The United States of America was now at Japan's front door, with all that was left being to take the Island of Okinawa, and then strike the final blow to Japan once and for all. And despite the trials they faced, the American fighting spirit was now at an all-time high. Since the Germans and Italians had surrender, all that was left was the once powerful Japanese Empire.
However, Japan had now resorted to some very wild plans of attack.
With their Navy almost completely wiped out and all of their pilots reduced to nothing but rookies, Japan had no real fighting force, but their now dwindling military. Word soon spread to the last Japanese stronghold, saying that they should defend the island to the very last man, woman and child.
And so, that is what they did.
Since April 1, the Americans were attacking with 1,300 ships, while the carriers launched hundreds of planes. And while the Enterprise had been hit many times, she would not yield. Even with relentless attacks by Kamikaze pilots, the Lucky E refused to be stopped, almost as if the spirits of all the sailors and pilots killed on board were protecting her.
But soon, the Enterprise would be in the fight of her life.
May 12, 1945
Second Lieutenant Lilly "Snowball" Maverick was feeling really nervous, as she had never flown a night mission, and this would be her first. And as she took off from the Enterprise, Lilly looked over her shoulder to see her mother and sister salute her, which the youngest Maverick returned with a sad smile.
It was hard to say goodbye during a war.
However, Lilly knew she had to focus on her mission.
She, along with the ladies of Husky Squadron, along with a few of the gals of Burrow Squadron, were going to attack their main objectives, which were the Japanese airfields in Kyushu, Sasebo, and Nagasaki, so that the Kamikaze attacks would be brought to a halt. And all through the night, Lilly and the other pilots made the Japanese losses build up.
But what Lilly didn't know, was her luck was about to run out.
As she pulled her plane up after dropping her bombs, an Anti-air round took her right wing off, forcing Lilly to bail without thinking and figured she would rather die on the ground then be burned alive in her plane. Unfortunately, once she landed safely, a group of Japanese soldiers grabbed her, and took her prisoner.
May 13, 1945
Eve, King, Aniu, and Cain stood in the shape of trapezoid at the forward most wall of the Lucky E's female barracks, their faces stone serious as they looked to their squadrons, who were all either sitting on some bunks, or leaning against the metal frames, each holding a solemn expression as they did.
"Today, these four squadrons merge as one," Eve said, and placed her hand on the American flag that was folded on a vacant bunk to her side, a bunk that was once occupied by a certain snowball.
"An angel has fallen and been taken," King said, sadly wiping a lone tear from his face, only for his expression to firm up once again.
"But, we will get her back.
Cain nodded.
"Two of you will fly to Okinawa and find Lilly. This is the first order of the newly formed, Liberty Squadron."
The eager pilots murmured among themselves, until Samson and Dax walked up t0 the leaders of Liberty Squadron.
"We will go," Dax smiled with a salute.
"By my life or death, I will see to it that Lilly will come home."
"Eve, and to a greater extent the other squadron leaders, were quite satisfied with answer, the Maverick Matriarch even offering Dax a pat on the shoulder as King dismissed the other pilots, who returned to their mundane tasks in preparation for Okinawa. But, before and Samson walked off to tend to their own duties, Dax met the gaze of Sweets. And needless to say, the embrace they held was one full of love and fear.
"I promise, I'll come back," Dax had whispered into Sweet's ear, her grip tightening on her boyfriend as tears spilled down her cheeks, unaware that in the shadowing corner of the otherwise empty bunks, Samson and Delilah had their own tender moment.
"I'll be back, don't you worry," he had said with such confidence that it moved Delilah to tears. But the tears were not the usual ones of fear and love, just as it had been for Sweets, but something else. Something Delilah had really wanted to share with her true love. And now, she figured it was now or never.
Pulling her beloved Samson into a hug, she whispered in his ear something that made his eyes go wide as dinner plates.
"I'm pregnant."
Samson pulled back and just stared at her in silence, his face blank. Delilah hugged herself as she took a small step back and turned slightly away from him.
