Harwich’s Larry Cole Named Honorary Captain of Military Relay

~ Cape Cod Times, April 11, 2018

Larry Cole of Harwich has been named an honorary captain of the 2018 Boston Marathon Military Relay to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1918 race when the event was held as a military relay as a result of the United States’ involvement in World War I.

The 122nd Boston Marathon on Monday will incorporate a relay run with 16 men and women representing the eight cities and towns along the route and the five branches of the military.

The 1918 Boston Marathon served as a unifying moment for the country with 10-man relay teams from the armed forces running from Ashland to Boston, passing a baton along the course.

Cole, 84, is an Army veteran who served in Korea and was on the front lines with an infantry unit when the armistice was signed in July 1953, ending the war. After active duty he stayed in the U.S. Army Reserves and retired as a Master Sergeant. He later was active in the Cape & Islands chapter for Korean War veterans. He has run the Boston Marathon twice.

Joining Cole as an honorary captain will be sergeant Howard Luckett, who served in the U.S. Army, Marines, and Coast Guard Auxiliary beginning in 1946.

Cole and Luckett were named as honorary grand marshals of the marathon and will ride the course in a vehicle leading the way for 30,000 participants and the 16-member military relay.

The 2018 military relay is part of the Boston Athletic Association’s “Year of Service” celebration recognizing volunteers, law enforcement, firefighters and medical personnel for their contributions to the marathon.

This also marks the fifth anniversary of the 2013 bombing tragedy. First responders who served that day will be honored.