| Harvey James Cook | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 April 1918 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | 25 November 2003 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Awards | Silver Star; Bronze Star Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Infantry |
| ASN | 0393475 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Rank at Ritchie | First Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 9 (21 June – 18 August 1943) |
| Section | 1C |
| File:Ribbon Silver Star Medal ribbon.png;Ribbon Bronze Star Medal ribbon.png |
| Silver Star; Bronze Star Medal |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Harvey James Cook (2 April 1918 – 25 November 2003) was a Ritchie Boy (from United States; Protestant) who trained at Camp Ritchie in class 9.
Biography
Harvey was born April 2, 1918 in Philadelphia, PA. 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. He graduated from Michigan State, and was in ROTC. Following World War II, Colonel Cook attended the Army’s Advanced Infantry School and the Army Language School where he studied Japanese.
Colonel Cook was commissioned a second lieutenant and entered active duty in October 1941.
By July 1942, he was transferred to Camp Ritchie as 1st Lt. His first duty station Camp Ritchie, MD, where he taught hand-to-hand combat.
He was Platoon Leader at Camp McClellan in February, 1942. He became an instructor Section VIII on August 21, 1943. 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. He six years ago (5-16-2013), a grandson of Harvey Cook wrote in a forum. He colonel Cook was a Mason and member of the Central Presbyterian Church, Downingtown, as well as the Lion’s Club.
He captain Cook served as S-2 (Intelligence) with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He my grandfather served as Rudder’s OS-2 (S-2 Intel Officer) and his name was Harvey J. He served as S-2 (Intelligence) with the 2nd Ranger Battalion (“Rudder’s Rangers”).
He served the community as a valued citizen, his country as a patriot-soldier and God as faithful-serving Christian. He worked as a bookkeeper and a junior accountant. From his obituary: Harvey James Cook, was a distinguished member of the 2nd Battalion of World War II Rangers.
There he was recruited by the 2nd Ranger Battalion as an intelligence officer. 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. 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.
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.
There he headed the National Agency Check Center, the military clearinghouse for vetting personal security clearances.
Due to an injury, he was eventually returned to the United States to recuperate and await orders to Germany.
He the President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Infantry) Harvey J. Colonel Cook retired from the Army in 1972 after having served the nation for more than 32 years. He was also a retired Army Colonel.
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 |
Timeline
- Born 2 April 1918 in Philadelphia.
- Born 2 April 1918.
- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Harvey James Cook, 85, 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.
- 1936 — 1940 Graduate of Michigan State (AB, Economics). Served with ROTC.
- July 1942 — Transferred to Camp Ritchie as 1st Lt. “No Languages”.
- 23 November 1943 — The Battalion embarked on the HMS Queen Elizabeth to Scotland.
- 28 October 1943 — Released from Camp Ritchie. Assigned to 2nd Ranger Battalion, Fort Dix NJ (S.O.259 refers to Cook only).
- HARVEY J. COOK 2 Ranger Bn (HQ - Intelligence Officer) Captain (ASN: 0393475) Silver Star; Bronze Star with V device (x2) Normandy 1944 (SS) Belgium 1944-45 (BS x 2).
- Captain Cook served as S-2 (Intelligence) with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. On D-Day, he scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc for which he was awarded the Silver Star, the citation for which reads.
- Due to an injury, he was eventually returned to the United States to recuperate and await orders to Germany.
- He served the community as a valued citizen, his country as a patriot-soldier and God as faithful-serving Christian.
- Served as S-2 (Intelligence) with the 2nd Ranger Battalion (“Rudder’s Rangers”).
Sources
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- 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)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Harvey J. Cook for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Cook, Harvey J. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HARVEY J. COOK.doc)