Robert Allen Cooke
| Born | April 19, 1950 |
| Died | Sept. 23, 1969 |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Specialist 4 |
| Rating or Job | Radioman |
| Unit | 199th Infantry |
| Campaign | Viet Nam |
| Military Citations | |
| Honors | |
| Family | |
| Notes |
Spec. 4 Robert Allen Cooke April 19, 1950 - Sept. 23, 1969 Durham Robert Cooke stepped off the airplane in Vietnam on April 19, 1969, his 19th birthday. Five months later, Cooke’s platoon of the 199th Infantry was on patrol northwest of Saigon when they came under intense enemy fire. The young radioman was killed in the encounter. Robert Cooke was born in Wickenburg, Arizona, and his family moved two years later to Durham. He participated in many school sports and played the drums in the Durham High School Band. At age 14, Cooke began working at the Butte Creek Country Club. After graduating from Durham High in 1968, he hitchhiked across the country, took a ship to England, and eventually ended up in Switzerland. On his return to the States, he began working as the assistant golf pro at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara. While there, he received his draft notice, and entered the Army in November 1968. Chico News & Review, May 26, 1988
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| Sources |
National Archives Chico News & Review |
| Mementos |  |