COOK, THOMAS CLAYTON June 23, 1945 age 22 DOW Okinawa

THOMAS CLAYTON COOK  b. Oct 1, 1922 Portsmouth, Ohio d. June 23, 1945

Died of Wounds Okinawa

2^nd Lt 041791 USMC 1^st Bn 7^th Marines 1^st Marine Div

Buried: Honolulu National Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii

14025 Rutland

Parents: Henry Edward & Gertrude B.

Sibling: Edward   
Spouse: Vivian Muskatt

Henry Edward, born in Michigan,  was the superintendent of a Coke Plant in Portsmouth, Ohio in 1920. In 1940 he was the plant superintendent of a Coke plant in Michigan. Gertrude was born in New York. In 1940 when they lived at 14025 Rutland they had an 11 yr old niece from New York living with the family.

Thomas graduated from Redford June 1940. His draft registration shows him to be 188 lbs, 6’, blue eyes with blonde hair. He was employed at Solvay Process Co. Solvay was a pioneer in the chemical industry in the manufacture of soda ash. Arm & Hammer Baking Soda used material developed through the Solvay process. They had a coke plant in Detroit, likely the plant where his father was superintendent.

Lt. Cook

 

 

 

 

Vivian Muskatt Cook

 

 

Already a Marine officer, in Oct 1944 he married Vivian Muskatt, whose family lived at 2875 Chicago. Brother Edward was a Colonel in the Air Force.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 82 day Battle of Okinawa lasted from April 1, 1945 to June 22, 1945. Thomas died of wounds June 23. It was the last major battle of WWII and one of the bloodiest. More than 180,000 Army and Marine Corps troops landed on the island for a final push to Japan. Americans had over 49,000 casualties including 12, 520 killed. Japanese soldiers killed were about 110,000. And between 40,000 and 150,000 Okinawan citizens were estimated killed. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 6 and Nagasaki on Aug 9. The Japanese surrendered Aug 14.

In one of those horrible coincidences that life can throw us, Vivian graduated from University of Michigan School of Education on the day the Cook’s were notified of their son’s death. After the war in the fall of 1947 Vivian married a former Marine Corps officer and they moved to Seattle.

Thomas was initially buried on Okinawa. In 1949 he was reinterred in Hawaii. He was awarded the Silver Star.