Retired Lt. Col. Richard Cole, who served as then-Col. Jimmy Doolittle's copilot during the April 1942 raid on Tokyo, toured Barksdale AFB, LA on 30 Dec 2013.
Naturally, as old folks are wont to do, he shared some words of wisdom.
Throughout his visit, the soft-spoken 98-year-old projected humility as he recounted his role in the historic mission that provided a morale boost to the American public after the Japanese bombardment of Pearl Harbor, and continually emphasized that its success was due to the training and professionalism of the volunteer aircrews.
When asked by one Airman if he was nervous prior to the mission, which involved launching B-25 bombers from the deck of the Navy's USS Hornet, Cole said, "I was not worried about taking off at such a short distance. One reason was that we had a good training experience, the other thing is that I was flying with one of the best copilots in the world."
Cole's training prior to the mission included more than 60 hours of instruction at Eglin airfield in Florida, part of which was spent with a Navy pilot sent from Pensacola, Fla. to teach the aircrew how to accomplish a short carrier takeoff.
"We had 498 feet to do this on a carrier,” Cole said. "With that training we were able to go up to 31,000 pounds on the aircraft that we would be using."
The aircrews also received training in celestial and sea-based navigation and low-altitude flying.
Ultimately, all of these skills would be employed by the crews during their mission, which explains why, when asked what advice he has for Airmen today, Cole said, "Get as much training as you can. Take advantage of it when the opportunity presents itself."