Richard Eugene Cole was a United States Air Force colonel whose military career was defined by his participation in one of the most daring aviation missions of World War II. On April 18, 1942, Cole served as the co-pilot to Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle in the lead B-25 Mitchell bomber during the Doolittle Raid. This historic operation marked the first time medium bombers were launched from an aircraft carrier on a combat mission, delivering a vital psychological blow against Tokyo, Japan.\n\nFollowing the raid, Cole continued his service in the China Burma India Theater, remaining in China until June 1943 and returning for another tour of duty from October 1943 to June 1944. In the post-war era, his military career included serving as an operations advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. Cole retired from active duty in 1966 as a colonel. In his later years, he became a prominent symbol of military history, eventually becoming the last surviving member of the Doolittle Raiders in 2016 before his death in 2019.
