today the only surviving doolittle tokyo raiders. we want to thank congress for enacting and presenting the congressional gold medal to the tokyo raiders this day or april the 15th, 2015. on behalf of our 78 fallen raiders, we are proudly served with on the famous raid, we are honored to accept this prestigious and most appreciated award. we have asked the national museum of the united states air force to display our congressional gold medal in the doolittle exhibit as part of our history, along with 80 silver goblets for all visitors to enjoy. [ applause ] >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army band and chorus. ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, beautiful for spacious skies -- ♪ for purple mountains, majesty, among the plain ♪ america, america god shed his grace on thee ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ ♪ ♪ america, america ♪ god shed his grace on the ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood ♪ from sea to shining sea ♪ america! ♪ america! ♪ [ applause ] ladies and gentlemen, the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the reverend patrick conroy. >> let us pray. god of power, god of justice. it is because of the weakness and failures of our human nature that the terror of war so often plagues the human family. and yet it is during war time that the greatness of human spirit is so often demonstrated. in 1942 our nation was reeling from a preemptive strike by japan upon the pacific fleet. japan, no doubt, feared what the united states might use that fleet for. it was a shocking blow. the 80 men who volunteered for a virtual suicide mission did not strike a similar blow upon japan. little damage was done to the military force of that nation. but the success of their mission rather was in the tremendous message of hope that we americans could respond to the dangers of powerful enemies despite impossible odds. today only two raiders remain. lieutenant colonel dick cole and staff sergeant david thatcher. may the breadth of god uphold their noble and historic story. may it carry to other generations and even to other nations a message to inspire citizens everywhere to believe and act upon the truth that there is no greater aspiration than to be willing to lay down one's life to save others. may those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day and