Harvey Weir Cook
Encyclopedia
Harvey Weir Cook was an American fighter ace
in World War I
and Distinguished Service Cross
recipient. He was also a pioneer in civilian commercial aviation and a leading figure in the development of aviation in the United States and in state of Indiana
.
. He graduated from Anderson High School and attended college at both DePauw University
in Greencastle, Indiana
and Washington & Jefferson College
in Washington, Pennsylvania
. At DePauw he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity.
early in 1917. When the U. S. entered the war, Cook enlisted in the aviation section of the Army Signal Corps. After flight training, he was assigned to Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
’s famous “Hat in the Ring” 94th Aero Squadron. Incredibly aggressive in combat he was twice cited for singly attacking formations of multiple German fighters. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
with Oak Leaf Cluster
His citations read:
Captain Weir-Cook was credited with seven victories, including 4 enemy balloons and was promoted to captain in 1919. He was honorably discharged from the 94th Aero Squadron on 2 Jun 1919 and assumed command of the 147th Aero Squadron on 18 Sep 1919. On 26 Dec 1919 Cook was relieved of command of 147th Aero Squadron and honorably discharged.
, Cook helped to form the U.S. Army’s U.S. Air Mail Service and was one of the first transcontinental airmail pilots. Cook spent only a few months (from August 23, 1920 until December 8, 1920) in the airmail service. During that time, he was assigned for three months to the Western Division. After flying the Rock Springs to Salt Lake City route, he called those 150 miles "the rottenest stretch of territory in the country."
He also served with the civilian aviation industry in multiple duties such as working on the Hoffman cabin-chute for passenger transport airplanes. Cook’s 1926 air race pilot license was signed by friend and cohort Orville Wright. He had a continued affiliation with the Indiana National Guard serving as their air officer. He resigned his Army commission in 1928 to become vice president and general manager of the Curtis Flying Service of Indiana, located in at Stout Army Air Field
in Indianapolis. Cook was a pioneer in bringing Indianapolis its first principal airport, Indianapolis Municipal Airport which opened in Indianapolis in 1931. Construction cost $724,000, and the airport terminal building was completed for $125,000. Later in Indianapolis, he was involved in the development of the first dive bombing sight for the United States Army
. He fought for military recognition of the airplanes’ potential and was part of the group of officers who “lost favor” with the Army during the court martial of General Billy Mitchell.
Cook served for many years as director and vice president of the American Legion
National Aeronautics Commission in Indianapolis and was later the first American Legion National Director of Aviation. Cook became involved in recognizing the Wright Brothers’ contributions to flying. The Smithsonian did not recognize the brother’s flight at “Kitty Hawk” in 1903 as the first powered aircraft flight. Due to his dogged determination, the flight was eventually officially recognized in 1940 as the first powered flight. Weir Cook was a member of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Airport Siting Committee, which picked the site for the Indianapolis airport. The airport opened in 1931 and Cook was the airport’s first manager.
located in Indianapolis
. Early in 1941, after intensely lobbying for an assignment to the front lines, Cook went back into the Army Air Corps
service as a procurement officer and became the commander of air bases in New Caledonia
. Cook died in New Caledonia on March 24, 1943, in an airplane crash while training young pilots for combat. Colonel Cook left his base piloting a Bell P-39 Airacobra in order to find and to bomb a reported submarine
. While hunting for the submarine, Cook misjudged his altitude because of cloudy weather and struck the side of a mountain
crashing to his death. He is buried at The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
in Section O, Grave 440. In his honor, The Indianapolis Municipal Airport was renamed Weir Cook Municipal Airport and in 1944 a Liberty Ship
was named H. Weir Cook. In 1976 Weir Cook Municipal Airport was again renamed Indianapolis International Airport
but due to the outcry by veterans’ groups, the newly-constructed terminal building of the airport was named after him on October 28, 2008.
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
recipient. He was also a pioneer in civilian commercial aviation and a leading figure in the development of aviation in the United States and in state of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
Early life
He was born Harvey Weir Cook in Wilkinson, Indiana to Dr. B. H. Cook of Anderson, IndianaAnderson, Indiana
Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison county. Anderson is the headquarters of the Church of God and home of Anderson University, which is...
. He graduated from Anderson High School and attended college at both DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania...
and Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
in Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. At DePauw he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
fraternity.
