An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

VIB Banner

Edward Saylor

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Edward Saylor joined the Army Air Corps in 1939. Following training, Saylor served as a flight engineer for the Doolittle Raiders. In February 1942, while assigned to the 89th Bomb Squadron in Columbia, South Carolina, he volunteered for a Top Secret mission, not knowing what it entailed. Saylor and the other volunteers were first sent to Florida for training, then to Alameda Naval Air Station, California, where they boarded the USS Hornet aircraft carrier destined for an unknown location. Days at sea, the men were finally notified of their mission – take off from the deck of the Hornet and bomb Tokyo, Japan. On the morning of April 18, 1942, the men of the Doolittle Raiders launched earlier than planned after being spotted by a Japanese fishing vessel. After successfully dropping their payload on a large aircraft factory and dock yard in Kobe, Japan, Saylor’s crew ditched their bomber in the water near a small Chinese island off the coast. Saylor later received a battlefield commission on March 4, 1945. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Commendation Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters), and the Chinese Army, Navy, Air Corps Medal (Class A, 1st Grade). He retired from the Air Force October 1, 1967, after 28 years of distinguished service.