COOK, Glenn Richard

Capt Glenn Richard “Cookie” Cook

Birth: Sep. 10, 1945 Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., NC

Death: Jul. 17, 1977 Lam Dong Province, Vietnam.

US Air Force Captain Glenn Richard Cook, Vietnam Veteran, native of Charlotte, NC was 31 years old and was married. It was reported that Glenn died when his plane crashed. His body was not recovered. Captain Cook served with the 21st Tactical Air Support Squadron, 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 7th Air Force. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

On 21 Oct 1969 Captain Glenn Cook, 21st TASS, and Major John Espenshied, 558th TFS, were aboard an O-2A Cessna observation aircraft controlling an air strike in the hills about 25 miles west of Nha Trang when the aircraft went down. Although the general area of the loss was known where the Provinces of Tuyen Duc, Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa meet SAR efforts were unsuccessful and the wreckage was not found. Since there was way of knowing whether the two men had died or were captured, they were listed as Missing in Action. Neither of the two was identified as a prisoner of war, nor were they released with other American POWs in 1973. In December 1988, the Vietnamese “discovered” the remains of an American and returned them to U.S. control on 23 January 1989. On 1 June 1989, the remains were identified as those of John Espenshied. Captain Glenn Cook’s remains have not been located.

He attended and graduated from The Citadel, in 1967 or 1968. His father made several trips to Nam at his own expense trying to locate Glenn while he was listed as MIA. Both his father and mother are now deceased. He also had a sister, Janice. Glenn was married and left for Vietnam expecting his first child, one he never knew. He was awarded The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Good Conduct Medal and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.

Burial: Honolulu ABMC Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu Co.. Hawaii; Plot: Courts of the Missing Cenotaph.

(Source: Posted with permission of Tom & Jim Reece, #46857744; finding NC Vietnam KIA/MIA’s gravesites; Reconfigured and submitted by: Ron Yates)