"This is not some joke or ploy to try and get you to marry me. I would never lie about something important like this. I just found out that I was pregnant when Lilly was about to go on her night mission. I had been feeling nauseous and light headed, so I went to see the doctor on board. I knew I had to tell you before you left on your mission. So, that's all I really needed to tell you, I just wanted you to know about the baby," Delilah finished and started to leave but Samson suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Are you really pregnant?" he asked her.
Delilah nodded. But what happened next caught her off guard as Samson suddenly laughed and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Oh, my beautiful Delilah! I love you! You, not Candy or any of the other girls. I've tried to tell you every night but you usually fell asleep before I could tell you. And whenever you were awake, I was either too caught up in the moment or I could never get you alone long enough to tell you. Not that those are really very good excuses, I know! I want to marry you Delilah, not because of the baby but because I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Re…really?" Delilah gasped as she looked up into Samson's warm jade green eyes.
"Of course, you didn't think I was going to just say I loved you and leave it at that, did you? No, my child will need a father; I will not let it be a bastard like me. I will marry you and we will raise a healthy child," Samson grinned.
"Well, I don't know. I don't know if I've been proposed to or just told I will now become a bride," Delilah smiled coyly.
"Marry me, Delilah; be my wife?" Samson asked softly as he knelt down on one knee.
"I don't have a ring at the moment, but I promise to get you the most beautiful one out there."
"Yes, yes I'll marry you. I love you, Samson!" Delilah cried as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
Samson stood up and, laughing, grabbed Delilah and twirled her around as they laughed. Once he stopped, he pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss. When they parted, Samson stared into her eyes, love reflecting in them just as he knew his own reflected his love for her.
"We will get married once the war is over. I know you love autumn and October is the best month for it. Then, you will join me in Detroit where we will live and raise our family."
"Then so be it, Samson. You are my mighty hero in shining armor, just come back to me," Delilah said, before placing another kiss on his lips.
Not long after, the mighty Samson and Dax left, heading to Okinawa for their rescue mission.
May 14, 1945
As the crew of the Enterprise were going about their business, the alarms sounded general quarters. Sailors rushed to their guns, ready to defend the Enterprise once again from the Japanese's Kamikazes. Rex rushed up to the flight deck just in time to see the Anti-air guns open fire on the incoming Japanese planes.
This was nothing like the first world war he had gone through. No. This kind of attack was just plain crazy. Here were trained pilots trying to kill themselves by ramming their planes into the American ships. The old WW1 ace quickly ran for the nearest plane and prepared to take off to shoot down as many Kamikazes he could. However, there was one tiny little flaw with his plan; the Enterprise was moving all over the place, thus making takeoff impossible. So, Rex ditched his Hellcat fighter and made his way toward the Anti-air guns to help in the defense of the carrier.
Kamikaze after Kamikaze were shot down by the Enterprise pilots who were in the air, and the seasoned gunners of the Enterprise herself. It looked like things were going smoothly, but that all changedas a single Kamikaze was heading straight for the Enterprise.
Rex quickly turned his 20mm Anti-air gun toward the Kamikaze and opened fire on the oncoming plane. But instead of ramming the ship, it veered off to the right, but quickly pulled up. Moving as fast as he could, Rex pointed his weapon up to shoot down the Kamikaze.
"Intensify forward firepower!" he shouted, as the other gunners elevated their guns as well.
But the Kamikaze went into a steep dive aiming right for the center of the Enterprise, but then to the shock everyone on board, the zero did the unthinkable, it avoided the Anti-air gunners!
"Too late!" Rex's spotter shouted. Both men watched in horror as the enemy plane went straight down into the number one ship's elevator. But that wasn't the worst part, it's 500 pound bomb had found itself five decks below the flight deck. The first explosion was powerful enough to throw Rex and his spotter with many other sailors overboard, but the worst was still to come.
Down below, Cain had just taken Delilah to the medical bay to protect her and her unborn child from harm. However, that would be the last time his friends would ever see him again, for the moment the play crashed throw the deck, Cian and Delilah's eyes widened when they saw the 500 pound bomb, it's tiny, spinning propeller a clear signal that it was live.
