World War II Honoree

Winston Fenton Cook

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Red Level, Alabama

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Turret Captain First Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy January 8, 1936 at Birmingham, Alabama, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon his graduation from boot camp and gunnery training, he was transferred to the USS Juneau Cruiser, CL-52 for duty, in charge of a gun turret crew. He re-enlisted, November 21, 1941 while on board his Cruiser at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands. On August 7, 1942 the Cruiser and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers and other warships, arrived off-shore of Guadalcanal, South Pacific Theater of Operations in support of the impending invasion. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Friday, November 13, 1942 when his Cruiser was torpedoed, and sunk by an Imperial Japanese Submarine during the Naval Battle. 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. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.