World War II Honoree

Kenneth Joseph Cook

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Denver, Colorado

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Electrician’s Mate Second Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy November 4, 1940 at Denver, Colorado, with recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from boot camp and electrical training, he was transferred to the USS De Haven Destroyer, DD-469 for duty, responsible for maintaining the electrical system, and repairing equipment. The Destroyer and her shipmates on February 1, 1943 screened six USS Tracked Landing Vehicles AKA: Alligator, LVT-1 while establishing a beachhead in the Guadalcanal Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands South Pacific Theater of Operations. While escorting two of the landing craft back to their base, the ships’ Captain was warned of an impending air attack. The gunners assigned to the anti-aircraft batteries sighted nine unidentified aircraft, shooting down three, but not before pilots had released their ordnances. Reported missing in action, lost at sea, on the day of the attack, when his Destroyer went down off-shore of Savo 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 February 2, 1944. In his Memory and Honor, a cenotaph memorial has been placed at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.