Lieutenant Colonel Robert George Cole (March 19, 1915 – September 18, 1944) was an American soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the days following the D-Day Normandy invasion of World War II. Early U.S. Army career Robert G. Cole was born at Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, Texas, to Colonel Clarence F. Cole, an Army doctor, and Clara H. Cole on March 19, 1915. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio in 1933 and joined the United States Army on July 1, 1934. On June 26, 1935, he was honorably discharged to accept an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Cole graduated with the class of 1939 and returned home to marry Allie Mae Wilson. He was appointed a second lieutenant to the 15th Infantry at Fort Lewis, Washington in 1939, and remained there until his transfer to the 501st Parachute Infantry Battalion at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1941. In March 1941, he earned his jump wings. Rapidly advancing through the ranks at Fort Benning as the parachute infantry battalions were expanded to regiments, he was a lieutenant colonel commanding the 3rd Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment on June 6, 1944, the date of his unit's first combat jump. D-Day operations Lt Col. Cole parachuted into Normandy with his unit as part of the American airborne landings in Normandy. By the evening of June 6, he had gathered 75 men. They captured Exit 3 at Saint-Martin-de-Varreville behind Utah Beach and were at the dune line to welcome men from the U.S. 4th Infantry Division coming ashore. After being in division reserve, Cole's battalion had guarded the right flank of the 101st Airborne Division attempts to take the approaches to Carentan. On the afternoon of June 10, Cole led 400 men of his battalion single file down a long, exposed causeway, with marshes at either side. A hedgerow behind a large farmhouse on the right was occupied by well dug-in German troops. At the far end of the causeway was the last of four bridges over the Douve River flood plain. Beyond the last bridge was Carentan, which the 101st had been ordered to seize to effect a linkup with the 29th Infantry Division coming off Omaha Beach. During the advance Cole's battalion was subjected to continuous fire from artillery, machine guns and mortars. Cole's battalion,