Last of Doolittle Raiders Dies

[HOUSTON RICK]

Dick Cole, the last of the Doolittle Raiders died in San Antonio, Texas today at the age of 103.

RIP sir. Salute.

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[RudyN]

RIP Colonel.

 

[brucev]

Just found this. God bless him and all who he flew with! Sincerely. bruce.

 

[oink]

Rest in peace Colonel, you earned it. Thank you.

 

[Watchdog]

Lt. Colonel Dick Cole has slipped the surly bonds of earth, and is back up there with his Brothers In Arms high above the clouds.

It's hard today for us to imagine the sheer courage it took to undertake a mission that they knew they might come back from.

There is a reason men like this are referred to as The Greatest Generation.

 

[Erich]

Gotta love those little B-25s. Those gents did good.

 

[Golddollar]

I read the book 30 Seconds Over Tokyo many years ago, and have seen films relating to the Doolittle raid. Now that I've had a lot of time around the veterans, I've gotten a higher appreciation of what it took to accomplish this mission. They ended up taking off a good way farther from Japan than what was originally planned. I remember reading about how the crews were filling the gas tanks on the planes and would rock the planes to get air bubbles out of the tanks because it was vital to be able to get every drop of fuel they could into the planes.

 

[bushmaster1313]

I read the book 30 Seconds Over Tokyo many years ago,

One of my favorite books in the 5th or 6th grade
Must have read it at least three times

 

[6518John]

Anyone who can fly a B-25 off the deck of an aircraft carrier should have no problem landing in heaven with angel’s wings!

 

[jdlii]

Godspeed Lt. Col. Cole.

Thank you and your squadron mates for your heroic service.

 

[MetalMan]

RIP Colonel...and thank you!

 

[armenius]

What outstanding men! I met them all at a reunion dinner about 1977 or 78. This was a mission (damn near) impossible, pulled off by combat inexperienced crews led by the audacious Jimmy Doolittle,one of the all-time Great Pilots.
But just consider, every branch of Service had similar young men who were everyday heroes.
If you know a WWII Vet get to know him and thank him, we are loosing them daily.

 

[Rudi]

He was Doolittle's co-pilot. What a group of Americans, makes me proud. Go easy Colonel.

 

[shouldazagged]

The raid didn't do enormous physical damage; but it shook Japanese
confidence hard, if briefly, and gave a huge boost to American morale.

I salute you, Colonel. Rest peacefully in the knowledge that you made a difference for your country.

 

[ordnanceguy]

Colonel Doolittle's crew who flew the first B-25 off of the deck of the Hornet. Extraordinary men, peerless aviators, great Americans all. Lt. Cole is in front on the right standing next to Jimmy Doolittle. His death was announced by Gen. David L. Goldfein, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

 

[onebadvet]

 

[TheHobbyist]

I was fortunate to meet a raider in person, who was giving a speech at a local museum. It is a memory I will not forget.

 

[ShivasIrons]

RIP Fair Winds and Following Seas...

 

[31FordA]

I had the privilege of meeting Col. Cole several years ago. A photo of Plane #1 taking off from Hornet, autographed by him is hanging on my wall.

It’s hard to believe all of the Raiders are gone. Actually it’s hard to believe just how few WWII vets are left. As a kid they were everywhere.

 

[tlawler]

The courage of the Raiders was incredible. They volunteered for what was essentially a suicide mission to begin with, then the premature takeoff because they were discovered by the jap scout plane made it even more so. They were our version of Churchill’s “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” referring to the aviators who defended London from the Nazis during the Battle of Britain. The Raiders gave America it’s will to fight, and ultimately defeat the Axis powers. It may not have been the biggest turning point in he war, but it was the first, and most pivotal, in my opinion.

Godspeed Lieutenant Colonel Cole...Rest in Peace.