"EVRYBODY IN!" Cain screamed as he practically shoved Delilah, Duke and Jake, the latter of the engineers having received some burns from one of the kamikaze attacks, into the med bay, before slamming the hatch shut…with him on the outside.
"CAIN!" Delilah screamed as she lunged for him, only for her hand to make contact with the steel door, which Cain immediately latched from the other side, the dark wolf keeping his hands on the door to keep a struggling Delilah from opening the door on her side. And once he was certain Delilah cound't get the door open, Cain turned his gaze to the cursed object that was to be his downfall. And so, releasing a tranquil breath, Cain closed his eyes in acceptance.
"I'm coming home brother," he whispered just as the propeller stopped.
Cain was killed by the blast alone.
The explosion was so powerful, that the entire flight elevator that weighted 15 tons was blasted 300 feet into the air.
Like a knife to the heart, the Enterprise was so badly damaged that everyone thought the ship was surly don for, as fire crews rushed to put out the flames, while the remaining pilots in the sky flew cover the wounded carrier.
"Godspeed Big E," Balto whispered to himself in he Corsair.
In the end, 13 men and women lost their lives. 68 were wounded and 8 were thrown overboard, one of them was the newly promoted Lt. Commander Samuel "Buckeye" Davis, who Rex managed to swim to and keep from drowning as the younger wolf's injuries, being severe burns to the right side of his face and a broken arm, making it difficult for him to swim. And as the wounded Enterprise limped away from the battle, it was clear, that Enterprise was finally no longer going to fight in the war.
Still, there was the concern of the missing Angel Squadron pilot, Lilly Maverick.
May 29, 1945
After two weeks of searching and interrogating Japanese soldiers who had surrendered, Dax and Samson had finally found out where Lilly was being held. It was the last stronghold on the whole island, Shuri Castle. Of course, there was no way of telling if Lilly was still alive, but at least they knew where she was now. And as the two pilots made their way to join up with a group a Marines who were going to attack the castle, news of the attack on Enterprise finally reached them.
Both wolves were struck with a mix of shock, anger, sadness and fear that their girlfriends were either dead or wounded. It was not good for either one of them, but both wolves were battle hardened and ready for some pay back.
But as they made their way toward Shuri Castle, Lilly was not only alive, but being treated rather well for being a prisoner of the Japanese defenders. Over the last two weeks, the lovely she-wolf had been guarded by a young Japanese soldier named Shingo. It turned out that Shingo's father had been the one who had sunk the Battleship Arizona at Pearl Harbor, but sadly lost his life at the battle of Midway. Now, when the Americans were island hoping, the Emperor had ordered a military drafting, and young Shingo had been pulled into the war.
As Shingo brought Lilly some food, he felt it best to ask her something he had wanted since the day she arrived. Placing the plate of rice down in front of her, Shingo asked, "Do you know a man by the name of James Hutchinson?" he asked.
Lilly nodded.
"He was a good friend of mine," she said, then reached over and took the plate of rice.
"Do you know him?" Lilly asked Shingo.
Shingo turned away.
"He's my cousin through my aunt, but is it true that he died during the attack on Pearl Harbor?"
Tears were now running down Lilly's cheeks.
"Yes, he died trying to save the lives of sailors that he was responsible for."
Before Shingo could ask another question, the sound of gunfire and explosions were heard. Lilly knew what was happening; the American forces had begun their attack on Shuri Castle. And with the attack happening on all sides of the castle walls, there would be no escape for the Japanese defenders, but she already knew that these men would rather fight and die in a blaze of glory then surrender.
Shingo looked at Lilly with tear filled eyes.
"Goodbye Lilly," he said, before leaving her alone.
"God be with you, Shingo!" she shouted to him.
When Shingo reached the main courtyard, he could see many of his fellow soldiers running around, trying desperately to fight off the massive number of American troops. Armed with only an Arisaka 99, Shingo hurried to spot on the northern wall. Once he got there, he could see the entire area outside was crawling with invading Americans.
"For the Emperor! For our people! And for our honor!" a Japanese officer shouted. Shingo quickly took aim with his Arisaka and began to kill any American soldier who crossed his sights.
