Medal Of Honor Airborne English Language Patch
Francisco Harner
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. -- More than 100 people turned out for the ribbon cutting and dedication of the Presidio of Monterey's newest instructional building in honor of a Medal of Honor recipient and language graduate here Oct. 17.
During the ribbon-cutting event, Presidio of Monterey Garrison Commander Col. Paul Fellinger, U.S. Rep. Sam Farr and Cook's son Thomas Cook cut the ceremonial ribbon. Then, at the end of the dedication event, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Commandant Col. David Chapman and Farr and Cook's daughter Victoria Spalding unveiled a bronze plaque of Cook. In addition to the participants, both events were also attended by other Cook family members and friends, state and local officials and military community members.
Marine 1st Lt. Donald Cook attended the Army Language School, the predecessor to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, and graduated near the top of his Mandarin Chinese class in 1961.
In December 1964, Cook became the first Marine captured in Vietnam. And, eventually, Col. Donald Cook, posthumously, would become the recipient of this nation's highest military honor: the Medal of Honor.
The building dedicated to Cook is a 110,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, using the latest energy- and water-conservation technologies. It is one of the most environmentally friendly structures on the Presidio. For example, all the rainwater that lands on Cook Hall is collected and stored in large underground cisterns. The water is used for irrigation and to flush toilets. And, natural lighting illuminates all interior- and exterior-facing rooms with sunlight, saving electricity.
The building is part of a larger, $177 million, upgrade plan for the Presidio, which also includes: a new dining facility and student barracks; renovating the cultural center for DLIFLC; and a series of solar-energy projects to help the Presidio in its goal to sustainably produce all its own energy by 2030.
Its opening marks the completion of the last of three General Instruction Buildings planned for the DLIFLC. Cook Hall is the home of the DLIFLC European and Latin Language School, whose students learn French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian-Croatian and Spanish.
Army Master Sgt. Charles E. Hosking Jr. was on his third deployment to Vietnam during his 24th year of service when he was killed in action saving his fellow Special Forces soldiers. He unhesitatingly gave his life for theirs, and for that, he earned the Medal of Honor.
According to military records, Hosking ran away from home when he was 16 to join the Canadian Army in Montreal, so he could fight in World War II. His age was eventually discovered, though, and he was sent home.
According to Hosking's daughter, Gail Hosking Gilberg, the teenaged Hosking left school again in 1942 when he was 17 to join the U.S. Coast Guard, but he was discharged because he had a heart-related issue. Gilberg said a local congressman eventually helped Hosking bypass an Army physical so he could successfully join the service.
Throughout World War II, Hosking served with the famed 82nd Airborne Division in its 509th Parachute Battalion, including during the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded in the leg. He was lucky to be alive, though. According to the (Ridgewood, New Jersey) Sunday News newspaper, by the time the battalion disbanded, only 30 men of the initial 1,500 had survived.
Military records show Hosking remained in the service through Korea but never deployed to the conflict zone because of serious injuries he suffered during a bazooka training accident. After he recovered, he joined the newly created Special Forces and became a Green Beret. He served as a demolition expert and, after going to language school, became proficient in several languages. At some point, he earned the nickname "The Snake" for his ability to slide in and out of places, according to the Hackensack, New Jersey, newspaper, The Record.
Thanks to Hosking's proficiency in Vietnamese, he was deployed there in 1961 as a military advisor. When the U.S. began sending combat troops, he was deployed twice more. It was during Hosking's final deployment with Detachment A-302, Company A of the 5th Special Forces Group that he was killed in action.
Around noon, Hosking and other Special Forces soldiers detained and questioned a local man who tried to ride past them with a bicycle equipped with mortars. Army records show the man admitted to being a sniper for the Viet Cong, so the group planned to move him to the nearby Special Forces camp.
The 42-year-old Hosking knew what was happening immediately, so without thinking of himself, he leapt onto the deranged man's back. He pulled the man into a bear hug, forcing the grenade against the man's chest, then wrestled the man to the ground. Hosking's last act of bravery came when he then covered the man's body with his own until the grenade detonated. Both men died instantly.
Eventually, Hosking's remains were returned to the U.S. He was buried in Valleau Cemetery in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Hosking's wife said that his mother insisted he be buried there and not in Arlington National Cemetery so she could care for his grave.
On May 23, 1969, Hosking's family was invited to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor in his stead. During the private ceremony, President Richard M. Nixon placed the medal around the neck of Hosking's 8-year-old son, Wesley.
Hosking's sacrifice has not been forgotten. Gilberg, his daughter, wrote a book about his life called "Snake's Daughter." A fitness center was named in his honor at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and in 2000, a monument was dedicated to him at a veterans park in his hometown.
This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have earned the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.
Security Forces Airmen celebrate crossing the finish line after a 4-mile ruck. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, here.
Defender Airmen march 4-miles in honor of all Security Forces Airmen who came before them. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis.
Defender Ruck 2019 medals are displayed before being awarded to the top three finishers in the individual and fire team categories. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, here.
Dog tags, carried by Defender Airmen, name all Security Forces Airmen who have died performing their duties since 1950. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, here.
Gold Star Mother, Christine Herwick, and teammates cross the Defender Ruck 2019 finish line. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, here.
Defender Airmen are recognized for being in the top three fire teams to finish a 4-mile ruck. Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis.
Over 1,100 Security Forces Airmen gathered for the 12th Annual Defender Ruck, hosted by the 343rd Training Squadron, in honor of all 186 Defender Airmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom, Nov. 8, here.
The ceremony started with a plaque unveiling and words from Gold Star mother Christine Herwick, whose son, Staff Sgt. Travis Griffin, lost his life from an improvised explosive device Apr. 3, 2008, in Baghdad, Iraq.
Defenders from across JBSA participated, including Airmen from the Security Forces Center, Installation Mission and Support Center, 149th Fighter Wing, 902nd Air Base Wing, 502nd Air Base Wing, 341st Training Squadron, the Security Forces Academy, 343 TRS and others.
Cpl. Henry Bake, Jr., and Pfc. George H. Kirk, Navajos serving in December 1943 with a Marine Corps signal unit, operate a portable radio set in a clearing that they have hacked in the dense jungle close behind the front lines.
Last summer, the U.S. Congress honored a group of World War II veterans who provided a unique service to the nation's war effort. In a ceremony in the Capitol on July 26, the original twenty-nine Navajo "code talkers" received the Congressional Gold Medal, and subsequent code talkers received the Congressional Silver Medal. Their unbreakable code helped the U.S. Marine Corps battle across the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. Until 1968, they and their code remained secret. Their story further comes to national attention when the motion picture Windtalkers opens in June 2002. Written and photographic records in the National Archives document the code talkers' wartime contributions and tell us how this unusual military program got started.
Maintaining secrecy, particularly during wartime, is vital to the national security of every country. On the battlefield, secrecy is essential for victory, and breaking enemy codes is necessary to gain the advantage and shorten the war.
During World War II, sending and receiving codes without the risk of the enemy deciphering the transmission required hours of encrypting and decrypting the code. The U.S. Marine Corps, in an effort to find quicker and more secure ways to send and receive code, enlisted Navajos as code talkers.
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