John Cook
My grandfather John Cook, better known as Jack, enlisted as an aircraft mechanic during World War II. He performed this duty until he was hit by a propeller, at which time he became an Underwater Demolition instructor. Today he lives in Tinley Park, Illinois and has been married for nearly 60 years. He has 10 children and 19 grandchildren.
What kind of impact do you feel your service had on the war?
“I hope that the men I trained learned how to do their job to the best of their ability and learned how to work together efficiently to complete their duties.”
“Squadrons I trained went to Normandy and one man I know in Oak Lawn told me I was one of his battalion’s instructors before they shipped out”
How did serving in the war affect you?
I enjoyed serving in the Navy and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but I was glad to get home. It helped me to grow up because I was only 19 years old when I enlisted. I came to know what responsibility was and I learned how take and give orders.
It also helped me learn to focus and appreciate the value of an education. I went to night school on the GI Bill for 6-7 years in order to get my degree.
Did serving in the war affect the way you raised your kids?
I believe it did. I instilled a sense of responsibility in all of them and taught them the value of a good education. I made sure all of my kids that wanted to go to college got the opportunity to do so.
How was serving in the Navy different than any other branch of the army?
In the Navy, as opposed to the Army, we all banded together and didn’t make so much of our rank. The Navy was the cream of the crop! We knew what we were doing!
Service Story
I enlisted in the Naval Air Corp in October of 1942 as an aircraft mechanic and stayed there for one year, until I was hit by a propeller. In June of ’43, I was washed out and sent to Great Lakes for training. I became an apprentice seaman and was supposed to be promoted to Seaman First Class but got in trouble for sneaking over the wall to see girls. I wasn’t promoted until I reached Fort Pierce.
At the Fort Pierce training facility, I became a gunnery instructor because I was good with antiaircraft guns, 40 millimeter guns and throwing knives. I taught men, especially Scout and Raider battalions (they went in before invasions) to swim underwater and blow up concrete barriers. It was the luck of the draw in becoming an instructor here because I didn’t know anyone. At Great Lakes, they decided that I was a good swimmer and that I would be good for the job. I stayed there for two years but for some reason they never sent me overseas. I was just too valuable!
I went to the Philadelphia naval yard after war was over and put together a training facility with cameras and guns. I was discharged following this.