Lieutenant Colonel Dick Cole, the Last of the Doolittle Raiders, Dies.

Apr 20

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IN REMEMBRANCE…..

My Poetry That Rhymes

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…

View original post 672 more words

About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on April 20, 2019, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 102 Comments.

  1. aussieian2011 | May 11, 2019 at 12:08 AM

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. williamrablan | May 2, 2019 at 4:43 PM

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. charlypriest | May 1, 2019 at 9:47 AM

    Forgot.
    I thought the poem was good, like the ending.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. charlypriest | May 1, 2019 at 9:43 AM

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. shoreacres | April 25, 2019 at 8:12 PM

    I enjoyed the entire poem, very much. Thanks for linking to it, GP.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. natuurfreak2 | April 24, 2019 at 8:08 AM

    What a wonderful poem

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Aviationtrails | April 22, 2019 at 3:06 AM

    The last of a very daring and brave group of men.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. OIKOS™-Publishing | April 21, 2019 at 5:08 PM

    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

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Anna Waldherr | April 21, 2019 at 7:52 AM

    Powerful. Wishing you a Happy Easter, GP.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. DC Gilbert | April 21, 2019 at 7:47 AM

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Gypsy Bev | April 20, 2019 at 11:14 PM

    Nice to see the war captured in poetry form which I found a very easy and interesting read. So many heroes!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. LordBeariOfBow | April 20, 2019 at 9:10 PM

    Soon there will be no one left, that will be a very sad day

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. equipsblog | April 20, 2019 at 5:06 PM

    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.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  19. inese | April 20, 2019 at 2:44 PM

    Wonderful tribute. Thank you for remembering.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. E. Michael Helms, writer | April 20, 2019 at 12:58 PM

    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!

    Liked by 1 person

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  21. beetleypete | April 20, 2019 at 11:45 AM

    A great poem, and an excellent tribute, GP.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. smilecalm | April 20, 2019 at 11:26 AM

    gratitude
    for sharing
    his virtues 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  23. kkessler833 | April 20, 2019 at 10:30 AM

    So glad it could be done!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  24. Jacqui Murray | April 20, 2019 at 10:25 AM

    That was delightful. Great way to start my weekend.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  25. SCLMRose | April 20, 2019 at 9:41 AM

    Wonderful tribute to a great man. Salute!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  26. Peter Klopp | April 20, 2019 at 9:29 AM

    The poem about the flying heroes reads like a powerful ballad in honour of the Dolittle Raiders.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  27. PARTNERING WITH EAGLES | April 20, 2019 at 8:49 AM

    Glad you viewed that post GP. I felt it really belonged to you when I provided the link.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  28. ekurie | April 20, 2019 at 8:16 AM

    Great reblogged. Kind of choked up here…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  29. Jennie | April 20, 2019 at 7:59 AM

    A story for the ages. May the good man Rest In Peace. He gave America hope.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  30. Jeff Groves | April 20, 2019 at 7:42 AM

    Truly the Greatest Generation.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  31. charliecountryboy | April 20, 2019 at 7:31 AM

    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 👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  32. Notes To Ponder | April 20, 2019 at 7:00 AM

    I looked at his photograph and yearned to have met this remarkable fellow. Thank you for instilling his life in my mind. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  33. Jill Weatherholt | April 20, 2019 at 6:33 AM

    RIP Colonel Doolittle. Thanks for sharing this, GP.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  34. derrickjknight | April 20, 2019 at 6:32 AM

    I tried to post comment ‘splendid tale’ on the original, but failed

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  36. jackcollier7 | April 20, 2019 at 6:26 AM

    A brave man who gave his all ✌

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  37. CARL R D'Agostino | April 20, 2019 at 6:24 AM

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  38. Will Pennington | April 20, 2019 at 6:20 AM

    Rest in Peace, Colonel.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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