This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • President Donald Trump has spoken with the last surviving member of the World War II-era Doolittle Raiders ahead of Independence Day.
The White House says that Trump spoke Sunday with 101-year-old Lt. Col. Dick Cole of Comfort, Texas, thanking him for his service. Trump also wished Cole a full recovery after a recent fall.
Cole served as the co-pilot of the lead B-25 bomber during the 1942 raid on Tokyo.
The mission took place during the early months of U.S. involvement in World War II. Leading the group of 16 bombers was Lt. Col. James "Jimmy" Doolittle.
The crews knew they wouldn't have enough fuel to return and had to bail out over China. Three crewmen died in the raid, and three of those captured were executed by the Japanese.