More information:

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/30091

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/cole-richard-eugene-dick

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cole (WWII) is Notable burial at https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftsamhouston.asp.  He was born in Dayton, Ohio, on September 7, 1915. He flew as the copilot to Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle during the "Doolittle Raid," a B-25 attack on Tokyo, Japan, on April 18, 1942, as retaliation for Pearl Harbor. Cole and the crew bailed out over China after the mission, where Cole stayed until 1943 flying supplies between China and Burma. After a brief assignment in Oklahoma, he returned to the China-India-Burma Theater as an Air Commando and served there until he returned to the U.S. in June 1944, finishing the war as a test pilot in Kansas. Following WWII, Cole had several staff assignments and served as advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. He retired from the military in 1966. He died on April 9, 2019 at age 103 as the last participant of the Doolittle Raid. The cremains of he and his wife were interred on what would have been his 106th birthday.  https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/04/09/a-legend-passes-dick-cole-last-of-the-doolittle-raiders-dies-at-103.
*The preceding content is not intended as a comprehensive biography, but it highlights their significance as a result of military or civilian distinction, lasting achievements, or association with impactful national events. 

l to r: Henry Potter, James Doolittle, Fred Braemer, Richard Cole, Paul Leonard.

RICHARD EUGENE COLE

Service

WORLD WAR II

KOREA

VIETNAM

DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS

BRONZE STAR MEDAL

AIR MEDAL

US AIR FORCE,

COL

Resting Place

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

Biography

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us