3 years ago
Three decades ago, an Air Force staff sergeant left his wife and three little girls behind in Washington to head for Vietnam. What happened next left years of questions. But three decades later, the lost answer is finally found.
Of all the families who prayed their loved ones would come home from Vietnam, Staff Sgt. Calvin Cooke's family wondered if their prayers would ever be answered.
Cooke wanted to spend his life serving his country. The week he turned 26, April 26, 1972, he gave his life.
His mother and sisters were in a bowling league. It was a Wednesday.
The military knew it happened on an emergency resupply mission. He went down near a rubber tree grove that sheared the plane, and the plane exploded.
But the military could not bring Staff Sgt. Cooke home because it could not identify his remains.
In fact, back in 1998, when the Department of Defense decided to test the remains of Vietnam's unknown soldier, Cooke's sister watched, to see if it was her brother. A few weeks later, as she learned the remains were not her brother, the wait continued.
But this week, the Pentagon announced it had identified Cooke --- 34 years after his plane crashed. In June, he will be buried by his parents as nine grandchildren he never knew will honor his life.
Years of speculation ... and a serviceman ... finally laid to rest together.
The federal government says 1,805 Americans from Vietnam are still unaccounted for.
Written By Emily Schmidt 9 News