Down on the ground, Samson and Dax slowly made their way toward the northern wall, as Allied troops opened fire on the Japanese defenders, Dax spotted a weak point in the wall.
"The wall as a crack in it! Samson, break down the wall!" Dax shouted pointing to the wall.
"ON IT!" Samson proudly shouted. Like a bull seeing red, the mighty Samson ran headfirst into the wall, leaving a huge hole for the other Allied troops to breach the wall as well. But just as the Americans came through the hole, Samson saw something that made him realize that his life was about to be over in a flash. For hidden behind some ruble was a Type 94 75mm Mountain gun, two Japanese soldiers aiming their cannon at the hole and loading it with an Anti-personnel round.
"Oh, SHIT!" Samson shouted as the cannon went off like a giant shotgun, killing any soldier who was unfortunate enough to be in front of the group. Up on the wall, Shingo watched with a certain satisfaction as over a dozen Americans were killed by the shrapnel from the Anti-personnel round, but then he saw that Samson had only survived with just the loss of his left arm.
When Samson lost his arm, he at first looked around for it. But sadly, he couldn't find it among the bodies of the dead Americans, so he just pulled out his pistol and began to wildly shoot at the two Japanese soldiers trying to reload the cannon. And upon seeing this opening, Shingo took aim at Samson, his first shot striking the Corporal in the lower back, just below his heart. And yet, Samson still refused to die and pushed on toward the cannon. Shingo took aim again, this time, his second shot struck Samson in between his shoulders.
And as the Corporal fell to his knees, the only thing he could do was just look up to the sky.
"Delilah! My love, I'm so-" Samson's final words never escaped his lips as Shingo's third shot struck him in the head.
The Strongman had been slain.
Shingo smiled as he had just killed Samson, but his victory was short lived as more Americans poured in through the hole like ants. So, he abandoned his position on the wall and rejoined his comrades in the courtyard. As more and more Americans fell, Shingo's commanding officer took him aside.
"Kill the female pilot," he ordered.
Shingo's heart dropped.
How could he kill Lilly?
Despite being the enemy, Shingo, after those two weeks, had actually begun to see Lilly as a friend.
"No!" he said disobeying the command his CO had given him. And needless to say, the Japanese commander looked as shocked as he was angry at Shingo for saying no to his order to execute Lilly. Well, he wasn't going to let Shingo betray the empire of Japan like this. Reaching down, the commander pulled out his Nambu Type 14 pistol, pointed it at Shingo's head, and was about to pull the trigger when Dax came up behind him and, armed with only a military issued knife, gabbed the Japanese commander, pulled his head back and slit his throat.
"Fucking Jap bastard!" the Lieutenant shouted, then looked at Shingo with a burning hatred. He knew it was him who had killed his friend. But, as Shingo and Dax stared at one another for what felt like forever, Dax turned around and went on back to fighting the other Japanese soldiers who were too busy killing the other Americans to notice him. The unsuspecting Japanese soldiers didn't know what hit them until it was too late.
Shingo knew there was only one thing to do now…
Set Lilly free.
As Dax cut his way through the Japanese defenders, a sniper took aim and fired. The bullet struck him across his left cheek, leaving a fine battle scar on his face.
"GOD DAMN MOTHER FUCKER!" Dax shouted as he held his bleeding cheek. The sniper soon lined up another shot and was about to kill the injured pilot when a Hellcat fighter came in and strafed the area with machine gun fire.
It was Liberty Squadron.
They had come back to aid in the attack of Shuri Castle with Liberty Squadron's dive bombers soon joined in on the attack.
Below the castle, Lilly was overjoyed to see Shingo show up. Pulling out his knife, he cut her free from her bonds.
"Forgive me, Lilly," he said sadly,
"But I still must fight for the Emperor."
"I know," replied, knowing this would be the last time she would talk to her enemy turned friend.
Shingo handed Lilly a Nambu pistol.
"Once you get outside, stay to the right side of the courtyard, keep low and don't stop until you make it to the northern wall. You'll find your people coming through there," he said, as he explained the layout of the area of battle to Lilly.
