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Maj. Thomas "Tom" Griffin
Maj. Thomas "Tom" Griffin
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Thomas Griffin Obituary
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 by land-based planes that took off from an aircraft carrier at sea 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.
DAN SEWELL, Associated Press
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
252 Entries
Therese Murtaugh
October 11, 2018
Rest in peace Sir
101st Airborne Division Reunion, Lexington, Kentucky -2011
Stephen Wiehe
October 8, 2015
I was honored to meet Tom Griffin at our 101st Airborne Division reunion in Lexington, Kentucky. An inspiration to us all. God Bless !! - Stephen Wiehe, Author, G-Day, Rendezvous with Eagles.
SPLC SPLC
June 24, 2013
Another hero has fallen. I only just today learned of Major Griffin's passing.
Thank you for your service, Major.
How you can show support
May 17, 2013
May the god of comfort be a source of strength for your family at this difficult time. 2Corn 1:3, 4. Deepest Sympathy, Sue, Concord, NC
Minnie Doyle
March 11, 2013
You were a real inspiration when my grandson,daughter and I met you at a DAR-SAR Meeting. We had our photo made with you. It was one of the greatest moments of my life! May you rest in Peace. Thanks for your Great Service to our Country.
Nancy Wallace
March 10, 2013
Our family's deepest condolences - my dad - Gene Herr - has been waiting 4 years to the month to start remembering college days,fishing trips to Michigan and lots of years of friendship. He truly loved your dad, as did we all who got to know him.
Fondly,
Nancy Herr Wallace
March 9, 2013
I met Tom Griffin in early 1970 at the time I did not realize what a hero he was
but what a smart business man he was.When
the payroll got to much for me at Hader
Hardware we called upon Tom. I worked
with Tom closely several years. He taught
me what I did not know about accounting.
Not only my National Hero but also Business Hero. God Bless
Pat Segbers-Cincinnati,Ohio
The Oflag 64 Family
March 9, 2013
Dear Griffin Family,
We have just learned of the passing of your dear Thomas Griffin. We are saddened each time we hear that another great Kriegy patriot and hero is gone. We so appreciate their service and sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. May you be strengthened and sustained by wonderful memories.
Taylor Harbison
March 8, 2013
I had the honor of meeting Major Giffin last march at the Doolittle reunion. I was able to go and meet him at his apparment a few weeks later and interview him for a school project. He was such a fascinating man. He didn't think himself a hero, he saw himself as doing what any man would do. And in my opinion that makes him one of the biggest heroes of all. God speed soldier. Rest in peace..you've earned it.
Tracy Luddeke
March 8, 2013
Thank you so much Major Griffin for all you've done for our country but on a more personal note, for my son Daniel. He calls you his hero. He first met you at a seniors luncheon at our church. He was 11 and the only child allowed to attend. You took the time to talk with him and was so gracious. He said it was at that very moment he knew where his future would lead him and he hasn't lost track of that as a teenager. He will be a pilot. You inspired him as you have with many. He is a very active member of the Civil Air Patrol and has moved up in rank with several promotions. He was blessed to have a second encounter with you at the Air Show in Dayton. He got to sit with you and your VFW members. He was thrilled beyond words. Thank you so much for guiding my son during a time when so many young men are struggling. We have lost a true American Hero.
With our deepest heartfelt sympathy,
Tracy Luddeke and Daniel Luddeke
Alan Miller
March 7, 2013
Thanks to you for the courage and determination in helping to heighten the moral of US forces and civilians here at home and to expedite the end of the War following the Japanese Imperial Navy attack on Hawaii. My father flew traditional bombing runs on Japan as airfields were established as the American forces gained ground following your successful attack. Rest in peace with all your fellow pilots and aircrews who fought for peace, freedom and our democratic way of life.
March 7, 2013
Major Griffin was a true American Hero! Part of a vanishing breed that America may never see the likes of again. Thank you Maj Griffin for your service to our country and for the willingness to stand for the Freedom that we all enjoy! God Bless You Sir and your family!
John Kelly
March 7, 2013
Thank you , Major Griffin ,for your daring service. I heard and saw you speak to a group of about 200 people of a wide range of ages at the Delhi Lodge about 8 years ago. We were all fascinated by your memories of this memorable and crucial raid.
a TT friend
March 6, 2013
I had the privilege of knowing this gentle man for a very short while during this last year. He did not think of his "sacrifices" only what was important to do in that period of time. Few living today understand what Tom and all those who experienced WWII, military and at home, sacrificed for those who came after them. I thank you Tom for all you gave while here and I would guess Doolittle and the rest of the guys are happy to have you with them at their reunion this April.
Tyler McCormack
March 6, 2013
Thank you for your service, Major Griffin. America needs more heroes like you. May you rest in peace.
