A house RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE STAFF SERGEANT PHILLIP BRUCE COOK FOR HIS BRAVERY AND SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II AND TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON HIS SELECTION BY FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON AS A CHEVALIER IN THE ORDRE NATIONAL DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR, THE HIGHEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL HONOR OF MERIT TO REWARD THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GREAT DEEDS FOR FRANCE.

Whereas, conceived over two centuries ago by Napoléon Bonaparte, Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur was created to reward eminent military and civil merits in the service of France and is divided into five degrees with the majority of the recipients classified as a "Chevalier" or Knight. To receive the honor, a World War II veteran must show engagement in combat operations on land, in the air above, or within the territorial waters of France, and undergo a comprehensive examination of the veteran's military record and post-war life experiences; and

Whereas, immediately following graduation from Swansea High School in 1943, at the age of seventeen, Phillip Bruce Cook enlisted in the Army Air Force on June 28, 1943, little imagining the impact his life would have on people he did not know. At eighteen, he began basic training at Keesler Army Airfield in Biloxi, Mississippi, and once completed, he received additional training as an aerial gunner. After overseas deployment, he was assigned to the 524th Bomber Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, based at RAF Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire, England; and

Whereas, Staff Sergeant Cook flew 35 combat missions aboard a B-17 "Flying Fortress" as a crewman assigned primarily to man the aircraft's ball turret gun position, which protected the underside of the 4-engine bomber, with his first mission on August 30, 1944, when the group bombarded the German submarine Pens at Pas-de-Calais as well as the V1 "Buzz Bomb" rocket launching sites at Fiefs, France, not far from Calais; and

Whereas, the 379th Bomb Group's primary objective was to bombard enemy rail yards, airfields, factories, communication centers, synthetic fuel factories, rocket sites, and enemy troop concentrations within France, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, including during the Battle of France, when the 379th bombed enemy positions to assist ground troops throughout France from Normandy through the breakthrough beyond St. Lo. As the war progressed, the group attacked German communications and fortifications within Germany itself, and during the Battle of the Bulge and beyond, the group bombed bridges and viaducts in France and Germany to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine River; and

Whereas, the combat record of the 379th was the most successful of all the 8th Air Force heavy bomber groups.  The unit held records as far as bomb tonnage dropped, dropping 26,459 tons, and exceeded all other United Kingdom-based Bomb Groups in the total number of missions flown, carrying out 330 missions between May 1943 and May 1945; and

Whereas, now a centenarian, Staff Sergeant Cook was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters; the Army Good Conduct Medal; the European African Middle East Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, and Rhineland; and the World War II Victory Medal. After his honorable discharge on October 18, 1945, he returned to Lexington and attended a trade school to learn watch and clock repair, working as a technician for numerous jewelry stores before opening his own shop in 1963, and retiring in 1983. He has two children, Peggy and Phil; and

Whereas, upon learning that his application was approved for the prestigious French Legion d'honneur, he reflected, "Never would I have thought that what I did in WWII would mean so much, not only for the United States, but for those who had to endure years of enemy occupation. I was glad to have done my part, just one of the millions who proudly wore our nation's uniform." Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize United States Army Air Force Staff Sergeant Phillip Bruce Cook for his bravery and service during World War II and congratulate him on his selection by French President Emmanuel Macron as a Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, the highest and most prestigious national honor of merit to reward those who have done great deeds for France.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Phillip Bruce Cook.

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