Sergeant Dallas Harry Cook, A Marine's Story
Sergeant Dallas Harry Cook, A Marine's Story
Born on May 19, 1921, in Robinette, West Virginia, Sergeant Dallas Harry Cook came of age in a small Appalachian community before answering the call to serve his country. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on August 14, 1940, as global tensions intensified and America edged closer to war.
Sergeant Cook would be assigned to one of the most daring units of the early Pacific campaign, the Marine Raiders. These elite formations were created for high-risk amphibious assaults and behind-the-lines operations, testing the limits of endurance, discipline, and courage.
In August 1942, during the early months of World War II in the Pacific, Sergeant Cook participated in the raid on Makin Island (often spelled “Makin,” though sometimes rendered “Markin”). The operation was designed to disrupt Japanese installations, gather intelligence, and divert enemy resources away from Guadalcanal.
As the Raiders withdrew under intense pressure, Sergeant Cook worked to assist fellow Marines during the evacuation. In the chaos of combat and extraction, he was killed in action on August 18, 1942. His body was never recovered.
Today, Sergeant Dallas Harry Cook is memorialized in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, among those whose sacrifice is honored though their remains were never returned home.
His legacy endures in more than stone. The U.S. Navy ship USS Cook was named in honor of Sergeant Dallas Harry Cook and 2nd Lieutenant Andrew F. Cook Jr., another fallen serviceman of World War II, ensuring that the name “Cook” would continue to sail under the American flag.
Sergeant Cook’s life reminds us that some of the war’s bravest acts occurred far from headlines, in the dark hours of evacuation and retreat, when one Marine chose to help others reach safety, even at the cost of his own life.
_____________________________________________________________________________
About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
✨ #TakeTheBackRoads
Enjoyed this post? Support the adventure by visiting my sponsors, shopping the gallery, or buying me a cup of coffee!
