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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, April 18, 2019, marks 77 years since the daring |
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World War II bombing mission known as the Doolittle Raid, and the |
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anniversary comes only nine days after the passing of the raid's |
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last surviving participant, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel |
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(Ret.) Richard "Dick" Cole, on April 9 at the age of 103; and |
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WHEREAS, Richard Eugene Cole was born in Dayton, Ohio, on |
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September 7, 1915; as a boy, he became fascinated with flying after |
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watching pilots take off from a nearby Army Air Corps test base, and |
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he went on to enlist in the corps in November 1940 as a way of |
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earning a living during the Great Depression; he completed his |
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training and was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Group, serving in |
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Pendleton, Oregon, and then in Columbia, South Carolina; and |
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WHEREAS, In early February 1942, two months after the |
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surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, then-Lieutenant Cole volunteered |
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for a secret mission that was later revealed to be an act of |
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retaliation against Japan; he and the 80 other men who were chosen |
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for the raid were trained in isolation and knew little about the |
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nature of the mission other than the considerable danger they |
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faced; when the originally assigned copilot of then-Lieutenant |
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Colonel Jimmy Doolittle fell ill, Lieutenant Cole was called upon |
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to take his place; the long-awaited day arrived on April 18, when |
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Lieutenant Cole's squadron of modified B-25 bombers took off from |
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the aircraft carrier USS Hornet and set out en route to Tokyo; and |
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WHEREAS, After completing their objectives, Lieutenant Cole |
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and his fellow crewmen were forced to bail out over China; all |
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survived, and Lieutenant Cole continued his service in the |
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China-Burma-India theater; though the raid inflicted minimal |
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damage, it gave a much-needed boost to American morale and struck a |
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blow against Japan's perception of invincibility; in 1967, he |
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retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, having |
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received three Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star, and an |
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Air Force Commendation Medal; in 2014, he was presented with the |
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Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony at the White House; and |
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WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Cole moved to Texas, where he ran |
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a citrus business for a time and eventually settled near the town of |
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Comfort; he shared a long marriage with his wife, Lucia Martha Cole, |
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and took pride in their five children; and |
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WHEREAS, Dick Cole will forever be remembered for the role he |
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played in one of the most legendary feats of World War II, one whose |
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symbolic power helped to change the course of history, and his |
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steadfast bravery continues to remain a source of inspiration to |
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his fellow Americans; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Lieutenant Colonel |
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Dick Cole and commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Doolittle |
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Raid; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Dick Cole. |
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Cyrier |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1270 was unanimously adopted by a |
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rising vote of the House on April 18, 2019. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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