World War II Honoree

Rene Elmer Cook

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Saginaw, Michigan

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Fire Controlman Third Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy September 9, 1940 from Michigan. Upon his graduation from boot camp and gunnery training, he was transferred to the USS Jarvis Destroyer, DD-393 for duty as a Fire Controlman, responsible in directing his warship’s cannons line of fire. On August 7, 1942 the Destroyer and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers, and Cruisers arrived off-shore of Guadalcanal in support of the impending invasion. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Sunday, August 9, 1942 when his Destroyer was torpedoed by an Imperial Japanese Torpedo Bomber in the Southwestern Pacific Theater of Operations, and she went down with all hands off-shore of Tulagi Island. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the American Cemetery at Fort William-McKinley in Manila, Philippine Islands. Later, his missing in action status was amended to read killed in action January 12, 1945. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.