Sergeant First Class Cole was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He was seriously wounded by the enemy in South Korea on 18 September 1950 and returned to duty on 16 November 1950. He was listed as Missing in Action while fighting the enemy near Nan Myon, North Korea on 28 November 1950. He was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Sergeant First Class Cole was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.