Eugene Allen "Gene" Cole entered the Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. on March 31, 1944. Following his completion of infantry basic training at Camp Blanding, Fla., he was assigned to Company C, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, 3d U.S. Army, as a rifleman.

He departed the Zone of the Interior by troop ship on Oct. 22, 1944, and arrived in France on Nov. 2. He immediately went into combat with his unit, serving in theArdennes Campaign during the Battle of the Bulge, in the Rhineland, and Central Europe campaigns.

He was wounded twice in combat and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was wounded on Jan. 5, 1944 in Luxembourg and again on Feb. 14, 1945, in Germany. He also earned the Combat Infantry Badge. He returned to the Zone of the Interior by troop ship on May 1, 1945, arriving in the U.S. two weeks later.

He was honorably discharged from the Army on Nov. 15, 1945, at Fort Meade, Md., and returned to civilian life in his home town of Greenwood, S.C.

Eugene A Cole