Retired Lt. Col. Richard ‘Dick’ E. Cole opens the 1896 bottle of cognac before The Doolittle Tokyo Raiders shared their last toast at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Nov. 9, 2013, in Dayton, Ohio. The Air Force hosted the famed Doolittle Tokyo Raiders’ final toast to their fallen comrades during an invitation-only ceremony. Cole was the copilot of Aircraft №1. (U.S. Air Force photo/Desiree N. Palacios)
On June 27th, 2016, Lt. Col (Ret) Richard Cole stood graveside as Staff Sgt. David J. Thatcher was laid to rest in Montana. From that moment until his death on April 9th, 2019 at the age of 103, he had carried a…
