Lieutenant Colonel Dick Cole, the Last of the Doolittle Raiders, Dies.
IN REMEMBRANCE…..
On this date in 1942, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle led a raid of 16 B-25 bombers on Tokyo, Japan, launched from the USS Hornet. The raid was in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor some four months earlier. It was the first time B-25s had been launched from an aircraft carrier and many thought it couldn’t be done. Japan thought they were immune to attacks from far-away America and the raid devastated Japanese moral and boosted that of the United States. (See “The Doolittle Raid 70 Years Ago Today” posted on 18 April 2012 at https://mypoetrythatrhymes.wordpress.com/2012/04/.) Lieutenant Dick Cole was Doolittle’s copilot during that raid and the last of the raiders to die on 9 April 2019. This is his story.
The Ballad of Richard “Dick” Cole
Wind was blasting the open hatch.
China was dark below.
The B-25 was out of fuel.
The lieutenant had to go
Out…
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Posted on April 20, 2019, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged Air Corps, CBI, Dick Cole, Doolittle, History, Military, Military History, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 102 Comments.
Excellent re-post gp.
Great writing, told the whole story of in first hand verse, well done and a great tribute to every hero involved in that amazing moment in war history, a great tribute to all.
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Thank you, Ian. I appreciate your visit!!
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I’ve been rereading “The First Heroes,” and i’d been reading some bits about him. Too bad he’s gone. I’d have gone out of my way to meet one the Raiders. Now it’s too late.
See you on the flip side, Colonel. Save us a seat at the warriors table.
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Wonderful comment, William!! I can add nothing to that!
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Forgot.
I thought the poem was good, like the ending.
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Yes, he did a great job.
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As you know me being a WW2 history buff I´m quite aware of the Doolittle raid and this brave man and the men he lead. Taking off from a B-25 on such a short runway out of a ship…..and knowing that the chances of returning are basically zero takes some…you know what.
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You said it, Priest, without even saying it. For those who know, words are not necessary.
Thank you for reading it, my friend.
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My pleasure as always reading you.
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I enjoyed the entire poem, very much. Thanks for linking to it, GP.
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I had already put Lt.Col. Cole in the Salutes, but when I read this – I had to have it! Thank you for taking the time to read it, Linda!
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I tip my hat!
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🙂
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What a wonderful poem
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Yes he was. Thank you for coming by, Mary Lou!
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God Bless this Hero!
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Thank you for that.
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The last of a very daring and brave group of men.
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We’ve about lost our very last and that, to me, is the saddest part.
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Indeed GP, their numbers are dwindling fast!
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Thank you for information, GP! Lets remember him in honour! Hope you had a nice Easter Sunday, and found all the hidden eggs in camouflage too. 🙂 Michael
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Thank you very much! All camouflage was found and I especially ate too much. Hope you had a glorious day yourself, my friend.
I thank you for visiting the poem. I believe Lee did a wonderful job on giving Lt.Col. Cole honor on his passing.
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🙂
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Powerful. Wishing you a Happy Easter, GP.
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Thank you, and you do as well!!
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That was such a much needed success after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Dick Col, and the rest of Doolittle’s Raiders. You almost certainly changed the course of history. America owes each of you so much. May all of you Rest in Peace. Great post GP.
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Wonderful comment, DC, thank you.
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Lovely words. Thank you
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Yes, it is. Lee did an outstanding job on this.
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Nice to see the war captured in poetry form which I found a very easy and interesting read. So many heroes!
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Thank you for stopping by, Bev. I agree, Lee did a great job here!
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Soon there will be no one left, that will be a very sad day
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Unfortunately it is a day creeping up on us rather quickly. I am so dreading it!!
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I think it’s stopped creeping now GP, it’s hell bent on reaching the winning post
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R.I.P. Valiant Warrior
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Thank you for visiting, Rick.
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Salute to a hero
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Amen.
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Have a blessed day GP
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Thank you, and you as well!
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=)
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Awesome post, GP. They may have flown off the Hornet, but at the time, they said they took off from Shangrila, which is what Camp David was called before Eisenhower named it after his grandson.
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Very true, many are unaware of that fact. Thank you for bringing that up, Pat.
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I’ve always been a WWII buff, which one of the many reasons I love your blog. I thought I knew a lot and I’ve learned even more from reading this blog.
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That makes me feel 10 feet high!! Thank you!
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Wonderful tribute. Thank you for remembering.
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I had him posted in the Farewell Salutes, but this means so much more.
