Donald Cook Square

Donald Cook Square. .191 Acre. , This square honors Colonel Donald Gilbert Cook (1934-1967) who served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam and died there while being held as a prisoner of War. Colonel Cook graduated from St. Francis Xavier High School where he excelled at football, earning the name “Bayridge Bomber.” Several years later he graduated from St. Michael’s College in Vermont. There he enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), but dropped out after meeting his future wife, Laurette. In 1957, Cook joined the marine Corps and trained in Quantico, Virginia. He also graduated at the top of his class in Army Intelligence School. Spending three years with the First Marine Aircraft Wing in Hawaii, Cook was reassigned on December 11, 1964 to the Communications Company, Headquarters Battalion, Third Marine Division in Okinawa. He volunteered for duty in Vietnam with the Vietnamese Marines. He was wounded and captured at the Battle of Binh Gia, in a French rubber plantation, on December 31, 1964. He was serving as an observer with the 4th Battalion, the Killer Sharks, which was destroyed by a Viet Cong regiment., Throughout his time as a prisoner of War, Colonel Cook rigidly abided by military procedures and the Code of Conduct. Refusing to provide the enemy with information regarding U.S. Armed Forces, he received less food from his captors and was often placed in solitary confinement. Although his means were limited, Cook gave most of his food and medicine to other prisoners whom he felt were more in need., Colonel Cook remained in this first camp from the time of his capture until May 1965. The second camp, where he was moved to, remained operative until October 28, 1966 when the enemy moved the camp further into the dense jungle. On this two-week hike, Captain Cook contracted malaria. Once settled in the new camp, his malaria symptoms subsided, and Cook willingly took on the workload of those sicker than he was. Colonel Cook rallied the spirits of the men in his camp, and did everything he could to stay fit in his cell. Cook also provided physical therapy to fellow prisoners by administering heart massages, moving limbs, and making sure their breathing was unobstructed. Although he refused to succumb to his illness, a march to another P.O.W. camp proved fatal for Cook. Weakened by a resurgence of malaria, Colonel Cook was last seen in November 1967. he was reported dead by the Viet Cong on December 8, 1967., On February 26, 1980, Cook was officially declared dead and a memorial tombstone in his honor was placed in Arlington National Cemetery. President Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) posthumously awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor and increased his rank from Captain to Colonel in recognition of his refusal to break the United States Code of Conduct for Prisoners of War, and the outstanding sacrifice he demonstrated towards his fellow prisoners. The Navy christened the U.S.S. Donald Cook (DDG 75) Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer on May 3, 1996, ay Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia., Colonel Donald Cook Square, a Greenstreets traffic median located directly south of historic Greenwood Cemetery, forms the intersection of Ft. Hamilton Parkway and MacDonald and Caton Avenues. Greenstreets is a collaboration between Parks and the NYC Department of Transportation which serves to transform paved street properties into green spaces. parks made the improvements to this busy traffic triangle in 1997. A memorial plaza was added on Veterans Day in 2011 (11-11-11) by volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 237 with a flagpole donated by neighbors grateful to Colonel Cook’s service., The landscaped area contains several woody plants or shrubs, including dwarf red barberry (Berberis thunbergil), burning bush (Euonymus alata ‘compacta’), bridal wreath (Spirea vanhoutte), and linden viburnum (Vibernum dilatatum). The trees in the area include both silver linden (Tilia tomentosa) and willow oak (Quercus phellos)., City of New York Parks and Recreation , Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor , Veronica M. White, Commissioner , www.nyc.gov/parks , October 2011