On September 6, 2017, Marine Corps GySgt Sidney Asa Cook, 32, killed in World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born February 18, 1911, in Meigs County, Ohio, Sidney was blessed to the union of Hugh Rice and Estella Blanche (nee Humphrey) Cook. He later attended Chester H.S. Christian Church.
On June 4, 1934, Sidney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. The 68-1/4", 145 lbs, blue-green-eyed brunette later re-upped in New York City on March 18, 1939, training at Parris Island, SC and San Diego, CA before shipping out into the Pacific Theater. His first taste of battle was in the Solomon Islands.
Following the Battle of Guadalcanal, the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Before they shipped out, GySgt Cook and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Gunnery Sergeant Cook was with his brothers in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marines (E-2/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa") when young Sidney - just 32 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Sidney's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but GySgt Cook's remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sidney "non-recoverable".
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015 for analysis.
In October 2015, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of GySgt Cook and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Sidney's family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered Lawson Seyfried the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Sample ultimately necessary for his Uncle Sidney's identification.
On January 4, 2017, the DPAA officially accounted for GySgt Cook and soon after his nephew received "The Call" from the Marines. To identify his remains, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mr Seyfried's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. Also, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his military records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Sidney was finally returned to his family and, on September 6, 2017, laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Sidney Asa Cook is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, GySgt Cook's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Sidney has finally been found (56127546, a cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-092 (31.Aug.2017)
DPAA: Recent News & Stories (06.Jan.2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Born February 18, 1911, in Meigs County, Ohio, Sidney was blessed to the union of Hugh Rice and Estella Blanche (nee Humphrey) Cook. He later attended Chester H.S. Christian Church.
On June 4, 1934, Sidney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. The 68-1/4", 145 lbs, blue-green-eyed brunette later re-upped in New York City on March 18, 1939, training at Parris Island, SC and San Diego, CA before shipping out into the Pacific Theater. His first taste of battle was in the Solomon Islands.
Following the Battle of Guadalcanal, the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Before they shipped out, GySgt Cook and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Gunnery Sergeant Cook was with his brothers in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marines (E-2/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa") when young Sidney - just 32 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Sidney's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but GySgt Cook's remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sidney "non-recoverable".
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015 for analysis.
In October 2015, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of GySgt Cook and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Sidney's family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered Lawson Seyfried the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Sample ultimately necessary for his Uncle Sidney's identification.
On January 4, 2017, the DPAA officially accounted for GySgt Cook and soon after his nephew received "The Call" from the Marines. To identify his remains, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mr Seyfried's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. Also, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his military records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Sidney was finally returned to his family and, on September 6, 2017, laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Sidney Asa Cook is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, GySgt Cook's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Sidney has finally been found (56127546, a cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-092 (31.Aug.2017)
DPAA: Recent News & Stories (06.Jan.2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
On September 6, 2017, Marine Corps GySgt Sidney Asa Cook, 32, killed in World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born February 18, 1911, in Meigs County, Ohio, Sidney was blessed to the union of Hugh Rice and Estella Blanche (nee Humphrey) Cook. He later attended Chester H.S. Christian Church.
On June 4, 1934, Sidney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. The 68-1/4", 145 lbs, blue-green-eyed brunette later re-upped in New York City on March 18, 1939, training at Parris Island, SC and San Diego, CA before shipping out into the Pacific Theater. His first taste of battle was in the Solomon Islands.
Following the Battle of Guadalcanal, the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Before they shipped out, GySgt Cook and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Gunnery Sergeant Cook was with his brothers in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marines (E-2/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa") when young Sidney - just 32 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Sidney's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but GySgt Cook's remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sidney "non-recoverable".
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015 for analysis.
In October 2015, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of GySgt Cook and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Sidney's family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered Lawson Seyfried the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Sample ultimately necessary for his Uncle Sidney's identification.
On January 4, 2017, the DPAA officially accounted for GySgt Cook and soon after his nephew received "The Call" from the Marines. To identify his remains, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mr Seyfried's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. Also, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his military records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Sidney was finally returned to his family and, on September 6, 2017, laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Sidney Asa Cook is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, GySgt Cook's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Sidney has finally been found (56127546, a cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-092 (31.Aug.2017)
DPAA: Recent News & Stories (06.Jan.2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Born February 18, 1911, in Meigs County, Ohio, Sidney was blessed to the union of Hugh Rice and Estella Blanche (nee Humphrey) Cook. He later attended Chester H.S. Christian Church.
On June 4, 1934, Sidney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. The 68-1/4", 145 lbs, blue-green-eyed brunette later re-upped in New York City on March 18, 1939, training at Parris Island, SC and San Diego, CA before shipping out into the Pacific Theater. His first taste of battle was in the Solomon Islands.
Following the Battle of Guadalcanal, the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Before they shipped out, GySgt Cook and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Gunnery Sergeant Cook was with his brothers in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marines (E-2/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa") when young Sidney - just 32 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Sidney's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but GySgt Cook's remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sidney "non-recoverable".
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015 for analysis.
In October 2015, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of GySgt Cook and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Sidney's family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered Lawson Seyfried the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Sample ultimately necessary for his Uncle Sidney's identification.
On January 4, 2017, the DPAA officially accounted for GySgt Cook and soon after his nephew received "The Call" from the Marines. To identify his remains, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used Mr Seyfried's mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. Also, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis, which matched his military records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Sidney was finally returned to his family and, on September 6, 2017, laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.
Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Sidney Asa Cook is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, GySgt Cook's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Sidney has finally been found (56127546, a cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-092 (31.Aug.2017)
DPAA: Recent News & Stories (06.Jan.2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
World War II Young American Patriots, 1941-1945
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Inscription
SIDNEY / ASA / COOK
GYSGT / US MARINE CORPS / WORLD WAR II
FEB 18 1911 / NOV 20 1943
PURPLE HEART
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