Lt. Col. Dick Cole served as co-pilot of the lead B-52 bomber, which was piloted by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, who planned and led the raid. In May, Cole suffered a broken shoulder and elbow. Trump wanted to reach out to him before the Fourth of July.
“President Donald J. Trump spoke by phone on July 2 with Lt. Col. Dick Cole, the last surviving member of the famed Doolittle Raiders,” a statement released by the White House said. “The President offered his best wishes and support to this 101-year-old veteran who was recently injured. The President congratulated Lt. Col. Cole on his courage, thanked him for his service, and wished him a full recovery in advance of his upcoming 102nd birthday.”
In an interview Cole gave last year, he spoke about the raid and why it had been planned. “One was to let the Japanese people know their leaders were not being truthful by saying Japan couldn’t
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I know the B-52 has been around a long time, but not quite
ReplyDeletethat long. I believe it was B-25 bomber that was used for
this raid.
It was the B-25 that was used in the Doolittle raid. The B-52 service entry date was early 1955. Both are beautiful planes with a strong history.
ReplyDeleteThey flew Mitchell B-25 bombers and launched off the deck of the USS Hornet. This was an accomplishment in itself as there were no catapults in those days.
ReplyDeleteCan't help but wonder what those guys think of participation trophies, helicopter parents, balling over student loan forgiveness and college safe zones.
ReplyDeleteThe Greatest Generation!!!
ReplyDelete