 |
| Sgt. Darrell Cole earned the Medal of Honor while serving with the 4th Marine Division on Iwo Jima. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6403422/darrell-samuel-cole https://www.wikiwand.com/en/1st_Battalion,_23rd_Marines |
Darrell Samuel Cole never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
Darrell was born July 20, 1920, in Esther, Missouri to Samuel Randall Cole and Mary Magdaline Williams. He had three brothers Private Herbert Francis Cole, Private Howard George Cole, and Private Homer Dennis Cole.
Before graduating high school, his main interests were sports; particularly basketball, hunting, and photography. He also learned to play the french horn which later led to him being assigned as a bugler.
After graduating from high school, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), where he became an assistant forestry clerk and assistant educational advisor for his company. He left after one year and he went to Detroit, Michigan where he worked at a company that made engine gaskets.
On August 25, 1941, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Following the United States Marine Corps Recruit Training at MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina, he was appointed to the Field Music School for training as a Marine Corps Field Musician as a bugler. He applied for a change in rating to be a machine-gunner but was refused due to the shortage of buglers. After completing field music school, he was transferred to the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
After completing his first overseas tour, he returned to the United States in February 1943 and was assigned to the First Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. When his unit moved to California he again asked for relief as a field musician; and for permission to perform line duties. Again, due to the shortage of buglers in the Marine Corps, his request was denied.
Cole arrived on Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands on August 7, 1942, for the first American offensive of World War II. In the absence of the regular gunner, he was given the first opportunity to fill in as a machine-gunner in the absence of the regular gunner. After Guadalcanal, Cole served in several more battles throughout the Pacific theatre, including the battles of Kwajalein, Saipan, and Tinian.
When Cole was sent to fight with his unit in Saipan, he was assigned to a machine-gun unit; and was designated as a machine gun section leader. During the battle, his squad leader was killed and Cole, although wounded, assumed command of the entire squad. He was awarded the Bronze Star and was awarded the Purple Heart for the wounds he received.
When fighting began on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands from July 24 to August 1, 1944, Cole's unit was sent in a few days after the battle began. Cole again led his squad ashore in the invasion and defeat of the neighboring islands of Tinian; and continued to build his reputation as "The Fighting Field Musician.” Soon after Cole’s request for change of rating was approved and he was promoted to Sergeant in November 1944.
On February 19, Sergeant Cole led his machine gun section ashore in the D-Day assault of Iwo Jima. Moving forward with the initial assault wave, a hail of fire from two enemy emplacements halted his section's advance. Sergeant Cole personally destroyed them with hand grenades. His unit continued to advance until pinned down for a second time by enemy fire from three Japanese gun emplacements. One of these emplacements was destroyed by a machine-gunner in Cole's squad. When his machine guns jammed, armed only with a pistol and one hand grenade, Sergeant Cole made a one-man attack against the two remaining gun emplacements. Twice he returned to his own lines for additional grenades and continued the attack under fierce enemy fire until he had succeeded in destroying the enemy strong points.
Upon returning to his own squad, he was killed by an enemy grenade. As a result of his one-man attack, Sergeant Cole's company could move forward against the fortifications and attain their ultimate objective.
Sergeant Cole was initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, but at the request of his father, his remains were returned to the United States to be buried in Parkview Cemetery, Farmington, Missouri.
February 19, 1945, was a United States Marine who posthumously received the United States' highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his conspicuous gallantry at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
In addition to the Medal of Honor and Bronze Star Medal, Sergeant Cole was awarded the Purple Heart with Gold Star in lieu of a second award, the Presidential Unit Citation, American Defense Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
In 1996 the United States Navy named USS Cole (DDG-67), a destroyer, in his honor. This destroyer was damaged in a suicide attack in Yemen but subsequently repaired and is currently in service.
Reference: Darrell S. Cole. (2020, May 06). Retrieved July 17, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_S._Cole
Thank you for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole.
___________
This profile was summarized by Brianne Ellison. I am a business owner and stay at home mom of 4 children in Utah. I have been an independent family history researcher for over 12 years now. I have also had a passion for U.S. war history since I was a child. WWII is my most passionate research project aside from family history. I am so grateful to be able to contribute to a memorial of such a courageous soldier that never gave up. It is because of men like Cole, that we have our freedom today. “Land of the Free because of the Brave.” Thank you, Sargeant Cole. You will never be forgotten.
Last year on this date I profiled Distinguished Flying Cross hero and B-24 waist gunner Gerald Murphy. You can read about Gerald here.
This is one of the final 50 stories (45) to be written as part of this project which ends on September 2, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. At that time more than 1,370 men and women will have been profiled. The project will live on in an expanded program to write the stories of all 400,000+ US World War II fallen. Visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org to learn more. We welcome your continued support and interest and encourage you to help write some of these stories.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Follow on Twitter @ww2fallen100
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”
RIP GOD BLESS YOU
ReplyDelete