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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – A World War II veteran is being honored in Columbia Thursday afternoon by the Consul General of France in Atlanta.
World War II veteran Staff Sergeant Phillip BruceCook will be bestowed the Legion of Honor, France’s highest distinction, at the South Carolina Historic Aviation Foundation in Columbia at 1:30 p.m.
Cook was born in Swansea, South Carolina, and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1943 at 17.
Trained as an aerial gunner, he was deployed to England and assigned to the 524th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, based in Cambridgeshire.Staff
Sergeant Cook completed 35 combat missions before returning to the U.S. to train new gunners until his honorable discharge in October 1945.
In recognition of his service, Staff Sgt. Cook was awarded the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars, and the World War II Victory Medal.
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