Retired Maj. Nolan Herndon, a Doolittle Raider from South Carolina, died on Oct. 7 of pneumonia. He was 88. The State reports that Herndon was the navigator on the No. 8 B-25 Mitchell bomber, one of 16 bombers that launched off the USS Hornet to attack the Japanese mainland after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His aircraft was one that did not crash or run out of fuel after the mission. In an earlier interview, Herndon told the newspaper that No. 8 was diverted to the Soviet Union on a secret mission.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
