Photo courtesy of Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum A photo of Donald Cool shows him in military training sometime between 1942 and 1944. Cool, a Marshall resident, served as a paratrooper in World War II. He was one of more than 16,000 soldiers who parachuted into Germany in 1945, as part of Operation Varsity. Cool’s uniform and other memorabilia from World War II will be a featured exhibit this month at the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum at Camp Ripley.

When Donald Cool’s family donated his old military uniform to the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum, they did it to preserve a piece of history. What they didn’t know was that Donald would go on to have his own museum display.

Donald E. Cool will be the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum’s Featured Veteran for the month of March. Cool, who died in 1995, was a Marshall resident and a paratrooper in World War II.

Donald’s uniform and other wartime memorabilia will be on display at the museum at Camp Ripley in March, and likely April, said museum curator Doug Thompson.

“It’s a real honor. I’m a little overwhelmed,” Donald’s son Mike Cool said this week.

“We selected Donald Cool to be our Featured Veteran first and foremost because it’s a great story,” Thompson said. Cool was one of more than 16,000 soldiers who parachuted into Germany in March 1945, as part of Operation Varsity. The paratroopers served as support for Allied troops to cross the Rhine River into Germany.

“One reason we put the display in this month is to help commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Varsity – the largest one-day airborne operation in WWII,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the Featured Veteran displays are a way to highlight some of the stories behind the artifacts in the museum’s collection.

“We have a lot of uniforms and veterans’ stories in our collections that, due to space limitations, will not be a part of our permanent gallery exhibits,” he said. “Our Featured Veteran exhibit is a way to show off some stories that might not otherwise be shared with the public.”

Donald Cool grew up in Marshall and was a 1942 Marshall High School graduate, Mike Cool said. “When he graduated, he volunteered for the Naval Cadet program,” Cool said. Donald didn’t complete the Naval Cadet program, but in 1943 he volunteered to be a paratrooper.

Donald was assigned to H Company, in the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division. After completing training at Fort Benning, Georgia and Camp Mackall, North Carolina, he was sent to England, Mike Cool said.

Although he trained as a paratrooper, Donald’s first combat experience didn’t involve jumping from an airplane. In December 1944, his unit was brought in as infantry when German troops attacked in the Battle of the Bulge. The paratroopers were flown from England to France, and from there they rode on trucks along with Gen. George Patton’s troops, Cool said.

Donald’s unit fought in and around Flamierge, Belgium, in what later became known as the Battle of Dead Man’s Ridge.

“It was a four-day battle,” Cool said. The number of casualties was high.

Cool said the experience had an effect on Donald long after the war. He remembered when he and his brothers were younger, his father would sometimes get teary-eyed around Christmas.

“As younger guys, I don’t think we really understood,” Cool said.

After fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, Donald’s division was pulled back to prepare for Operation Varsity. On March 24, 1945, the 17th Airborne made their first combat jump across the Rhine River.

“It was the biggest airborne jump in history,” Mike Cool said.

Donald’s group of paratroopers were dropped in the wrong landing zone, and ended up landing along with British troops taking part in Operation Varsity. They worked together with the British soldiers and started making their way toward Münster, Germany, Cool said.

As time went on, he said, “They had a sense the war was coming to an end.” The Allied troops started encountering less-experienced German soldiers. “These were young teenagers they were fighting against,” he said.

After Germany surrendered, Donald’s unit was part of the occupying forces in the northeastern part of the country, Cool said.

After the war, Donald returned to Marshall, married and raised a family. He worked as a bartender at Joe Cool’s Tavern in Marshall, and ran the Silver Dollar Bar in Ghent from 1962-64. After that, Donald became a New York Life Insurance salesman, Cool said.

Donald often spoke to Marshall students about his experiences in WWII. “Usually, around Memorial Day, he would be invited to Marshall High School,” Cool said.

After Donald died, Mike received his dad’s military memorabilia.

“My mom had an aversion to all the war stuff,” he said.

Years later, Cool contacted the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum about donating Donald’s WWII uniforms and memorabilia.

“It’s a pretty unique place,” he said. Thompson was also able to provide lots of extra knowledge about some of the items Donald brought home from the war.

Thompson said the Cool family had donated Donald’s uniforms, as well as photos and other items, well before he was considered for a feature exhibit.

“They just wanted to make sure these items would be saved for posterity,” he said. “It’s really a remarkable collection.”

Cool said he learned last week that his father’s story and artifacts would be featured at the museum.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “I let my brothers know what was going on.”

Cool said he plans to visit the exhibit together with his daughter, who lives in the Baxter area. “We’re going to go down next week and see it,” he said.

Thompson said the Featured Veteran exhibit with Donald Cool will be on display throughout the month of March, and likely through April as well. The Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is located at Camp Ripley in Little Falls. Museum hours in March and April are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.