Robert G. Cole
| Robert George Cole | |
|---|---|
LtCol. Robert G. Cole, U.S. Army, 101st Airborne
|
|
| Born |
March 19, 1915 Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
| Died | September 18, 1944 (aged 29) Best, Netherlands |
| Place of burial | Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, the Netherlands |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1934–1944 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Commands held | 3rd Battalion, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Lieutenant Colonel Robert George Cole (March 19, 1915 – September 18, 1944) was an American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the days following the D-Day Normandy invasion of World War II.
Robert G. Cole was born at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, to Colonel Clarence F. Cole, an Army doctor, and Clara H. Cole on March 19, 1915. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio in 1933 and joined the United States Army on July 1, 1934. On June 26, 1935, he was honorably discharged to accept an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Cole graduated with the class of 1939 and returned home to marry Allie Mae Wilson. He was appointed a second lieutenant to the 15th Infantry at Fort Lewis, Washington in 1939, and remained there until his transfer to the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1941. In March 1941, he earned his jump wings. Rapidly advancing through the ranks at Fort Benning as the parachute infantry battalions were expanded to regiments, he was a lieutenant colonel commanding the 3rd Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment on June 6, 1944, the date of his unit's first combat jump.
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