World War II Honoree

Richard J. Cole

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Havre, Montana

Honored By

Matthew Cole Slonaker

Relationship

Grandson

ATTENDED 16 MONTHS OF TRAINING IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH; PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA; APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA; LINCOLN, NEBRASKA; KESSLER FIELD IN BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI; AMARILLO, TEXAS, AND EL PASO, TEXAS. GRADUATED FROM TWO SCHOOLS AS AN AERIAL GUNNER AND AN AIRPLANE MECHANIC/ENGINEER ON A B-24 LIBERATOR. FIRST SCHEDULED MISSION WAS OCTOBER 23, 1944. FLEW ON BOMBING MISSIONS WITH TARGETS SUCH AS WARTIME FACTORIES, AMMO DEPOTS AND RAILROAD BRIDGES IN ITALY, AUSTRIA, GERMANY, POLAND, CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND YUGOSLAVIA. SERVED WITH 459TH BOMB GROUP, 759TH BOMB SQUADRON. AWARDED FIVE BRONZE STARS, THREE BATTLE STARS, AIR MEDAL WITH THREE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS AND ALSO RECEIVED A VALOR COMMENDATION FROM ARMY AIR FORCES MEDITERRANEAN THEATRE OF OPERATION COMMANDER LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN K. CARMAN.