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Almost Yesterday is a glimpse into the rich history of our region. Dr. Frank Nickell takes listeners on a journey to specific moments in time, such as the first radio broadcast on KFVS, the history of Farmington’s Carleton College, and the short-lived safari on a Mississippi River island. A gifted storyteller and local historian, Dr. Nickell’s wit and love for the past are combined with sounds and music that augment his narrative.On Saturday, June 7, 2008, Almost Yesterday received First Place in the "Special Programs" category at the Missouri Broadcasters Association Awards Banquet in Kansas City, Missouri.Almost Yesterday airs every Wednesday at 5:42 and 7:42 a.m. and 5:18 p.m.

Darrell Samuel Cole

The famous USS Cole was named after the "fighting field musician" Darrell Cole of Esther, Missouri.
Southeast Missouri State University

It seems like Almost Yesterday that Darrell Samuel Cole was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in action.

Marine Sergeant Cole was the son of Samuel R. and Magdalena Williams Cole of Esther, Mo. He graduated from high school in 1938 and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, leaving after one year to take a job in the automobile industry in Detroit.

On Aug. 25, 1941, before Pearl Harbor, Cole joined the Marine Corps and was sent to field music school and trained as a bugler. In this capacity, he was assigned to the First Marine Division – and on Aug. 7, 1942, he reached the shores of Guadalcanal as part of the first American offensive action of World War II.

When American troops suffered heavy casualties on that Pacific Island, Cole filled in as a machine gunner, and immediately requested a permanent transfer from music to “line duties.”

His request was granted and Cole would participate in some of America’s most difficult military engagements: Kwajalein, Saipan and Tinian. For this service, he received the Bronze Star for “resolute leadership” and “tenacious determination,” and a Purple Heart for wounds suffered at SaipanDue to his courage under fire, this “fighting field musician” was promoted to sergeant and in his new role, on Feb.19, 1945, led his machine gun section ashore on Iwo Jima.

Moving forward in the initial assault, they encountered heavy fire from two Japanese positions. Sergeant Cole personally destroyed these, and then when his machine gun jammed, he used hand grenades and a revolver to single-handedly eliminate three additional enemy positions.

And then he was killed by an enemy hand grenade.

Residents of Southeast Missouri may know of the monument on the campus at Mineral Area College, and of the famous USS Cole, both of which honor the heroic self-sacrifice of Darrell S. Cole.

It seems like Almost Yesterday that we had such heroes.

Frank Nickell is a retired history professor at Southeast Missouri State University.
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