David J. Thatcher (born July 31, 1921), 19019573, was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army Air Force. He was born in Bridger, Montana. Upon his high school graduation, Thatcher enlisted in military service on December 3, 1940. Completed Airplane and Engine Mechanic Course in Lincoln, Nebraska in December, 1941. Thatcher was the only enlisted crew member of Ted W. Lawson's B-25B Mitchell bomber ("Ruptured Duck"), the seventh aircraft to take off from the aircraft carrier "Hornet" which participated in the famous Doolittle Raid on Tokyo (April 181942), in which he served as the gunner. Thatcher was the only crew member to avoid serious injury when the "Ruptured Duck" crash-landed just off the China coast. This enabled him to help the rest of the crew evade capture. He was portrayed in the 1944 movie "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" by actor Robert Walker. Upon returning to the United States, he later served in England and Africa until January, 1944. He was discharged from active duty in July, 1945 after stateside assignments in California. His decorations include the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade. As of August 2007; Thatcher is the last survivor of the crew; there are only 13 (out of 80 who flew in the raid) currently alive.