Edward Smith
March 6, 2013
Major Griffin was and is a person who made America great and good. Our country would have been a lesser place without him and his comrades with us.
Jennifer Epler
March 6, 2013
God Speed Soldier
March 6, 2013
Thank you for your service. May the Lord bless his family in this time of sorrow. My father was also a WWll vet and the loss is hard because this generation of men and women truly loved this country.
Elaine/Jack Berninger
March 5, 2013
Thanks for your service to our country. Our sympathy to your family
Peyton Marshall Magruder, Jr. VP MHS
March 5, 2013
We at the B-26 Marauder Historical Society also remember Major Griffin when flying the Martin B-26 and his years as a POW in Germany and are so please he successfully completed that mission. May his last flight continue to be successful.
Robert & Mary Wall
March 5, 2013
We were very fortunate to have met Major Griffin on several occassions. He was a true gentleman and a inspiration to everyone around him. May he rest in peace.
rebeccca //
March 5, 2013
I dont know tom but I came across his obituary and saw he was a ww11 vet. I want to thank him for all he did.
Kimberly GRIFFIN
March 4, 2013
My condolences for yor loss
Matt McGrath
March 4, 2013
I believe I met Major Griffin at a portrait signing event in Massachusetts about 12 years ago along with several other members of the Doolittle raid. One of our nation's true heroes he will be missed. God Bless his family at this difficult time.
Mark Gaunt
March 4, 2013
And Maj Griffin didn't do it from an arm chair here at home. America salutes you, Sir. From a Vet-Mark Gaunt, AFR Retired
S Stallard
March 4, 2013
Another hero gone....but not forgotten. My Condolences to the Family.
Harley shadoan
March 3, 2013
Thanks you for your service. I know you never liked hearing it but you ere a true american hero.
Dan Thobe
March 3, 2013
One of the Greats from the Greatest Generation has successfully completed his last earthly mission. Thank you Major for allowing me and my family the freedom we now have. Rest in peace, Sir, and deepest sympathies to the family. He was a true hero.
Michael Huber
March 3, 2013
Heaven has a special place for true heroes. Thank you for your service. Mike & Becky Huber
SANDY WOOD
March 3, 2013
We had the pleasure of hearing Mr Griffin tell his incredible story of courage at least eight times. Every time we did I was amazed at the way he told it with such clarity and emotion. We also had the wonderful opportunity to have dinner with him once after one of those talks and that was such an added treat. What a unassuming and charming man he was. What a pleasure it was to have known him.
Sandy and Bill Wood
March 3, 2013
I thank you, Tom, and all the "Raiders" for the daring raid that took the war to the enemy
and gave a much needed lift to our country. // I was 12 years old at the time, and remember how it gave us spirit to do all we could to whip the Japanese. May God Bless You. / I'll be there for your services Saturday.Sincerely, James Parsons, USAF vet.
Larry & Saundra
March 3, 2013
Thank you for our freedom.
Our deepest sympathy for the family.
March 3, 2013
RIP Sir. Thank you for your service.
Eileen
March 3, 2013
Thank you for your service to our Nation. Rest in Peace.
Larry & Saundra
March 3, 2013
Thank you for your service to our country to make all of us free!
Our deepest condolences to the family.
March 3, 2013
THANKS MAJ, FOR YOUR GREAT CONTRIBUTION KEPPING AMERICA FREE RIP GREAT HERO
David & Suzette Jackson
March 3, 2013
Thank you for my freedom sir.
No computers for these heros...they did it with thier own brains! God bless them all.
Brandy McCaleb
March 3, 2013
My Father, Lt Col William M Jones, also a bomber navigator, died 11/29/2012. The skills and pitiful tools these men worked with fill me with awe that we won this war. We won it on courage and team work...something America needs again. Our prayers are with the family. The loss is great....God is greater. [email protected]
Patrick Boots
March 3, 2013
God blessed us with you and the rest of the raiders. Thank you Tom. God bless you.
March 3, 2013
"Salutes" Farewell Major Griffin..I've watched and listened to your stories and those of your fellow comrades on the Military Channel...I have great respect for you guys. BTW..Just recently, I joined FOLD3.Com and have been able to read extensively the Air Carrier's diaries about your voyage and launch...So long!!
Glenn Stimets
March 3, 2013
God Speed Major Griffin,may our country long speak of the heroic exploits of you and the distinguished group you served with
Cathy
March 3, 2013
This is what a Hero looks like! Thank you, Sir! My condolences to your family and friends.
Fred Davis
March 3, 2013
Thank you, Sir. Thanks to all the other brave men and women who fought Hitler. You've earned a rest.