World War I
"Weir", as he was known, left Washington and Jefferson University to drive an ambulance in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
early in 1917. When the U. S. entered the war, Cook enlisted in the aviation section of the Army Signal Corps. After flight training, he was assigned to Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
’s famous “Hat in the Ring” 94th Aero Squadron. Incredibly aggressive in combat he was twice cited for singly attacking formations of multiple German fighters. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
with Oak Leaf Cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
His citations read:
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Harvey Weir Cook, Captain (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Bois-de-Dole, France, August 1, 1918. Sighting six enemy mono- place planes at an altitude of 3,500 meters, Captain Cook, attacked them despite their numerical superiority, shooting down one and driving off the others.
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Harvey Weir Cook, Captain (Air Service), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Crepion, France, October 30, 1918. Captain Cook attacked three enemy bi-place planes at an altitude of 1,000 meters. After a few minutes of severe fighting his guns jammed, but after clearing the jam he returned to the attack, shot down one of his adversaries in flames, and forced the other two to retire to their own lines.
Captain Weir-Cook was credited with seven victories, including 4 enemy balloons and was promoted to captain in 1919. He was honorably discharged from the 94th Aero Squadron on 2 Jun 1919 and assumed command of the 147th Aero Squadron on 18 Sep 1919. On 26 Dec 1919 Cook was relieved of command of 147th Aero Squadron and honorably discharged.
Between the wars
After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Cook helped to form the U.S. Army’s U.S. Air Mail Service and was one of the first transcontinental airmail pilots. Cook spent only a few months (from August 23, 1920 until December 8, 1920) in the airmail service. During that time, he was assigned for three months to the Western Division. After flying the Rock Springs to Salt Lake City route, he called those 150 miles "the rottenest stretch of territory in the country."
He also served with the civilian aviation industry in multiple duties such as working on the Hoffman cabin-chute for passenger transport airplanes. Cook’s 1926 air race pilot license was signed by friend and cohort Orville Wright. He had a continued affiliation with the Indiana National Guard serving as their air officer. He resigned his Army commission in 1928 to become vice president and general manager of the Curtis Flying Service of Indiana, located in at Stout Army Air Field
Stout Army Air Field
Stout Army Air Field is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It serves as the Joint Forces Headquarters of the Indiana National Guard.-History:...
in Indianapolis. Cook was a pioneer in bringing Indianapolis its first principal airport, Indianapolis Municipal Airport which opened in Indianapolis in 1931. Construction cost $724,000, and the airport terminal building was completed for $125,000. Later in Indianapolis, he was involved in the development of the first dive bombing sight for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He fought for military recognition of the airplanes’ potential and was part of the group of officers who “lost favor” with the Army during the court martial of General Billy Mitchell.
Cook served for many years as director and vice president of the American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
National Aeronautics Commission in Indianapolis and was later the first American Legion National Director of Aviation. Cook became involved in recognizing the Wright Brothers’ contributions to flying. The Smithsonian did not recognize the brother’s flight at “Kitty Hawk” in 1903 as the first powered aircraft flight. Due to his dogged determination, the flight was eventually officially recognized in 1940 as the first powered flight. Weir Cook was a member of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Airport Siting Committee, which picked the site for the Indianapolis airport. The airport opened in 1931 and Cook was the airport’s first manager.
World War II
After December 7, 1941,. Cook achieved the rank of Colonel in the 38th Division of the Indiana Air GuardIndiana Air National Guard
The Indiana Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is, along with the Indiana Army National Guard, an element of the Indiana National Guard.-Mission:...
located in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Early in 1941, after intensely lobbying for an assignment to the front lines, Cook went back into the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
service as a procurement officer and became the commander of air bases in New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. Cook died in New Caledonia on March 24, 1943, in an airplane crash while training young pilots for combat. Colonel Cook left his base piloting a Bell P-39 Airacobra in order to find and to bomb a reported submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. While hunting for the submarine, Cook misjudged his altitude because of cloudy weather and struck the side of a mountain
Controlled flight into terrain
Controlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...
crashing to his death. He is buried at The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is a cemetery located in Honolulu, Hawaii that serves a memorial to those men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces...
in Section O, Grave 440. In his honor, The Indianapolis Municipal Airport was renamed Weir Cook Municipal Airport and in 1944 a Liberty Ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
was named H. Weir Cook. In 1976 Weir Cook Municipal Airport was again renamed Indianapolis International Airport
Indianapolis International Airport
Indianapolis International Airport is a public airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Indianapolis, a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority...
but due to the outcry by veterans’ groups, the newly-constructed terminal building of the airport was named after him on October 28, 2008.