Following hospitalization, Richard Cole passed away in San Antonio on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at the age of 103. He was the last of the famed Doolittle Raiders of World War II, and a long-time Texas Hill Country resident. During his care at the Brooke Army Medical Center, he received a number of high-profile visitors.

The Doolittle Raiders consisted of 80 members. They were best known for their World War II exploits in the South Pacific, in particular, a daring air raid in Japan. It served to boost U.S. morale, and Cole played an integral role at the young age of 26. He was the co-pilot to Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle himself, in the lead aircraft of 16 during in the April 18, 1942, Tokyo raid. This raid eventually became Hollywood material in a movie that starred Spencer Tracy in the leading role.