Darrell S. Cole
| Darrell S. Cole | |
|---|---|
 
Darrell S. Cole, Medal of Honor recipient
|
|
| Born |
July 20, 1920 Park Hills, Missouri |
| Died | February 19, 1945 (aged 24) KIA at Iwo Jima |
| Place of burial | Parkview Cemetery, Farmington, Missouri |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1941-1945 |
| Rank |
 Sergeant
|
| Unit | 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
 Medal of Honor Bronze Star Purple Heart (2) |
Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole (July 20, 1920 – 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.
Although he was originally assigned to play the bugle, Sergeant Cole repeatedly requested that his rating be changed from field musician to machine-gunner. Although rated as a bugler he fought as a machine-gunner in several major campaigns of World War II including Guadalcanal, Tinian, Saipan.
On his fourth request to change his rating to machine-gunner the request was approved 4 months before he was sent into combat again on Iwo Jima. During the battle, Cole made a successful one-man attack against two gun emplacements impeding the advance of his company. Upon returning to his squad, he was killed by an enemy grenade.
In 1996 the United States Navy named the 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.
Darrell Cole was born July 20, 1920 in Esther (now part of Park Hills), Missouri. He attended high school in Esther, graduating in 1938. Before graduating, 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.
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