Dwight William Cook

Dwight William Cook grew up on a farm north of Center Point and was active in 4-H and the First Christian Church. Cook played the guitar as a young man and liked to play sports. He graduated from Center Point High School in the class of 1966 and went on to graduate from Northeast Missouri State University in 1970. He joined the Air Force following school and was married in August 1971. 1LT Cook deployed to Vietnam in April 1972 and was a navigator aboard F-4 Phantom jets. On September 21, 1972 1LT Cook and his pilot were shot down over Laotian territory by anti-aircraft fire. The incident occurred on 1LT Cook’s 99th logged mission. Other planes in the area confirmed the jet burst into flames upon crashing. The remains of the two airmen went unrecovered until 1994 and they were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. He was 24 years old at the time of his death.