Lt. Col. Richard E. “Dick” Cole, who was co-pilot for Lt. Col. James “Jimmy” Doolittle in the famous “Doolittle Raid” on Tokyo, will be greeting Barksdale Airmen and area locals at Twisted Root Burger Co. in Bossier City, LA as part of the restaurant’s ongoing grand opening celebration.
The restaurant will host a “Meet-and-Greet with Dick Cole” on Friday August 26 from 1-4 p.m. and again on Saturday August 27th from 1pm-4pm. Barksdale Air Force Base Airmen, area military veterans, and our entire community are encouraged to attend the Meet and Greet to pay tribute to this legendary hero.
Born on September 7, 1915, Dick Cole is the last surviving member of the “Doolittle Raid.” On April 18, 1942, he was the co-pilot on Crew #1, who alongside Jimmy Doolittle, helped lead 16 B-25 Mitchell bombers and 80 airmen in the first Pacific victory as a response for Pearl Harbor some 5 months earlier. The surprise strike on Tokyo marked a major turning point in the war, boosting the morale of Americans worldwide. After what many considered a suicide mission, Doolittle and Cole faced deteriorating weather, low fuel, and dark skies, forcing them to bail out over China. They were rescued and reunited after hiking and being smuggled through the Chinese countryside.
In April of 2015, 73 years after the famed mission, Lt. Col. Cole accepted the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award Congress can give, on behalf of all the raiders he proudly served with on the famous raid. Cole is also featured in “One Hundred Years a Hero”, a new biopic documenting his extraordinary life and career. Cole will be available in the restaurant for photo-ops and autographs. His book, Dick Cole’s War, will be available for purchase and signing. All proceeds from the book go to the General James H. Doolittle Scholarship Fund.
Local proprietor Grant Nuckolls opened Twisted Root Burger Co. in Bossier City on July 14. This is Mr. Nuckolls’ second Twisted Root (the first opened in Shreveport in 2013). Following Twisted Root’s tradition of repurposing old buildings into vibrant destinations, this Twisted Root in Bossier City is a former gas station that went through a total remodel. The new Twisted Root dОcor pays homage to the city’s close ties with Barksdale Air Force Base, featuring military grey tones and Air Force-themed exterior murals. Mr. Nuckolls even conceptualized a scale replica of a B-52 bomber for the dining room, working with local artists Jim Hayes and Bruce Allen to “fly” the plane out of the wall.
Jason Boso, founder of Twisted Root Burger Co., said, “We love working with a great local proprietor like Grant. His service is second to none because of his relationships in the community.”
