Doolittle Raider WWII vet Tom Griffin dies at 96

CINCINNATI (AP) — A B-25 bomber navigator in the daring World War II bombing raid on mainland Japan has died.

Maj. Thomas "Tom" Griffin was 96, and his death leaves four surviving Doolittle's Raiders.

Griffin died Tuesday in a VA nursing home. Funeral services are March 9.

Griffin was among 80 volunteers for the April 18, 1942, mission. The bombing run, planned by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, was credited with lifting American morale and shaking Japan in Pearl Harbor's aftermath.

Griffin parachuted over China and eluded capture, eventually returning to service on bombing runs from North Africa. His plane was shot down in 1943, and he spent nearly two years in a German prison camp.

He was preceded in death by his wife, and survived by two sons.