I am remembering Donald Cook today, a legendary Marine and a great American leader, who suffered as a prisoner of war of the Viet Cong for three years, inspiring his fellow prisoners with his courage, selflessness and dedication. Start the New Year in the spirit of Donald Cook, who devoted himself to his fellow Americans in arduous times! 

Cook was a Marine Captain and an advisor to the South Vietnamese Marine Corps when he was captured by Viet Cong while investigating a helicopter crash site. He was wounded in the leg and treated harshly in captivity.

Cook set a very high example for his fellow American prisoners. Though only a Captain, he achieved the moral authority of the senior officer present by tending to wounded Americans, giving them his medicine and refusing to cooperate with the Viet Cong.

Cook absolutely refused to defer to the Viet Cong, despite, on one occasion, having a loaded pistol pointed at his temple. According to his fellow prisoner, “Cook would have stopped shitting if he had thought Charlie was using it for fertilizer.”

Cook died of malaria while in captivity on December 8, 1967 and his body was never recovered. His wife, Laurette, received the Medal of Honor on his behalf in 1980. Honor and remember Donald Gilbert Cook, an outstanding Marine and a great American leader.