The pilots, who died years ago, never spoke about the issue, said Carroll V. Glines, the Raiders' historian who has written three books on the subject and co-wrote Doolittle's autobiography. "All I know is, Nolan was there and I wasn't, but I could never find any clues to confirm that it happened that way," Glines told The Times last week.
Calling it "a mystery," Casey said military officials never would confirm or deny Herndon's story.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, October 18, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 61 words Type of Material: Correction
Herndon obituary: The obituary of Doolittle Raider Nolan A. Herndon in Monday's California section gave his nickname as Sue. In fact, he was known only as Nolan Anderson Herndon. In addition, his sons were listed as Nolan A. "Sue" Herndon Jr. and James M. "Debbie" Herndon. Neither son goes by those nicknames; Sue and Debbie are the names of their wives.
Herndon once asked Doolittle, by then a general, why his plane unexpectedly carried navigational charts of the Soviet Union and a crew that spoke Russian.
Doolittle answered Herndon: "You'll have to speak with somebody higher than me," according to Casey.
"It's one of those acts of wartime that nobody can really answer," Casey told The Times.
None of the Raiders, who had launched their B-25s from the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet, reached the airfields in China where they were supposed to land.
The other 15 planes crash-landed in China or their crews bailed out.
All but three of the 80 airmen survived the raid; three were captured and executed by the Japanese, and one starved to death in a prison camp.
One of the pilots, Ted Lawson, wrote a 1943 book about the attack, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," and Spencer Tracy portrayed Doolittle when the book was made into a movie the next year.
Herndon and other Raiders bristled at being labeled heroes for volunteering for the top-secret mission.
"To tell you the truth, I wish all of that would go away," Herndon said in the State's 2001 story. "We were just doing our job."
Nolan Anderson Herndon was born Dec. 12, 1918, in Greenville, Texas, and had five siblings. His father was a meatpacker.
He spent two years at Texas A&M University before joining the military in 1940. After the war, Herndon raised cattle in Edgefield, S.C., and became a wholesale grocer.
Herndon married Julia Crouch, a cousin of fellow Doolittle Raider Horace Crouch, and kept in touch with other Raiders through annual reunions.
Only 12 Raiders survive, and several are in their 90s. Still, reunions are scheduled through 2009, driven in part by an order given by their onetime commander in the Pacific.
Doolittle, who died in 1993, said the group should continue to meet until only two remain.
The final two will uncork a bottle of cognac from 1896, the year of Doolittle's birth, and make one last toast before disbanding.
When his comrades raise their glasses in April at the 66th reunion in Dallas, Herndon will be included in their standard salute: "Gentlemen, to our good friends who have gone."
In addition to his wife, Herndon is survived by sons Nolan A. "Sue" Herndon Jr. of West Columbia, S.C., and James M. "Debbie" Herndon of Pawleys Island, S.C.; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
valerie.nelson@latimes.com
