TBM Avenger Doris Mae Turns 80
Culpeper, VA (July 17, 2025)– A living legend is turning 80—and you’re invited to the party.
On Saturday, August 2, 2025, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Capital Wing will host a special public celebration to mark the 80th birthday of Doris Mae, the Wing’s fully restored General Motors-built TBM Avenger torpedo bomber. What makes this event extraordinary? The date is exactly 80 years to the day—August 2, 1945—since Doris Mae rolled off the assembly line and was accepted into service by the U.S. Marine Corps the following day.
About Doris Mae: A Life of Service, Survival, and Restoration
Doris Mae is a TBM-3E Avenger, built under license by General Motors in New Jersey during the final weeks of World War II. Delivered on August 2, 1945, she was transferred to the Marine Corps and used in postwar training roles. Later, she served in the Royal Canadian Navy as an anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and eventually became a forest firefighting aircraft in Canada before being acquired by the CAF in 2001.
In 2008, the CAF Capital Wing began a full restoration of the aircraft, meticulously returning her to a World War II configuration and honoring the TBM’s original mission. She now flies in the colors of VMTB-143, a Marine squadron that operated from the USS Gilbert Islands during the summer of 1945. Her nose art, “Doris Mae,” is a tribute to the aircraft flown by 1st Lt. William “Billy” Hay, a Virginian who flew combat missions over Okinawa, Borneo, and the Japanese home islands.
Event Highlights Include:
• USMC Color Guard
• Live 1940s Jazz Band
• Free Food and Sodas
• Birthday cake
• Special appearance by nose art artist Gary Velasco
• Meet-and-greets with members of the TBM’s restoration team
• Perspectives from Capital Wing members and aviation historians
• Representation from the Civil Air Patrol and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
• Warbird Rides available (weather permitting)
This is not just a birthday—it’s a homecoming. Help Us Spread the Word The CAF Capital Wing is extending an open invitation to the public, CAF members across the country, and aviation units interested in flying in to be part of the celebration. This is a rare chance to honor one of the last flying Avengers in the world—on the very day she entered history. Learn more about the CAF Capital Wing based in Culpeper, Virginia at www.capitalwingcaf.org.
