The Wall › Panel 3E › Texas › Melvin Eugene Cooks
MELVIN EUGENE COOKS
Private First Class · U.S. Army
May 12, 1946 – November 17, 1965
Service recordMelvin Eugene Cooks, of Waco, Texas, served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He died on November 17, 1965, in South Vietnam, at age 19. His name is inscribed on Panel 3E, Line 72 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 3E · Line 72
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Private First Class (PFC)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Food Service Helper (94A)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 1 INF DIV
- Born
- May 12, 1946
- Home of record
- Waco, Texas (Mclennan County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- November 17, 1965
- Age
- 19
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
161 names on the Wall carry the date November 17, 1965. In November 1965, 545 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 1st Infantry Division, his unit in the record, lost 69 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 3E, Line 72
- BRIAN FIZTGERALD CARLQUISTPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- DANNY E CARLTONPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- RUBEN GARZA CHAVEZPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
- FRANCISCO CONCEPCION JRPrivate First Class · November 17, 1965
Same unit, same day
- EMMETT L DRESSLERStaff Sergeant · Panel 3E, Line 71
- JAMES CHARLES JACKSONSpecialist Four · Panel 3E, Line 81
- PREZEL MCCULLOUGHPrivate First Class · Panel 3E, Line 87
From Waco
- RAYMOND JOE VRBA JRStaff Sergeant · May 25, 1965
- LEROY GARRETT JRSpecialist Five · October 14, 1965
- BENNY GLEN HACKLance Corporal · November 25, 1965
- TERRANCE DEAN ADAMSCorporal · January 30, 1966
- DAVID WILLIAMSSpecialist Four · February 8, 1966
- ANTONIO JIMENEZSergeant · March 5, 1966
- WILLIE GEORGE HAWKINS JRCorporal · March 10, 1966
- DONALD RAY JOHNSONPrivate First Class · April 6, 1966
- CHARLES WESLEY GOBER JRSergeant · June 4, 1966
- RONALD CARL FORSBACHPrivate First Class · June 26, 1966
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.