Thomas Jefferson Cole, Jr. was born on October 30, 1916 in Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri. He was the son of Thomas Jefferson Cole and Jaley Stone Cole. Thomas was graduated from Westminster college at Fulton, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Following graduation, he served three years in the Naval Air Corps at Pensacola and San Diego. He enlisted with the American volunteer air group for special service in China and had been stationed at Rangoon, Burma. He was Killed in Action when his plane was shot down over Moulmein, Thailand, strafing Japanese field air base on January 30, 1942 and is now buried in the Oak Hill Cemetery, Kirkwood, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA.

Thomas was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com