"Thank you, Shingo."
"I hope to see you again," Shingo nodded, then went back up to fight.
In the end Lilly did everything Shingo had told her to do. The beautiful pilot never once stopped to fire her weapon, not even when some poor soul begged her for help, she went on. And when she reached the northern wall, Lilly was escorted out to the safety of the tanks and reserves waiting outside the castle. In the end it was all to much to handle and with no warning at all, Lilly collapsed right there in the arms of some Marines.
And when she came to, the battle was over.
Worried for the life of Shingo, Lilly forced herself to walk through the northern wall. It was a terrible sight to behold. The castle grounds were littered with the bodies of both Japanese and American soldiers. Medics went about their business checking to see if anyone was still alive. It looked as if hell had opened its gates and let the dead pour out all over the place. It made Lilly sick to think that such bloodshed even was possible, but right now she had to find Shingo.
As Dax walked past group of fallen American Marines, a voice called out to him.
"Take this."
It was Shingo, not a single wound on him…except for the noticeable crack in his skull, a clear sign that he had either been hit by shrapnel or rubble. But, that was not was Dax's focus was on, for in Shingo's grasp, he was holding out what looked like a journal to the Lieutenant.
"Give it to Lilly, she'll know what to do."
At first, the war-torn pilot just stood there, staring at the dying young Japanese soldier who was asking him for a favor. And he wondered, why should he take the journal? He didn't know this man. In fact, this very guy killed his good friend Samson. But then, a memory from Guadalcanal flashed back in his head.
And in that moment, Dax wasn't looking at Shingo…but himself, wounded and scared.
And the one who was treating his wounds was a young Japanese soldier no older than Elise.
Dax knew now what he had to do.
When Lilly found Dax, he looked sadly at her.
"Shingo asked me to give this to you," he said handing Lilly the journal.
"He said you knew what to do with it," the Lieutenant added.
A Marine then approached Lilly and Dax.
"Lieutenant? You want to take that Jap flag down?" he asked pointing to the flag on top of Shuri Castle.
"No, let it fly to honor the Japanese defenders who died today...in the end, we want to be seen as liberators, not conquerors," he said, then looked at Lilly who was reading Shingo's final Journal entry.
"Yes, my dear sister, I can tell you that my soldiers will always defend Shuri Castle. For there is no greater honor then dying for my country. So do not grieve, baby sister, for when my friend Lilly brings you my journal. This was only another day, and I say to you: Goodbye."
August 15, 1945.
The surrender of Imperial Japan was announced by Japanese Emperor Hirohito himself.
After two atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Emperor, having thought long and hard about the lives of all his people, gave the order to surrender to the mighty Untied States of America. Interestingly enough, he told them to surrender without using the word "Surrender."
Instead, he had simply asked them to…
"Endure the Unbearable."
Sadly, many Japanese soldiers, pilots and members of the crippled navy took their own lives to spare their families the shame of surrender. In the beginning, Japan had the home field advantage, but slowly, the American forces took it away and proved to be the greatest fighting force the world had ever seen.
Word of Japan's surrender had spread faster than the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor at the start of the war. People were running out of their homes crying and leaping with joy that the war was at last over. Soldiers who were still recovering only prayed silently and thanked the All Mighty for giving them their well-earned victory.
Such as the remnants of Liberty Squadron.
But as for the fallen, well, they could at last be at peace knowing that the sacrifice they made was not in vain.
The United States of America was safe, and the war was at last over.
Hickam Airfield, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
King, Rex, Sam, Dax stood outside the bar that they had been going to since before the war, as it was time to honor the two fallen pilots. As Dax pushed the door open, he and his three comrades were greeted with cheering from fellow pilots, along with the branches of the armed forces of America.
Eve walked up with a tray with four shots of the best whiskey the place had to offer.
"To our heroes of the skies!" she proclaimed raising her glass.
Her daughter, Kate raised her glass.
"To our fallen rouges! May they dance with the angels in Heaven."
Claws and Terra both raised their glasses.
"May the fallen Devils still party like its 1925!" they said in unison, the two girls laughing with everyone else at their synchronized toast.
