Richard E. Cole: Difference between revisions
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'''Richard |
'''Richard Eugene Cole''' (September 7, 1915) is a retired career officer in the [[United States Air Force]]. He is one of the airmen who took part in the [[Doolittle Raid]], and served as the co-pilot with [[Jimmy Doolittle]] in the lead plane of the raid. |
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Cole remained in China after the raid until June 1943, and served again in the [[China Burma India Theater]] from October 1943 until June 1944. He later served as Operations Advisor to the [[Venezuelan Air Force]] from 1959 to 1962. He retired in from Air Force in 1966. In 2016, he became the last living Doolittle Raider.<ref>The next-to-last survivor died on June 22, 2016:<br>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/us/david-thatcher-part-of-42-doolittle-raid-on-japan-dies-at-94.html David Thatcher, Part of ’42 Doolittle Raid on Japan, Dies at 94] (by Richard Goldstein, June 22, 2016)<br>Quote:<br>"He was 94 and the next-to-last survivor among the mission’s 80 airmen. His death... leaves Richard Cole, age 100, as the last surviving veteran of a legendary chapter in Air Force history. Mr. Cole was a co-pilot alongside Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, the raid’s commander and pilot of its lead plane."</ref> |
Cole remained in China after the raid until June 1943, and served again in the [[China Burma India Theater]] from October 1943 until June 1944. He later served as Operations Advisor to the [[Venezuelan Air Force]] from 1959 to 1962. He retired in from Air Force in 1966. In 2016, he became the last living Doolittle Raider.<ref>The next-to-last survivor died on June 22, 2016:<br>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/us/david-thatcher-part-of-42-doolittle-raid-on-japan-dies-at-94.html David Thatcher, Part of ’42 Doolittle Raid on Japan, Dies at 94] (by Richard Goldstein, June 22, 2016)<br>Quote:<br>"He was 94 and the next-to-last survivor among the mission’s 80 airmen. His death... leaves Richard Cole, age 100, as the last surviving veteran of a legendary chapter in Air Force history. Mr. Cole was a co-pilot alongside Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, the raid’s commander and pilot of its lead plane."</ref> |
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Revision as of 08:34, 4 February 2019
Richard Eugene Cole | |
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| Nickname(s) | Dick |
| Born | September 7, 1915 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1966 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 17th Bomb Group 1st Air Commando Group |
| Commands | 831st Combat Support Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star Medal Air Medal (2) |
Richard Eugene Cole (September 7, 1915) is a retired career officer in the United States Air Force. He is one of the airmen who took part in the Doolittle Raid, and served as the co-pilot with Jimmy Doolittle in the lead plane of the raid.
Cole remained in China after the raid until June 1943, and served again in the China Burma India Theater from October 1943 until June 1944. He later served as Operations Advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. He retired in from Air Force in 1966. In 2016, he became the last living Doolittle Raider.[1]
Early military career
Cole enlisted as an aviation cadet on November 22, 1940 at Lubbock, Texas. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in July 1941 and rated as a pilot.[2]
The Doolittle Raid
Cole was assigned as the co-pilot of the 1st aircraft, Plane # 40-2344. This was the first B-25 to depart the deck of the Hornet, and it was piloted by the leader of the raid, Jimmy Doolittle.[3]
On April 18, 1942, Doolittle and his B-25 crew took off from the Hornet, reached Japan, bombed their target, then headed for their recovery airfield in China. Doolittle and his crew bailed out safely over China when their B-25 ran out of fuel. By then, they had been flying for about 12 hours, it was nighttime, the weather was stormy, and Doolittle was unable to locate their landing field. Doolittle came down in a rice paddy near Chuchow (Quzhou). He and his crew linked up after the bailout and were helped through Japanese lines by Chinese guerrillas and American missionary John Birch.[citation needed]
Retirement
Cole is the last surviving airman to participate in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in April 1942; David Thatcher died on June 23, 2016.[2][4][5]
On September 19, 2016, the B-21 was formally named "Raider" in honor of the Doolittle Raiders.[6] As the last surviving Raider, Cole was present at the naming ceremony at the Air Force Association conference.[7]
See also
References
- ^ The next-to-last survivor died on June 22, 2016:
David Thatcher, Part of ’42 Doolittle Raid on Japan, Dies at 94 (by Richard Goldstein, June 22, 2016)
Quote:
"He was 94 and the next-to-last survivor among the mission’s 80 airmen. His death... leaves Richard Cole, age 100, as the last surviving veteran of a legendary chapter in Air Force history. Mr. Cole was a co-pilot alongside Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, the raid’s commander and pilot of its lead plane." - ^ a b "Richard E. Cole, 0-421602, Colonel, Co-Pilot Crew 1". www.doolittleraider.com.
- ^ "80 Brave Men: The Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Roster". www.doolittleraider.com.
- ^ Howell, Kellan (September 5, 2015). "Richard Cole, last of two surviving 'Doolittle Raiders,' turns 100 on Labor Day". The Washington Times.
- ^ Horton, Alex (June 23, 2016). "1 member of the Doolittle Raid remains as fellow airman dies". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Martin, Mike (September 19, 2016). "The B-21 has a name: Raider". US Air Force.
- ^ Giangreco, Leigh (September 20, 2016). "Last surviving Doolittle Raider rises to name Northrop B-21". Flightglobal.com.
External links
