Thursday, May 24, 2012

MEMORIAL DAY REDEDICATION OF COL. DONALD COOK SQUARE

Memorial Day Rededication of Col. Donald Cook Square
Friday, May 25th, 2:00 p.m.


Donald Cook (1934-1967) grew up at 107 E. 2nd Street, between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Greenwood Avenue.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1956. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, he was assigned to Saigon. Three weeks after arriving, he volunteered to lead a search for a downed helicopter. The enemy attacked, and he was shot, captured, and held as a prisoner of war for three years. 

Throughout his imprisonment, his conduct was heroic, selfless, and beyond reproach, and for that he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

The enemy reported him dead on December 8, 1967. His body has not been recovered.