Cordelia E Cook
| Cordelia E Cook | |
|---|---|
 First lieutenant Cordelia E Cook 1945 | |
| Born |
March 17, 1919 Fort Thomas, Kentucky |
| Died |
June 19, 1996 (aged 77) Upper Arlington, Ohio |
Resting place | Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate, Campbell County, Kentucky, US |
| Residence | Columbus, Ohio |
| Occupation | registered nurse |
| Parent(s) | Louis William Cook and Nevada Evelyn Losey [1] |
Cordelia Elizabeth "Betty" Cook (March 17, 1919 – June 19, 1996) was an American combat nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps during World War II.[2] She was the first woman in the U.S. Army to receive both the Bronze Star Medal award and the Purple Heart.[3][4][5]
Early life
Cook was born in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, on March 17, 1919.[2] She obtained her primary schooling in Fort Thomas. Cook had three siblings (Navada b.1904, Henry b.1913, Jack b.1924).[6] She went by the name "Betty".[3]
Mid life
Cook attended the Christ Hospital School of Nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 3 years and graduated in 1940.[3] She became a surgical nurse of first lieutenant rank in the United States Army Nurse Corps.[4] Cook was sent to Europe during World War II. The field hospital in Italy she was working at was bombed, while she was nursing wounded soldiers in 1943.[7] In spite of the dangers she continued her nursing duties into January 1944 at the 11th Field Hospital in the Presenzano sector at the Italian front.[8] She received a Bronze Star Metal award for her service, being the first woman to receive this award.[9][10] Cook sustained a shrapnel wound from German artillery fire while carrying out her duties.[2][7] Because of this she additionally received the Purple Heart award, being the first woman to receive both the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart military awards.[7][9][11]
Later life
Cook was a registered nurse at Doctors Hospital North in Columbus, Ohio, for 28 years. She was a member of the Crestview Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Ohio, near Cincinnati.[12]
Personal life
Cook married Harold E. Fillmore, a U.S. Army captain. The married name she used for documents and legal use was Cordelia Elizabeth Fillmore or Cordelia E. Fillmore, otherwise she used Cordelia Elizabeth Cook or Cordelia E. Cook or Betty Cook. Cook had a daughter (Sara) and two sons (David and William).[12]
Death
Cordelia died in Upper Arlington, Ohio, on June 19, 1996, at 77 years of age.[12]
Footnotes
- ↑ "Christ Church United Church of Christ, A–L Members 1908–1952". RootsWeb. Shirlene Jensen & Jerry Moore. 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Commire & Klezmer 2007, p. 429.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Frank 2013, p. 161.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Read & Witlieb 1992, p. 101.
- ↑ Jackson 2006, p. 58.
- ↑ 1930 U.S. Census, Fort Thomas, Campbell, Kentucky; Roll 738, page: 2B, Enumeration District 0034, Image 678.0 FHL 2340473. National Archives and Records Administration
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Baron 1998, p. 68.
- ↑ Loomis 1958, p. 75.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kane 1964, p. 358.
- ↑ "World War II Honoree". National World War II Memorial. American Battle Monuments Commission from government databases and National Archives and Records Administration. 2003. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ Robinson 1946, p. 352.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Columbus Dispatch newspaper (Columbus, Ohio) - Thursday, June 20, 1996 - obituary, p. 7F
Bibliography
- Baron, Scott (1998). They Also Served: Military Biographies of Uncommon Americans. Military Information Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-877639-37-1.
- Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (2007). Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Yorkin Publications.
- Frank, Lisa Tendrich (2013). An Encyclopedia of American Women at War. ABC-CLIO. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-1-59884-444-3.
- Jackson, Kathi (2006). They Called Them Angels: American Military Nurses of World War II. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-7627-3.
- Kane, Joseph Nathan (1964). Famous first facts: a record of first happenings, discoveries and inventions in the United States. H. W. Wilson.
- Loomis, William Raymond (1958). Fighting firsts. Vantage Press.
- Read, Phyllis J.; Witlieb, Bernard L. (1992). The Book of Women's Firsts: Breakthrough Achievements of Almost 1,000 American Women. Random House Information Group. ISBN 978-0-679-40975-5.
- Robinson, Victor (1946). White caps: the story of nursing ... Lippincott.