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The end of the era – just a handful of the WW2 heroes left. Sad.
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Yes, it is. So often they were simply treated like old men, but we could have learned so much from them!
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Yes, and I wish people cared more about learning.
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That would solve a lot of problems!
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Very interesting post. I grew up and lived most of my adult life in Panama City, FL. Colonel Dean Davenport retired to Panama City. He was the co-pilot of “The Ruptured Duck,” the B-25 featured in the 1944 movie, “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.” Col. Davenport was the “military adviser” for the movie, filmed just two years after the raid.
I was editing an area veterans newspaper back during the 1990s, and we did a feature on the Doolittle Raid, with a focus on Colonel Davenport’s involvement. Small world. Davenport passed away some years ago, but it was amazing to have met the man in person. I had admired Colonel Ted Lawson’s book (he was the “Duck’s” pilot) and the movie based on the book as a young kid. Still do. Thanks for posting this!
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I forgot to mention that the Doolittle Raiders trained for low-level bombing and those short take-offs at nearby Eglin Field (now Eglin AFB). That’s a short hop west of where I grew up.
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I’ve lived in south Florida for 49 years and spent many months during my childhood visiting, so Florida’s history of training both Army, Air Corps and Navy is dear to my heart.
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I would have so enjoyed talking with Col. Davenport, so I can only imagine what it was like for you to meet him. Having an eye witness account of that mission is a feather in your cap! As soon as I read this poem, I knew it belonged here!
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A great poem, and an excellent tribute, GP.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I have to agree with you, Pete. This is an excellent piece of work.
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gratitude
for sharing
his virtues 🙂
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Thank you for coming by to read it!
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So glad it could be done!
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So true! These men went out on a limb to do it, and do it they did!! I often wonder how it could be painted to express that.
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Yes, they did!
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That was delightful. Great way to start my weekend.
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And that makes reblogging it worthwhile, Jacqui. Thank you!
[are either of your children home for Easter?]
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Wonderful tribute to a great man. Salute!
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Thank you, Rose. I do hope people will remember him!
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You ‘re welcome GP. You are doing a great job educating the public. We can only hope the tide will change and history class will be back in school curriculum. We badly need it for today and future generations.
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From your lips to God’s ears, Rose. I fear the current up and coming generation is in dire need of learning from it!!
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You got that right but hope we must.
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The poem about the flying heroes reads like a powerful ballad in honour of the Dolittle Raiders.
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And I believe that is exactly how he wrote it, Peter. I thank you for visiting!!
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Glad you viewed that post GP. I felt it really belonged to you when I provided the link.
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As I read it, I knew it belonged here!! I do follow that blog, but I greatly appreciate you thinking of me! That makes my week!!
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Great reblogged. Kind of choked up here…
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I did too, that’s how I knew I was going to reblog it!! Thanks for stopping in!
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A story for the ages. May the good man Rest In Peace. He gave America hope.
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He gave this world his all, even after the war, during his 103 years. May he be remembered.
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Well said, GP.
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Truly the Greatest Generation.
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I totally agree!!
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A great share GP and a great ballad, I had never heard of this until the Ben Afflek film, which probably didn’t do the guys justice 👍
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Hollywood rarely does them justice, but at least it brought the history to light, eh?
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Yes that’s true and I did actually enjoy the film 😀
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Very good.
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I looked at his photograph and yearned to have met this remarkable fellow. Thank you for instilling his life in my mind. 🙂
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Mr. Cole survived for 103 years and tried to teach history to those he did meet.
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I’m humbled by his legacy.
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Have a wonderful Easter and/or Passover!
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RIP Colonel Doolittle. Thanks for sharing this, GP.
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I noticed only 2 had seen the original and couldn’t sit still for that. Thank you for joining in, Jill!
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I tried to post comment ‘splendid tale’ on the original, but failed
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Must be a WP glitch, but thanks for trying!
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I’m sure it was
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RIP, Col. Cole
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Thank you for coming.
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A brave man who gave his all ✌
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Agreed, Jack. Thanks for stopping by.
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One of the greatest victories in American military history and restored the nation’s belief in itself for ultimate victory. Signaled the Japs they were going to lose. It changed their strategy too. Would have had better offense if they did not keep so much hardware nearby itself to defend homeland because of constant fear this attack instilled.
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An excellent caption to the post, Carl Thank you.
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Rest in Peace, Colonel.
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Your visit is appreciated, Will, thank you.
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My pleasure, GP.
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