Edward Ball Cole (September 23, 1879 - June 18, 1918) was an officer in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was a leading expert on machine guns; he was killed in action during the Battle of Belleau Wood.

Biography

Cole was born in on September 23, 1879, in Boston, Massachusetts, to

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

and Mary Lyon (Ball) Cole. He graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1902, where he was a member of the Owl Club.Malcolm, ''The Hingham Journal'', 2001. Cole was one of the United States' leading experts on

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

s and had published several articles and a book on the subject — '' Field Book for Machine Gunners'' (1917). He received a direct commission in the Marine Corps in World War I. Cole received the Navy Cross and the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for heroism during the Battle of Belleau Wood in which he was mortally wounded on June 10, 1918. On that day, while he was leading an attack on enemy machine guns a German

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

wounded him in the foot. When a second grenade landed in front of him, he grabbed it to throw it back and protect his men — it exploded in his hand. He crawled back to his men under rifle fire. He died from his wounds on June 18, 1918, in a field hospital near Coulommiers, France, with his brother, U.S. Army Brigadier General

Charles H. Cole Charles Henry Cole (October 30, 1871 – November 13, 1952) was an American military and government official who served as commissioner of the Boston police and fire departments as well as Adjutant General of Massachusetts. During World War I, h ...

at his side. He is buried in the Aisne-Marne Cemetery, Belleau, France. His decorations included the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross; as well as the French

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

Citations

For his actions on June 10, 1918, during the Battle of Belleau Wood, Cole received both the Navy Cross and the Army Distinguished Service Cross. Cole's Navy Cross citation reads: :In the Bois de Belleau, France, on June 10, 1918, his unusual heroism in leading his company under heavy fire enabled it to fight with exceptional effectiveness. He personally worked fearlessly until he was mortally wounded. His Distinguished Service Cross citation reads: :In the Bois de Belleau, on June 10th 1918, displayed extraordinary heroism in organizing positions, rallying his men and disposing of his guns, continuing to expose himself fearlessly until he fell. He suffered the loss of his right hand and received wounds in upper arm and both thighs.”

Namesake

The destroyer USS ''Cole'' (DD-155) was named for him. (The guided missile destroyer USS ''Cole'' (DDG-67) was named for a different Cole:

Darrell S. Cole Sergeant Darrell Samuel Cole (July 20, 1920 – February 19, 1945) is 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 ...

Notes

References

: * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Edward B. 1879 births 1918 deaths American military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Harvard University alumni Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Military personnel from Boston Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I

Biography

Citations

Namesake

See also

Notes

References