Portrait of a Hero – John Cook
John Cook was born in 1928 in Ohio, celebrating his 95th birthday in June. He attended Culver Military Academy for high school and went on to Stanford University earning his degree in Economics. He met his wife there; they were married for 68 years before her passing.
He was called to active duty in 1951 as a 2nd Lieutenant after being in the ROTC at Stanford. He was a forward observer in the field artillery in support of a company of several hundred men. He lived with the infantry on the front lines of the conflict. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant as Assistant Operations Officer. During his time in Korea, there was mostly severe artillery fire with battles for high ground. Following Korea, he was sent to Washington DC for the Civil Affairs/ Military Government and trained at Georgetown University for Middle East affairs. He served as Arts, Monuments and Archives Officer. His career in the military was motivated by “the structure and discipline of the military, always underlying the patriotism that most understood.”
Following the military, he returned to Ohio and his wife and son who he saw for the first time when the baby was 9 months old. He helped manage his family’s department store that was founded in the Civil War. He retired in 1984 to Tucson on his doctor’s orders to move to the desert for his lungs. After he retired, he corresponded with Wang Fu Chai who was in the Chinese Army assigned to Korea, the grandfather of John’s grand daughter-in-law. John closed his letter “from one old soldier to another – now your friend.” Wang Fu Cai closed his letter “Your never met friend.”
Since 2008 he has been active in the Splendido Academic Program. He has also been active in the Splendido Scholarship program providing scholarships to employees and their families.
When asked what he sees as necessary for the future, he responded “We need to come to some agreement with China and learn to work together.” John closed our time together saying, “The emerging generation may not be as prepared as we were. Things are changing so rapidly. Change is something we can all look forward to and I’m cautiously optimistic about the future.”
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We at the Arizona Heroes Memorial want to extend our wishes for a very Happy Veterans Day to everyone who is serving or has served in our Armed Forces. Today is a day to reflect on the importance of service to a national and patriotic cause. The many Veterans we have the privilege to know and spend time with have a strong bond of camaraderie, and a strong sense of pride in having been a part of defending our great nation.
We ask that you reach out and thank a Veteran in your life today. The freedoms we so proudly treasure and enjoy have been made possible by the willingness of those among us to serve America!
And please stop by and visit our wonderful Arizona Heroes Memorial in Oro Valley's Naranja Park! If you have not yet had the opportunity to see this beautiful Memorial, you will be very impressed and thankful to have this right here in Southern Arizona!
Every year, October 26 is recognized as the National Day of the Deployed, a day dedicated to honoring those deployed in service to the U.S. military. This observance honors all service members who have been deployed in service of our country. The day also acknowledges the sacrifices that military families make during deployment.
The first National Day of the Deployed was observed in 2006, when North Dakota announced a proclamation for the day, thanks to Shelle Aberle, who petitioned Governor John Hoeven with the idea.
By 2012, every state in the US was observing this day.
If you're looking to support service members on this day of recognition, check with local Veterans Service Organizations, or, if you live near a military base, contact the base’s Family Resource Center.
Hello from the Arizona Heroes Memorial! This month we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy. The anniversary date is Monday, October 13th. Today's US Navy was originally founded as the Continental Navy and was referred to as such from 1775 to 1785. Currently, our Navy has approximately 345,000 active personnel and over 57,000 reservists. The current total number of ships is 480. Thank you to all Veterans who served in the US Navy, and all other branches of our Armed Forces as well. Happy 250th!
