Is Richard E. Cole Living or Dead?

Living or Dead? Celebrities, films, tv shows, birthdays, deaths ... your one-stop shop to satisfy your morbid curiosity.

Is career officer in the United States Air Force and participant in the Doolittle Raid Richard E. Cole dead? Or ... still alive?

Subscribe to Living or Dead news !!!

Celebrity death and birthday updates to your inbox!

Unsub at any time. We'll never sell your details.

By Botty Snyder

Updated 18 March 2023

Image info

Artist	United States Air Force
Credit	https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Upcoming/Photos/igphoto/2000915320/
License	pd
Desc	1st Lt. Richard E. Cole (Co-pilot of Crew#1)
Url	https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/130906-F-JK230-001.jpg
Usage	Public domain
Description_url	https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:130906-F-JK230-001.jpg

Image info/credit

career officer in the United States Air Force and participant in the Doolittle Raid

Richard E. Cole is ...

Dead

Born	7 September 1915 in Dayton
Died	9 April 2019 in San Antonio
Age	103 years, 7 months

Sex or gender	male
Country of citizenship	United States of America
Birth name	Richard Eugene Cole
Occupation	military personnel and farmer
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal and Air Medal

About Richard E. Cole

Richard Eugene Cole (September 7, 1915 – April 9, 2019) was an American career officer in the United States Air Force. He was one of the airmen who took part in the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942, serving as the co-pilot to Jimmy Doolittle in the lead airplane of the raid. He eventually reached the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Cole remained in China after the raid until June 1943, and served again in the China Burma India Theater from October 1943 until June 1944. He later served as Operations Advisor to the Venezuelan Air Force from 1959 to 1962. He retired from the Air Force in 1966 and became the last living Doolittle Raider in 2016.