[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 63 (Thursday, April 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              Remembering Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cole

  Madam President, on one final matter, this week, Texas lost a true 
hero. Lt. Col. Richard Cole passed away on Tuesday at the ripe old age 
of 103 in my hometown of San Antonio.
  For Texans and for so many Americans, Lieutenant Colonel Cole--or 
``Dick'' as his friends and brothers in arms called him--symbolized one 
of the most remarkable groups from the greatest generation in World War 
II--the Doolittle Raiders. The group is named for then-Lt. Col. Jimmy 
Doolittle, who, in April of 1942, fearlessly led 16 B-25 bombers and 80 
crew members on a strike that targeted factories and military 
installations in and around Tokyo. This was actually Dick's first 
mission, and he was Jimmy Doolittle's copilot.
  After the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, this mission was 
not just of tactical importance--it was a major morale boost for our 
Nation.
  Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein recently said:

       Those 80 intrepid airmen changed the course of history. 
     They executed a one-way mission without hesitation and 
     against enormous odds.

  The mission was, as you might imagine, perilous. Doolittle's Raiders 
took off from the USS Hornet with barely enough runway to get airborne. 
In fact, Doolittle and Cole's aircraft only had 467 feet with which to 
take off in an aircraft that was not designed to launch from an 
aircraft carrier. The airplanes inadvertently took off 170 miles 
further from Japan than they had planned, so they had insufficient fuel 
to make it to their landing fields in China.
  As a result, Dick--then 26 and having had limited experience in 
jumping out of an aircraft--had to leap out of his B-25 into unknown 
territory. He later reported that he gave himself a black eye when he 
pulled the ripcord and finally landed in the branches of a tree, where 
he spent the night, dangling.
  He later said:

       They don't give a Purple Heart for self-inflicted injuries. 
     I gave myself a black eye.

  Yet his heroism was certainly rewarded. He received the Distinguished 
Flying Cross for his role in the bombing as well as the Bronze Star and 
the Air Medal. Then, in 2015, Dick and his fellow Raiders received the 
Congressional Gold Medal.
  These men, as you might imagine, shared an incredible bond, and their 
lasting camaraderie was evident through one special tradition they 
shared. At each reunion, the crew would share a cognac in silver 
goblets. Each goblet was engraved with a Raider's name both right-side 
up and right-side down. After toasting to the men who had died since 
their last reunion, they would flip over the goblets of those who had 
passed away.
  At their final reunion in 2013, only four Raiders were left. After 
determining that this would be the final reunion due to their ages and 
travel limitations, Dick delivered the last toast. Now his silver 
goblet will be turned over just as it was for the 79 brothers who left 
this Earth before him.
  We remember the final Doolittle Raider today for his incredible 
courage and sacrifice and a life well lived. America has lost another 
hero, but our country will never forget him.
  I send my condolences to Dick's family and friends and especially to 
Rich, his son, and to Cindy, his daughter.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.