Bob Wilcox
March 3, 2013
God Speed to a true American hero. Thank You
Dana Grubb
March 3, 2013
To the Griffin Family:
May God grant Major Griffin eternal peace. His service helped to save the world during very dark times, and the debt of gratitude we owe him for our freedom and liberty today can never be repaid. My deepest sympathy to all of yoy for your loss. I am the son of a World War II US Navy/Pacific Theater veteran.
March 2, 2013
Thank you Major Griffin for your bravery, valor, integrity, and fidelity to your country. You have given all who live in the free world their freedom. Thank you.
Born in 1944
March 2, 2013
Maj. Thomas Griffin I Thank You for my freedom.
March 2, 2013
God bless those whose service saved a nation.
March 2, 2013
I will always remember his great smile.
I will miss him Rich G.
March 2, 2013
Thanks for everything!
Gerald
March 2, 2013
You will always live in our hearts and prayers.
March 2, 2013
On behalf of my father, Lloyd Lachtrupp, Seaman 1st Class, USS Pensylvania WWII...Good bye old friend.
Abigail D.
March 2, 2013
May he rest peacefully and see a time when life is truly a delight, the world is a peaceful paradise and here is no need for weapons, arms or fighting. Isaiah 2:4
Bob Maley
March 2, 2013
We've lost another hero....So sad.
March 2, 2013
May the god of comfort be a source of strength for your family at this difficult time. 2Corn 1:3, 4. Deepest Sympathy, Sue, Concord, NC
Bernice
March 2, 2013
Thank you for fighting for my freedom.
Mike R
March 2, 2013
My father was also a WWII vet, 29th division, and would have also been 96 years old this year like Major Griffin. These men and the millions like them were REAL heroes. Not like the phonies seen on TV and in the movies. Thank you Major and Rest in Peace Sir!
March 2, 2013
With deepest sympathy to the Griffin family during your time of grief...God is for you a refuge and strength, A help that is there to be found during difficult times...May God provide you with peace and comfort to endure the days ahead.
Darrell Barfield
March 2, 2013
Thank you for your service!!
Bill Lull (Major, USAF Ret)
March 2, 2013
John, I remember meeting your dad at your house and thinking what an honor it was to know someone with his bravery, courage and humility. He was a true inspiration to those who love this country. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for what he and the other Raiders did in April 1942. May God Bless him and your family.
Bob Paulsen
March 2, 2013
Good Bye Tom, you will really be missed.
I recall so many happier moments such as when we met with our wives for lunch in downtown Cincinnati. Then two times you invited Bette and me to the Doolittle Reunion. We watched Jimmy Doolittle and his wife dance at the reunion.
We shared a pup tent at Biskra, on the edge of the Sahara Desert. After digging a hole in the sand, the Germans came that night and destroyed my first "Dodo Bird" of our B-26 Maruders.
This past Christmas I sent you a Christmas card with a picture of one of my bomb tages from a mission we flew together and the names of all the crew on June 10, 1943.
I recall very well that you with Charlie Meyers and Holly Grimm were shot down into the Mediterranean on a skip-bombing mission. We were so relieved when we finially heard you were prisioners of war. Those were tough days until Bomber Command took us out of Skip-bombing as losses were too great.
I will really miss you, Tom.
Bob Paulsen
319th Bomb Group
438th Squardon
March 2, 2013
God Speed.
Candice
March 2, 2013
Thank you for your service and for always being a hero. With love and sympathy to your family.
Patricia Gaquin
March 2, 2013
Thank you for your service Major Griffin
March 2, 2013
May our heavenly father give this family peaace and comfort during this most diffcult time of sorrow.2Cor.1:2-4)Barb Meill(NO)
Donna
March 2, 2013
A heartfelt tribute to one who served his country so bravely. May he rest in peace.
Everette Titt;;le
March 2, 2013
"U stood 4 something great at a time when the world seemed covered in darkness!" I salute U, RIP
Paul
March 2, 2013
I had the great honor of meeting Mr. Griffin last April. He autographed my 1943 edition of "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" and some pictures I have of the Doolittle raid. A very gracious, humble, and engaging man and true American hero. His bravery and dedication to service in the face of combat danger is a profile in courage. The kind of courage that our "leaders" of today could use a massive infusion of. Rest in peace, Tom. Mission complete. Job well done!
March 2, 2013
Grief can be so hard, but our special memories help us cope. Remembering you and your loved one today and always.
David
March 2, 2013
A true american hero. Thank you for all you have done
March 2, 2013
May our God of comfort & peace be with the Griffin family at this difficult time. My many condolences, sorry for your loss.
Robin
March 2, 2013
Please accept my condolence, Jesus will bind up the broken hearts and comfort all the mourning ones.
Isaiah 61:1,2
PAUL
March 2, 2013
TODAY WE LOST A TRUE HERO MAY HE REST IN ETERNAL PEACE
Steven alvarez
March 2, 2013
Thank you for serving our country God bless you may you rest in peace
Mr. Griffin at 2010 Raider Reunion Dayton Ohio...Jeffrey Miller
Jeffrey Miller
March 1, 2013
Mr. Griffin at 2006 Raider Reunion Dayton Ohio,
Jeffrey Miller
March 1, 2013
Bob Wirts
March 1, 2013
Thank you, and the entire crew for what you all did for America. God bless and God Speed.
Tom Feazell
March 1, 2013
You judge a man's character by what he does for those who can do nothing for him. This man chose to do for those. God bless this fine american and for what he did for us. May he rest in peace
Kathy
March 1, 2013
Maj. Griffin was truely a Hero, and also a Gentleman that I was proud to meet. A modest man with great character. I believe he is now on a "New Mission" finding "Eternal Happiness" that he truely deserves.
All my Love and Prayers to the family.
Don Tomczyk
March 1, 2013
Thank you for your valiant service and may your final flight take you out of harms-way and to eternal peace.
March 1, 2013
My dad was in WW II and was in the National Guard from Camp Mabry and was sent over to fight in the infantry, He would have been 96 this year, but God brought him home to raise 6 kids and we miss him everyday. He may had knew Maj. Griffin over seas, may God Bless him and his family. Its cruel now but back than it was worse with no communication with family until he came home. My dad went to France, Germany and Italy doing his best to serve our country. He died in 1997.
Mary Pomphrey
March 1, 2013
Thank you, Major Tom for keeping us all safe. May God bless you & all our war heroes who Made "THE SUPREME SACRIFICE".
March 1, 2013
Farewell, May God grant peace to an American hero
Jesse Seeley
March 1, 2013
Sorry to hear about Maj. griffin. I Was a B-17 Navigator in WWII and a POW in Germany.
Bill Guenon
March 1, 2013
A great American has flown west for the last and final time. Tom Griffin was a true patriot in every sense of the word and an inspiration to all who had the honor of knowing him. May he rest in peace!
Don Schwartz
March 1, 2013
Thank you for your heroic service.
Me4lanie Pittman Edwards
March 1, 2013
This is one of America's real heroes. Even though I never met him in person, I cannot thank him enough for what he did so that I and others could live in a free country. May his family find comfort in their memories and from God.
James Orr
March 1, 2013
On Saturday, May 12, 2012, I was one of a group of six students of military history from Indiana and Ohio who had the priviledge to meet and visit with Tom in his apartment in Northern Cincinnati. We found Tom to be a humble man who said he simply did his patriotic duty to serve his country in time of war. I will never forget our visit with a man who was part of "The Greatest Generation". Following his long life upon this earth and heroic service to his country, we claim for him the certain promise of our Ressurection Faith of Eternal Life in God's Eternal Kingdom.
March 1, 2013
God Bless and rest in peace; a true American Hero!
-COL(Retired-US Army) Jeffery H. Allen-
Col. Tom Wood
March 1, 2013
To the Griffin family;
On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the San Antonio Alamo Chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, we express our deepest sympathy to your family with the passing of your beloved Maj. Thomas "Tom" Griffin.
Tom was a true American hero and his life will forever leave an indelible imprint on the aviation history of our military services. We offer a final salute to his memory and a lifetime of service to his family, his many friends and to his country.
- A fellow navigator and holder for the Distinguished Flying Cross
Paul Coverdale
March 1, 2013
RIP Major Griffin. Thank you for your service. Sympathy is extended to your two sons.
Paul Coverdale, USN(RET)
john masso
March 1, 2013
We shant see the likes of men such as this again . A great and brave american, who at one of our darkest hours couragously stood to defend her. Rest in peace for you shall be remembered forever. John masso atco n.j.
brian messmore
March 1, 2013
I was honored to have met Tom in 1995. And then my sons got to meet him and they were so moved by him and what he shared. Fly on brother!
Mary Holmes
March 1, 2013
May the memories of your father,Grandfather,Great Grandfather always be with you. My prayers are with you all at this time. May God Bless You & Major Tom Griffen forever. Tom thank you for keeping America Free
Valerie McLean
March 1, 2013
I am sorry for your loss, but you can be comforted in knowing you will see you love ones again.
Jeff Pedersen
March 1, 2013
May God bless your soul Maj. Griffin, where would we be without your generation?
Dr. L. R. S.
March 1, 2013
You have now "...slipped the surly bonds of earth..." and "...put out your hand and touched the face of God," Maj. Griffin. Thank you for your tremendous service and sacrifice to our nation. Prayers for your family. Rest in Peace.
March 1, 2013
Thank you for your service sir and rest in peace.
ME Forbes
March 1, 2013
To the Griffin family, May Major Griffin rest in peace and may his late colleagues-in-arms greet him when he enters into Heaven. From a deceased WWII veteran's daughter.
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