Then all the pilots, soldiers, sailors and Marines raised their glasses.
"To victory!" they all shouted, then downed their drinks.
But, Dax didn't feel like partying, well, not with these guys at least. So, being a gentleman, he excused himself from the bar and made his way back to his beloved Sweets place. When he arrived, he was very concerned to see a doctor leaving the house. With great haste, the silver wolf ran into the master bedroom. There, sitting beside the bed was Sweets, caring for a very happy, but tired Delilah who had just given birth to a healthy baby wolf.
"Hello, Dax," Delilah said softly as she cuddled her pup.
"I wish you had been here sooner, but then again, you might have fainted," she teased.
Dax felt his eyes fill with tears as he approached the two females, the silver wolf acrefully falling to one knee as he tenderly caressed the child's cheek with the tip of his finger.
"He looks just like his father," he said admiring the color of fur the pup was sporting.
Sweets then looked over at her boyfriend, an almost mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"I'm pregnant," she said, hoping that he would be happy, but…
"Oh, boy," Dax groaned before fainting.
Sweets and Delilah looked at Dax passed out on the floor.
"Call the doctor back?" both asked each other in unison, the two immediately laughing as they left the silver wolf there on the floor.
Tokyo Japan
September 2, 1945
Lilly arrived at a small house just outside the city of Tokyo. When some of the locals saw her, they showed no interest in talking to her, especially since the U.S.S. Missouri was docked out in the harbor, the stage for the formal Japanese surrender. But the lovely she-wolf walked up to the front door and knocked. She waited for only a minute when an older woman stepped out to greet her.
"Is this the home of Shingo Minako?" she asked the woman.
"I am his step-mother, Myko Minako," she said giving Lilly a traditional greeting. "Tell me, what business does an American pilot have with my family?"
Lilly pulled out Shingo's journal and handed it to Myko.
"Shingo was a friend and before he died, gave me instructions on where to take this."
The lovely pilot could see Myko tearing up as she held her step-son's journal close to her heart. The grief-stricken woman looked up at Lilly.
"It would honor me if you would stay for some tea, so I may know how he died," she said trying not to break down at the loss of her wonderful step-son.
"I would love to," Lilly replied and went inside.
Once inside, Lilly met Shingo's baby sister, who had just turned four. The little girl mostly kept her distance from the lovely pilot, but quickly warmed up to her. Then Myko brought the tea she was willing to share.
Lilly not only got to have some of the best tea she had ever tasted, but she was also gifted with some very fine perfumes before leaving. It was strange, but Myko showed no hate or distrust of Lilly coming under her roof, even after Japan had lost the war.
And as Lilly left, she looked up to the sky and gave a quick prayer for her fallen friend.
"Lord in Heaven, if Shingo is with you now, please comfort his grieving family."
With that said, Lilly departed Myko's home.
Some Time Later...
When Lilly returned to America, she and Garth decided to tie the knot and get married. After a few months of calling in favors and pulling a few strings, Lilly and Garth were at last going to get married, but so were Kate and Humphrey. The marriage ended up being a double wedding where all four wolves tied the knot.
However, Lilly would never be able to have kids. It turns out that Lilly was barren. And while she was heartbroken when the terrible news reached her, she found another calling in life.
Adult entertainment.
The lovely pilot found her true calling when she saw an ad in the newspaper asking for women to become something known as strippers. Lilly lead a very sinful life after that day, entertaining random men left and right, but she never had sex with any of them.
No matter what, no man could ever pleasure her like Garth could.
Garth never approved of Lilly's new job, but he soon changed his mind when Lilly brought him home a one of the girls from the club on his birthday. Lilly had convinced her fellow stripper to let Garth get her pregnant so he and Lilly could have their own baby. Not long after that, Lilly and Garth had a son, but sadly lost him three months later to a very bad case of the measles.
Not long after that Liberty Squadron was called back to fight the war in Korea. It was one very short war, but it only strengthened the bond of the squadron.
Then, they all left the still very young air force.
Garth stayed married to Lilly until she died during a peace march during the Vietnam War. Reports stated that it was done by a war supporter, but he was never given any jail time. After her death, Garth rejoined the air force to fight in the war. He was never seen again after that.
