Dorothy Schmidt Cole, oldest living Marine, dies at 107

Source: AP

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (AP) — Dorothy Schmidt Cole, recognized last year as the oldest living U.S. Marine, has died at age 107.

Beth Kluttz, Cole’s only child, confirmed Friday that her mother died of a heart attack at Kluttz’s home in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Jan. 7.

The Charlotte Observer reports Cole enlisted as one of the earliest female Marine reservists following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She had left her Ohio home to head to Pittsburgh, where she hoped to volunteer for the Navy, but because she was only 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she was deemed too short to meet Navy standards.

Undaunted by her rejection, Cole decided to learn how to fly an airplane and persuade the Marine Corps to let her be a pilot.



This photo provided by Beth Kluttz shows Dorothy Schmidt Cole. Dorothy Schmidt Cole, recognized last year as the oldest living U.S. Marine, has died at age 107. The Marine Times says Dorothy Schmidt Cole died of a heart attack at her daughter's home in Kannapolis on Jan. 7, 2021. (Courtesy of Beth Kluttz via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/bombings-kannapolis-north-carolina-c69ba8ee09a01eb26765ac1a49f8591b