Richard G. Cole

Jerry lied about his age, and obtained a waiver because of his height (6’7″) and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 when he was only 17. He went to training at Keesler Field, Mississippi, and Chanute Field, Illinois, and became an aircraft instrument mechanic, principally assigned to working on B-24 Liberator and B-29 Superfortress aircraft. He was assigned to the 475th Army Air Force Base Unit at Thermal Army Airfield, Calif. Thermal was one of the airfields that was part of where Maj. Gen. George C. Patton, Jr. took his troops to train for the invasion of North Africa. As a major support airfield for the DTC, Thermal hosted a wide variety of airplanes and Jerry worked on fighters, bombers, attack, cargo, and liaison/observation aircraft, which had come to maneuver in the desert. He remained at Thermal until he was discharged from the Army in 1946. You can find his military records and service history at https://www.fold3.com/memorial/84049563/richard-gerald-cole/facts. His Army Air Corps serial number was 14134611. His dates of service were 1 September 1942 – 27 February 1946. SGT Cole’s awards include Enlisted Aircrew Wings, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.