As for Kate and Humphrey, the two of them had three wonderful children. Two boys and one girl. Humphrey got a job working the front desk of a hotel while Kate was a stay-at-home mom. They lived a healthy lifestyle until Humphrey sadly passed away at the age of sixty after fighting lung cancer. Kate never remarried and continued to teach and care for her children.
She still lives to this day.
King and Eve married the year following the war and remained married until King died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 76. Eve never again remarried, and died in 1982 at the age of 81, making her the third member of Angel Squadron to die, following Claws, who was killed in action during the Korean War, and Candy, who died in 1978 from complications of being exposed to Agent Orange during Vietnam.
Following the loss of his son, Cody fell into a crippling depression from which he never recovered.
He turned to alcoholism, and ultimately took his own life in 1948.
He had just turned 50.
Following Cody's death, Rex and Elise founded an organization that helped veterans with Post Traumatic Stress, calling it the Lieutenant O'Conner Veteran's Fund, an origination within Veterans Affairs which provides more aid to struggling veterans. The two were in charge of the fund until Rex's passing in 1999 at 98.
Elsie still lives to this day.
Ash and her parents reunited with their surviving family in Germany.
Unfortunately only 1/3 had survived.
Gunter had also returned to Germany, where he learned that his Uncle Hans had been captured, along with his contact before he could cross the English channel. On the eve he was to be executed in April of 1945, Hans was spared death, as it was decided that his experience in espionage might help the Germans discuss more favorable terms of surrender.
It was revealed that Hans also aided in the hiding and evacuation of some 800 Jews.
He is recognized in Israel as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
Dax married Sweets, but sadly he continued to have flashbacks of the war, and ended up hurting Sweets badly one day. But his beloved never hated him for that, instead she used some of her savings to build a garden that helped Dax find great ways to relax. The two of them lived the rest of their lives in peace and happiness, with Delilah and her baby at their side, as well as their own child. But when U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began, Dax joined back up. He survived the war and returned home safely to the two women he loved them most.
Delilah and her son moved away to Canada. No one ever saw them again after that, but is 2001, Delilah's son was seen in a photo of the 9/11 crash sight of flight 93. He was aiding investigators at the crash site. It turned out that his mother was one of the victims of that very flight.
Sweets passed away peacefully in her sleep in 2012, just two months before the new year.
In 2013, the newly widowed Dax was invited to the United States Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio to take part in one final toast honoring the Doolittle Raiders who had died during the mission, and had since died, including Link, who was killed in the closing months of the war. A bottle of cognac, purchased for Colonel Doolittle's 60th Birthday, was opened for the first time, and the four surviving pilots drank from the silver chalices stamped with their names, four of many that had been ordered for the same reason.
In attendance was his daughter, Aniu, who was named in Memory of the leader of Husky Squadron, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1949 at the age of 63. Dax was so proud of his daughter, as she, and her wife, were the first same-sex couple to be married under the reformed Equal Protection Amendment in 1965, which unfortunately, Duke and Jake would not live to see, both losing their lives in Korea and Vietnam, respectively.
Also in attendance at Dayton were Sam and Terra, with their son and his children, and their children, a boy they had named after two very brave men,
Cain Hutchinson Davis, who had just turned 65.
Terra passed away later that month at 91, followed by her loving husband of 67 years two years later at 95.
Dax died in 2019, two mouths before his 100th Birthday, making him the last member of Liberty Squadron to die.
Lt. Col Richard E. "Dick" Cole, the co-pilot of Doolitle himself, was the last surviving Raider.
He died two months after Dax at the age of 103.
Before the Doolittle Raid, America knew nothing but defeat. After, she gained hope.
Japan realized, for the first time, that they could lose and began to pull back.
America realized that she would win and surged forward.
It was a war that changed everything.
World War II, for us, began at Pearl Harbor, and 1,177 men and women still lie entombed in the battleship Arizona.
America suffered, but America grew stronger.
It was not inevitable.
The times tried our souls...and through the trial, we overcame.