Robert G. Cole

armydriver · Post by **armydriver** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:14 am

I mentioned I teach at Robert G. Cole High School, which is located on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. All of my students are military brats, that is to say their parents are all active duty military personel and live on the fort. But this is a brief synopsis of R.G. Cole himself.
Robert G. Cole was the son of an Army doctor and was born on Fort Sam Houston on March 15, 1917. He attended high school here at Jefferson High School and then went to the U.S. Military Academy where he graduated and entered the Army. He was an Infantry officer and at one time, just before WWII served on then Brig. General Eisenhowers staff. He entered paratroopers training and was one of the first officers to receive his paratroopers wings. By 1944 he was a Lt. Colonel, commanding a battalion in the 502 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on the D-day jump into France for leading a bayonet charge that helped save the regiment being devestated by enemy fire.
He died in Holland during Operation Market Garden from snipers fire while trying to place markers in front of his positions to keep allied fighters from straffing his troops.
Just wanted everyone to know who he was. He was the first member of the 101st Ariborne to get the Medal of Honor. If you happen to be at Fort Cambell in Clarksville, Tennessee the go to the museum on post and you will find all types of references to Cole. There is also a park and a street named for him.
I had my AP history students write some of the survivors of his unit and collect personal stories from them about Cole. We have a large display in the entrance of the high school with a big photo of Cole in his jump gear taken in the C-47 he was in the night of the jump into France. His original CMOH citation, stories from survivors that kniew him and several 101st artifacts from my collection on display in the large light display case.
Teaching history in a military based high school is great and especially a base that is so steeped in history, and one that honors an important WWII hero.