Lieutenant Richard E. Cole

Lieutenant Richard E. Cole of Crew 01 was the last remaining Doolittle Raider alive until 09 April 2019. After the raid the five member crew bailed out over China as their plane ran out of fuel. They survived landing and were protected by the Chinese people and American Missionaries. Picture two is a part of the wreck of the plane of Crew 1 with Doolittle sittng next to it.

His father named  Frederick Burnham "Fred" Cole and his mother Mabel Louise Cole.  Richard E. Cole had one brother.

United States Air Force officer, pilot, he was (co-pilot of Jimmy Doolittle - crew 1)  and one of the Doolittle Raiders during World War II, was born in Dayton, Ohio, on September 7, 1915. He was the fifth of six children of Fred and Mabel L. (Bowen) Cole. Growing up in Dayton, the home of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Dick Cole took an interest in the outdoors and aviation. 

Richard Cole was married to Lucia Martha "Marty" (Harrell) Cole, who died in 2003 at the age of 79. Richard and Marty had five children and several grandchildren.

Cole about the death of Robert Gray (Crew 03) and George Larkin (Crew 10) :

Richard E. Cole in China:

Fellow Doolittle Raider, Richard Cole, heard one of the two Eleventh Bomb Squadron B–25s taking off from Dinjan that afternoon. Cole watched the plane lift off, he “assumed with a full load of bombs.” Shortly after, he departed for China in a C–47 delivering aviation fuel. As Cole approached the Burma border at ten thousand feet, he saw “a plume of black smoke” to his right. The thin column of dense, oily smoke, scattered by seven thousand feet. He knew “it was either a plane crash or a bomb strike on a fuel depot.” As they flew over the remote jungle area, they saw it was a plane, and with no parachutes visible, knew there could be no survivors. “Cole radioed Dinjan to report the crash…[and, after returning to Dinjan] he heard the news of Gray’s death. Cole himself had flown the same B–25 plane the day prior on a mission, and Gray was “considered an excellent pilot” with over 550 hours in the B–25. The suspicious circumstances led to scuttlebutt at Dinjan, and according to Cole, “many of the pilots suspected sabotage.  - Sabotage was never proved.

Richard E. Cole landed in the branches of a tall tree in the middle of a stormy night. As rain poured down and wind howled through the branches, he quickly realized he was stuck. He had only one option: he had to climb up and cut himself free from the parachute. Heart pounding with adrenaline, he clawed his way up, struggling against the driving rain and slippery wood. Eventually, he managed to cut the parachute cords and carefully climbed back down, his hands raw from the rough branches.

Once on the ground, he looked around and saw that he had landed on top of a steep hill, surrounded by dangerous cliffs. In the darkness, it seemed impossible to safely continue. Making a wise decision, he carefully folded his parachute and tied it to the branches to create an improvised shelter. Sheltered from the rain and strong wind, he spent the night there, his pistol within reach, alert to any possible dangers.

When morning finally broke, Cole followed a narrow path winding through the hills. Along the way, he passed several people, but none seemed to pay him any attention—except for one man. This Chinese man watched Cole in an unsettling manner, his gaze intense. When the man finally began approaching him, Cole drew his pistol and warned him to keep his distance. The man backed away and quickly disappeared into the bushes.

Cole continued his journey and eventually reached a remote outpost, where he spotted a flag flying. Recognizing the emblem of the Free Chinese Army, he knew he was in the right place. Stepping into the building with resolve, he looked around sharply. To his surprise, he saw a drawing on a table of an airplane with five parachutists jumping from it. His heart leaped—someone from his crew must have drawn it.

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