World War II Honoree

Richard E. 'Dick' Cole

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Dayton, Ohio

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENLISTED IN MILITARY SERVICE IN 1940. WHILE STATIONED IN SOUTH CAROLINA, IN THE AMERICAN THEATER, HE VOLUNTEERED FOR A DANGEROUS SECRET MISSION, EARLY IN THE WAR, WITHOUT KNOWING THE NATURE OR DETAILS OF THE TASK BEFORE HIM. AS IT TURNED OUT, HE VOLUNTEERED TO BECOME ONE OF THE FAMED 'DOOLITTLE RAIDERS' WHO CARRIED OUT THE FIRST AMERICAN BOMBING RAID AGAINST JAPAN. THE VOLUNTEERS TRAINED AT EGLIN FIELD AT VALPARISO, FLORIDA ON B-25 'MITCHELL' MEDIUM BOMBER AIRCRAFT, PRACTICING SHORT TAKE-OFFS IN PREPARATION FOR FLYING OFF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER DECK. SERVED AS A PILOT OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER DURING THE WAR. HE SERVED AS CO-PILOT FOR LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES 'JIMMY' DOOLITTLE, THE COMMANDER OF THE MISSION TO LEAD A STRIKE FORCE OF BOMBER AIRPLANES AGAINST THE JAPANESE HOMELAND, SOME 4 MONTHS AND 11 DAYS AFTER THE JAPANESE SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII. ON APRIL 18, 1942, HE WAS SERVING AS CO-PILOT ABOARD THE FIRST B-25B BOMBER, PILOTED BY DOOLITTLE, TO TAKE OFF FROM THE PITCHING DECK OF THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER 'USS HORNET' (CV-8). SIXTEEN BOMBERS WERE LAUNCHED ON THE MISSION, FROM A POSITION SOME 800 MILES FROM TOKYO, JAPAN. THAT DEPARTURE POINT WAS TWICE THE DISTANCE OF 400 MILES ENVISIONED IN THE ORIGINAL STRIKE PLAN, BUT WAS NECESSARY DUE TO THE PROBABLE DISCOVERY OF THE FLEET BY THE JAPANESE. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE EARLY LAUNCH WAS THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT FUEL TO BOMB JAPAN AND THEN FLY TO RECOVERY AIRFIELDS IN CHINA. FLYING THE HEAVILY LADEN B-25 PLANES FROM THE SHORT (450 FOOT) DECK OF THE CARRIER IN ROUGH SEAS WAS A REMARKABLE FEAT OF SKILL AND DARING BY THE AIRCREWS. AFTER COMPLETING THEIR BOMBING MISSION, HIS PLANE SET A COURSE FOR CHINA. AS THEY NEARED THE CHINA COAST, WITH THE PLANE DANGEROUSLY LOW ON FUEL, DOOLITTLE GAVE THE COMMAND TO PREPARE TO BAIL OUT, AND WISHED THEM ALL GOOD LUCK. BECAUSE OF BAD WEATHER EN ROUTE AND THE INCREASED DISTANCE TO THE TARGETS DUE TO THE EARLY LAUNCH, 15 OF THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN CHINA AND THE OTHER ONE LANDED IN RUSSIA IN SIBERIA. HE WAS ONE OF THE 75 FLIERS WHOSE PLANES CRASHED IN CHINA. HE RECALLED IT WAS SCARY TO BAIL OUT INTO THE DARK UNKNOWN IN ROUGH WEATHER. NEVERTHELESS, HE PARACHUTED FROM HIS AIRCRAFT AND HIS CHUTE CAUGHT UP IN A TREE, LEAVING HIM DANGLING, BUT SAFE. HE AND OTHER RAIDERS WERE PICKED UP BY CHINESE PARTISANS AND HELPED TO SAFETY. OF THE 75 FLIERS IN CHINA, 3 DIED IN ACCIDENTS, AND 8 WERE CAPTURED BY THE JAPANESE. OF THE 8, 3 WERE EXECUTED BY THE JAPANESE, 1 DIED IN CAPTIVITY, AND THE OTHER 4 WERE REPATRIATED AT THE END OF THE WAR. HE AND ALL THE REMAINING RAIDERS IN CHINA AND THE 5 IN RUSSIA EVENTUALLY WERE RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES. THE DOOLITTLE RAID, AGAINST LIMITED ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE, DUE IN PART TO THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE, INFLICTED LITTLE BATTLE DAMAGE BUT HAD AN IMPORTANT POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT IN THE UNITED STATES, AND NEGATIVE IMPACT IN JAPAN. AFTER HIS REPATRIATION, HE CONTINUED TO FLY MISSIONS IN THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) AREA UNTIL 1944. AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. CONTINUED IN U.S. AIR FORCE SERVICE AFTER THE WAR UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL.