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.
Blogger Ron Lopez wrote about Colonel Cook on his Kensington Stories: "A Local Hero You Should Know About."
Join your neighbors on Veteran's Day--Friday, November 11th, at 11:00 a.m.--in repairing the memorial to Colonel Cook at the intersection of Fort Hamilton Parkway and McDonald Avenue.
