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Lost time

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  A watch was found by a resident of Nieul-les-Saintes, France, while searching for artifacts from a B-17 crash site. Knowing the history of the crash and the heroic actions of the pilot, he turned the watch over to the village's historian where it began its long journey home to Asheville, N.C.

The Mission

Capt. Donald Cole was at the controls of his B-17 Jan. 5, 1944. Along with a squadron of B-17s stationed at Snetterton Heath, England. Their mission was to bomb a German airfield in Bordeaux, France to soften Nazi strongholds prior to the D-Day invasion at Normandy.

During and after the successful bombing run, the B-17s took fierce resistance. Capt. Cole's aircraft sustained a lot of antiaircraft fire from below and began to lag behind the rest of the squadron. The wounded aircraft drew unwanted attention from German fighters who continued to strafe the B-17.

With two engines flaming out and pieces of the wing and tail blown off, Capt. Cole knew he was going to have to ditch the B-17. In true "greatest generation" fashion, he ordered his crew to bail out while he tried to find a safe place to "land."

He planned to stay at the controls long enough to ensure the aircraft would crash in a non-populated area and then bail out with the rest of the crew. Fighting the controls, the B-17 was diving directly into Nieul-les-Saintes, a village of just less than 1,000 people. He could have saved himself, but he would not jump to safety with his aircraft heading toward a village of people he was trying liberate.

The B-17 crashed into a nearby field and Capt. Cole died in the arms of a local farmer who tried to rescue him. He left behind a wife and nine-month-old son.

Capt. Cole's heroism did not go unnoticed. The people of Nieul-les-Saintes left the crash site un-touched and dedicated a monument to the man who sacrificed his own life to avoid certain disaster.

Those left behind

Donald Cole Walters, Capt. Cole's son, was later adopted by his step father after his mother re-married and his last name was changed to Walters. During his teenage years, his mother told him about his biological father and that he died serving in WWII. However, Donald never knew about the heroic measures taken by his biological father until the year 2000.

He received a call from the U.S. Embassy in Paris and told about the village dedicating the monument and about his father's actions. He was extended an invitation to Nieul-les-Saintes for the formal dedication.

At the ceremony, Don Walters said he was floored by the accolades his father earned. He thought the plaque would have his father's name with about 500 other names. It has only one name - Captain Donald Cole. They even named the main street through town after the brave pilot.

Walters returned home with a new sense of who his father was and the magnitude of his actions. But it didn't end there.

Found time

The watch, recently found at the crash site, was linked to Capt. Cole through its serial numbers. It was a standard issue aircrew watch. No wrist band. It was just a beat up, broken, watch -- a watch worn by a hero and a father.

The watch was turned over to the police chief of Nieul-les-Saintes and town historian, Michel Souris. Having full knowledge of Capt. Cole's action, Souris sent the watch to the U.S. Embassy so it could be returned to the family of Capt. Cole.

During a small ceremony at the North Carolina National Guard Armory in Asheville Dec. 28, 2007, Don Walters was given his father's watch.

"This is a special day for me," said Walters. "It's overwhelming when I think of everything I have learned about my dad over the past few years. I am so proud of him and proud to be his son."

After being presented the watch, Walters read excerpts from the speech given during the memorial ceremony in Nieul-les-Saintes by Police Chief Michel Souris. The last line of that speech was befitting to the actions of Capt. Cole - "Today is a fitting tribute for the heroic actions of Capt. Cole, his crew, and so many others from all nations whose actions helped shape the peaceful world we know today. It is by remembering the past that we avoid repeating it in the future. Vive la liberte."