The Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award - 2014: Captain James Cole ’87

Published on February 17, 2026

2014: Captain James Cole ’87

 
 

In recognition of his years of distinguished military service, United States Navy Captain James Cole ’87 is the recipient of the Rev. William Corby, C.S.C., Award.

Cole majored in Pre-Professional Studies at Notre Dame and went on to earn a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1991. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Cole entered the military through the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program in 1988. After finishing his medical degree, he was ordered to active duty. He trained as a paratrooper and completed Navy SCUBA diver and Hyperbaric Medical Office training. Cole deployed to Honduras and Guatemala in support of military operations and served as General Surgeon attached to the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

Cole separated from active duty in September 2000, but he re-entered the service as a Navy Reserve Officer after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Since then, Cole has deployed to Iraq once and Afghanistan twice, providing medical and surgical support during multiple Special Operations direct action missions and overseeing the development of a sustainable Afghan military medical system. 

Outside of his duties with the Navy, Cole serves as the Assistant Director of Trauma Services and the Chairman of the Blood Utilization Committee at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center in Downers Grove, IL.

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