in honor of Sgt Trevor Cook

Our sweet little town lost a hero last weekend. Heres the article from our area newspaper. Pray for his family. they are great people. All of my kids knew Trevor. Everyone knows everyone here. Its devastating to everyone. Im leaving in a few minutes to go stand on the street in Medina with a flag and a candle to welcome him home with many other Orleans County citizens. His plane has been delayed so they arent expected to pass through until about 1:20 am. I bet even at that hour, there will be hundreds of people there.

Article from the medina journal register.

"David Cook remembers his son as an energetic young man who knew exactly what he wanted to do in life, and that’s why he joined the Marine Corps. Sadly, his life was cut short when a UH-1Y helicopter he was in crashed during a training session Wednesday evening at Camp Pendleton in southern California.“It’s really hard — it’s your only son,” David said Thursday. “When you’re flying every day there’s a risk. That’s the risk that he took.”Sgt. Trevor Cook, 25, was one of six Marines involved in the accident; two other marines were badly hurt and three others sustained minor injuries, according to David.Trevor was a crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369 of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and had been in the Marines for seven years. His father said he spent time in the Gulf of Aden and the Pacific Theater, and returned last November from his most recent tour in Afghanistan, where he served about eight months. He was scheduled to return to Afghanistan in November.David said his son was trained to perform a number of different tasks on the helicopter, from flying and repairs, to medical needs. “Any job that needed to be done, he could fill in at a moment’s notice,” David said Thursday, before heading out to California to bring home his son.Trevor’s sister, Chelsea, 23, has fond memories of her big brother.“I used to write him letters, even when he came back home, to let him know how much he meant to me,” she said.Chelsea was home alone Wednesday night when two Marines came to the house to deliver the news of Trevor’s death.She said she heard the front doorbell and knew something was up. “No one rings the front door,” she said. “I opened the door and said ‘What’s going on?’ ”While the Marines couldn’t inform her of Trevor’s death until her parents arrived home, Chelsea said she already knew.“I had to wait 10 minutes for my parents to get home. It felt like days,” she said.And although the news was also devastating for Trevor’s wife, Amanda, who he recently married in California, Chelsea said she’s happy he found love.“We’re glad he had the opportunity to be married before he passed,” she said. “This was his first and only love. I can’t imagine how she feels.”Chelsea, who talked to her brother the day before he died, said Trevor was proud to be a Marine.“When I asked him, why are you doing this? he said ‘for you.’ He was one of the most positive human beings I could have ever known.“We’re very blessed to have such a wonderful community,” she said of the support the family has received.David and wife Carol Cook have lived in Lyndonville for 28 years, and both were raised in Medina. Trevor and Amanda each attended the Lyndonville Central School District.According to David, Trevor signed up for in the military before his 2004 high school graduation.“He signed up an as early entry,” he said. “He knew early on that he wanted to join — since 9/11. .... He wanted to fly. He wanted to make a difference.”David recalled his son being involved in sports and the music departments at Lyndonville.“I just remember him as a very energetic boy and young man, and when he said he was going into the Marines, we knew we’d be proud.”Trevor’s maternal grandfather, Glenn Stalker, 79, was also a Marine.“To tell you the truth, he didn’t know I was a Marine,” Glenn said of his grandson’s decision to enlist. “He surprised us all. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew he wanted to get up in the air.”Glenn served three years in the Marine Corps, from 1951 to 1954.Trevor’s paternal grandfather, Donald Cook, spent about 30 years as an outdoor writer and photographer for The Journal-Register, completing his work in the 1990s.Steve Goodrich of American Legion Post 1603 Houseman-Tanner in Lyndonville said Trevor is the first Marine from the village to be killed since Operation Iraqi Freedom began.“It’s devastating,” he said.The veteran and post member of 4 years said the post will — at the family’s request — be helping with funeral arrangements.First Sgt. Joseph Migliore Jr. was one of the two Marines out of Rochester who went to the Cook residence Wednesday night to inform the family of Trevor’s death, and they returned Thursday to assist the family.“It’s not a fun job, but it’s a job that has to be done,” Migliore said. “It’s better for the family to find out from the Marine Corps, rather than on the news.”As for how the Cook family is going to move forward, Chelsea said she’s not sure.“We don’t really know right now, all we can do is stay positive,” she said. “He was a very big Christian, and because of that we know he’s OK.”“A lot of us take for granted our military, which lets us enjoys the things we do,” said David. “These guys and girls are out there 24/7, 365. I hope people will take from our son that he was a patriot and loved what he did.”

a little update/edit

The processional of the hearse, law enforcement, limos with family members, service men, and patriot riders brought Trevor back into Medina last night (this morning) at 2:00 am. there were at least 1000 people lining the street with candles and flags. Patriotic music played from somewhere. So bittersweet.
glad I didnt have to work this morning, but was up at 7:00! doing a little painting, then going to the beach!