Cook, Harvey J. (0393475)

Harvey J. Cook
Personal details
Born	2 April 1918 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	25 November 2003
Nativity	United States
Religion	Protestant
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch	United States Army
Arm / service	Infantry
ASN	0393475
Rank	First Lieutenant
Camp Ritchie	Class 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943)
Section	1C

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Harvey J. Cook (2 April 1918 – 25 November 2003) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 9.

Biography

Cook was a Ritchie Boy. Harvey was born April 2, 1918 in Philadelphia, PA. He worked as a bookkeeper and a junior accountant. He graduated from Michigan State, and was in ROTC. In October, 1941, he received Army Commission as 2nd Lt. He was Platoon Leader at Camp McClellan in February, 1942. By July 1942, he was transferred to Camp Ritchie as 1st Lt. In June, 1943, he started Class 9 "Terrain Intelligence" and on August 18th, 1943 he was a graduate of Class 9. He became an instructor Section VIII on August 21, 1943. From his obituary: Harvey James Cook, was a distinguished member of the 2nd Battalion of World War II Rangers. He was also a retired Army Colonel. Colonel Cook was born April 2, 1918 in Philadelphia, growing up in Narberth, PA. There he shared his father’s passion for baseball and graduated from Lower Merion High School in 1936, then Michigan State College in 1940 where he played varsity baseball while earning a BA in Business Administration. Colonel Cook was commissioned a second lieutenant and entered active duty in October 1941. His first duty station Camp Ritchie, MD, where he taught hand-to-hand combat. There he was recruited by the 2nd Ranger Battalion as an intelligence officer. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, then Captain Cook joined other Rangers to scale the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. He was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action. He was again cited for bravery while participating in small-unit combat operations in the Battle of the Bulge and Huertgen Forest where he was twice awarded the Bronze Star for valor. At war’s end, he was in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia along with other members of the 2nd Rangers awaiting orders back to the United States. Following World War II, Colonel Cook attended the Army’s Advanced Infantry School and the Army Language School where he studied Japanese. He was in Fukuoka, Japan at the outbreak of the Korean War. Colonel Cook saw combat in Korea with the 24th Infantry Division and once again was cited for valor earning yet another Bronze Star. Due to an injury, he was eventually returned to the United States to recuperate and await orders to Germany. Once in post-war Germany Cook was assigned to the Intelligence Director at US Army Headquarters in Heidelberg and later Stuttgart. Colonel Cook served in the Pentagon on the Army General Staff until he was selected to command an Army air defense artillery battalion. This spit-and-polish outfit was responsible for the air defense of the national capital region. Command came naturally for the colonel and his unit achieved unprecedented results on inspections and evaluations. In 1961, he was assigned to the Intelligence Division, NATO Headquarters at Fontainebleau, France, until his return to Fort Holabird, MD in 1964. There he headed the National Agency Check Center, the military clearinghouse for vetting personal security clearances. In 1967, Colonel Cook was again sent into harm’s way, this time to Vietnam as Chief of Military Intelligence for the Military Assistance Command. In 1968, Colonel Cook was assigned to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii where he served on the Pacific Army General staff. After more than 30 years, his final assignment brought him full circle for Narberth to Valley Forge Military Hospital. Colonel Cook retired from the Army in 1972 after having served the nation for more than 32 years. Cook passed away on November 25, 2003.

Research notes

• Faculty Section VIII
• SILVER STAR

Technical record

Field	Imported value
Approx Age at Death	85
Class_ASN	393475
Class_Name	COOK, Harvey J.
match_method	asn_exact_name_exact
row_source	both

Sources

• Camp Ritchie class roster (classes 1–31), merged research file
• NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
• 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
• Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-18 (1 post)