Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole, U.S. Army, 101st Airborne

Lieutentant Colonel Robert G. Cole (b. March 19, 1915 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, d. September 18, 1944 at Best, Netherlands) was an American soldier who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the days following the D Day invasion of France. (Redirected from 101st Airborne) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Sam Houston is a US Army base in Texas. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry (R) Official languages None. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Best is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. ... For the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ... Battle plans for the Normandy Invasion — the best-known D-Day In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ...

Early Service Career

Robert G. Cole entered service at Sam Houston and attended the U.S. Military Academy graduating in 1939. He was commissioned a lieutenant and in March 1941 he received his jump wings. Quickly rising through the ranks, by 1943 Cole was commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 502d PIR 101st Airborne. Alternate meanings: West Point (disambiguation). ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... (Redirected from 101st Airborne) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 101st Airborne Division, the Screaming Eagles. ...

D-Day Operations

LTC Cole parachuted into Normandy on June 5, 1944 with his unit as part of part of D-Day Operation Chicago. By the evening of June 6, he had assembled his force of 250 men. Initially his batallion had been placed on reserve but were called into action to attack four bridges on the road to Carentan. Cole's unit had sustained so many casualties on this mission that the causeway his unit was following came to be known was "Purple Heart Lane". His entire unit was pinned down by enemy machine gun, mortar and artillery fire for over a hour. Normandy is a geographical region in northern France. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... During World War II, Operation Chicago was carried out by the Allies in 1944. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... Carentan is a commune of the Manche département in Normandy, France. ... The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who are wounded or killed while serving in or with the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ...

By the morning of June 11, with the Germans still resisting any attempt to take the bridges, LTC Cole ordered heavy artillery on enemy strongholds. When this failed to displace the entrenched Germans, Cole took desperate measures. He ordered his men to fix bayonets. At 06:15, Cole blew his whistle and personally led his remaining men across the bullet-ridden ground, firing his pistol toward the last German stronghold. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... Bayonet OKC_3S _ Ontario Knife Company. ...

Along the way he picked up a fallen soldier's rifle and bayonet, and without regard for his own safety, led his men to capture the stronghold. The attack had not been without a price; only 132 of his men remained after the assault.

Medal of Honor

LTC Cole was recommended for a Medal of Honor for his actions that day but unfortunatley he would not live to receive it. The 29-year-old Cole was killed by a sniper during Operation Market Garden on September 18, 1944 in Best, Netherlands. His mother received the posthumous Medal of Honor for him. LTC Cole is buried at American Battlefields Monuments Commission Cemetery in the Netherlands. Operation Market-Garden was an Allied military operation in World War II, which took place in September 1944. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Best is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. ...

Legacy

Robert G. Cole High School in Fort Sam Houston is named after Robert G. Cole as well as a park in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. LTC Cole. is the only true-to-life character in the 2005 Gearbox Software game Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 Robert G. Cole High School, or Cole High School, is located on Fort Sam Houston Army Base in San Antonio, Texas. ... Fort Campbell is a large post of the United States Army located approximately ten miles northwest of downtown Clarksville, Tennessee. ... State nickname: Bluegrass State Other U.S. States Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Governor Ernie Fletcher (R) Official languages English Area 104,749 km² (37th)  - Land 102,989 km²  - Water 1,760 km² (1. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Gearbox Software is a video game developer founded in January 1999. ... Brothers In Arms is a 2005 first_person shooter video game being developed by Gearbox Software for the PC (as Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30), PlayStation 2, and Xbox. ...

References

• LTC Robert G. Cole