Last Doolittle Raider gone

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randy
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Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by randy »

Lt. Col. Richard Cole, RIP

From PJ Media
Sad news—the last Doolittle Raider has died. Lt. Col. Richard Cole passed away Monday at the age of 103.

Cole was the final surviving member of the daring raid on Tokyo by carrier-launched B-25s. As I wrote for his 100th birthday in 2015:

Col. Richard Cole was the co-pilot of "Crew 1," which means he sat alongside Col. Jimmy Doolittle at the tip of the tip of the American spear aimed at Imperial Japan. The Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942, was a virtual suicide mission. It was a daring sea-launched bombing mission in the earliest days of World War II.

After Pearl Harbor, Americans were desperate to hit back, and that first hit was the Doolittle Raid. Sixteen Army Air Force B-25s took off from the USS Hornet to hit multiple Japanese cities. The plan was to fly to China because a B-25 could not land on an aircraft carrier. Only one of the 16 planes actually landed safely -- in the Soviet Union. The fate of the rest of the crews was a story of heroism and sacrifice.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
Old Grafton
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Re: Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by Old Grafton »

The upturned glasses and cognac bottle are in the Air Force Museum in Dayton as I recall. "Fair tailwinds, CAVU", my Heroes of my boyhood ALL!
I'm not old--It's too early to be this late.
Rich Jordan
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Re: Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by Rich Jordan »

We are diminished...
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Termite
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Re: Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by Termite »

Last spring I flew over to Madison, MS, Campbell Field(KMBO), to see him at a Fly-In luncheon and book signing sponsored by the Southern Aviation Heritage Museum. He was 102, and still getting around, albeit slowly. I bought his book, and he autographed it.

I'm really glad I went, and got to meet him.
"Life is a bitch. Shit happens. Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Acknowledge it, and move on."
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randy
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Re: Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by randy »

Memorial for Dick Cole, last of Doolittle Raiders, to be held on 77th anniversary of his legendary mission

Retired Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” Cole, the final surviving member of the storied Doolittle Raiders who died Tuesday at 103, will be remembered in a memorial service at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas on April 18.

The memorial service will take place exactly 77 years to the day after the daring B-25 bomber raid on mainland Japan, Air Education and Training Command at Randolph said in a release Friday.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
Old Grafton
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Re: Last Doolittle Raider gone

Post by Old Grafton »

Hard to understand how all those MEN could sit in those small seats on top of such huge cojones... Bless Them ALL
I'm not old--It's too early to be this late.
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