SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Three of the remaining nine Doolittle Raiders will attend the Air Mobility Rodeo at McChord AFB, Wash., July 19 through 24.

The Doolittle Raiders are special guests of Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, and are scheduled to attend Rodeo competitions, demonstrations and a town hall meeting July 22, as well as hold an autograph signing session July 23 for personnel with authorized access to McChord AFB.

The Doolittle Raiders accomplished the first air bombing raid by the U.S. on a Japanese island during World War II using 16 B-25B bombers launched from the USS Hornet, a naval aircraft carrier.

All 16 aircraft were lost and 11 crew members were either killed or captured.

One of the bombers landed in Soviet territory where the crew was interned for more than one year.

"We are truly honored and humbled to have these heroic Airmen of our nation's 'Greatest Generation' as our guests for this event," said Maj. Gen. Brooks Bash, AMC director of operations and Rodeo leader.

More than 2,500 mobility Airmen from around the globe participating in the multinational readiness competition will compete in the AMC core capabilities of air drop, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation and cargo delivery operations. The AMC Rodeo also focuses on ground operations, including security forces, combat control, aerial port and maintenance.

More than 100 U.S. Air Force active-duty, Reserve and Guard teams will compete against each other as well as against international air force and U.S. Marines Corps teams.

The Air Mobility Rodeo will host seven foreign competitors and 17 observing countries including military competitors from Belgium, Israel, Malaysia, Republic of Korea and Turkey.

Other international military members observing the events include representatives from Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Peru, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Vietnam. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will also be sending a representative to observe.

A variety of more than 40 aircraft will be used during this year's competition to include the: C-5, C-17, C-130, KC-10, KC-135, C-160, C-21, C-20, C-32, C-295 and T-1 aircraft.

"Air Mobility Command provides our country with unrivaled global reach -- anyplace, anytime," said General Bash. "[The Air Mobility] Rodeo gives us an opportunity to share our tactics and techniques with each other and our friends from around the world."

Daily overseas contingency operations demonstrate how AMC is firmly in the fight, as AMC accounts for approximately 70 percent of the air missions flown in the United States Central Command area of responsibility. AMC Airmen fly into harm's way, every day, to deliver troops, cargo and fuel with speed and precision. On a typical day, mobility forces fly about 900 sorties and move nearly 2,000 tons of cargo and more than 6,000 passengers. This operations tempo equates to a mobility aircraft departure every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For more than 50 years, Rodeo has helped Air Force mobility professionals foster teamwork and hone their skills, developing professional, disciplined Airmen. The air mobility, which is held every two years, is introducing a new award - The Best Contingency Response Unit.

The overall winners of 2009 Rodeo will receive the "Best Air Mobility Team" award and the General William G. Moore Trophy. In 2007, the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif., took home the top honors. The competition wraps up with more than 100 awards, the top 16 of which are scheduled to be presented July 24 during the closing ceremonies.