Edward Cook: Special Category Army with Air Force

By Melanie Jakus, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

Edward Cook’s pending draft and love of planes led him to enlist in the Air Force as his first choice in 1952.  He had also hoped to learn a trade while serving his country and applied for Army machinist school.   When the Army accepted him for machinist training before the Air Force called, he signed up to be a soldier. With all of 53 cents in his pocket, he had enough to call his sweetheart to let her know he was in the Army and would not be seeing her for a while.

Ed attended Basic Training followed by machinist school at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.  After completing his training, he was anticipating being assigned as a combat engineer responsible for repairing equipment on the front lines, but being the last male in his family, he was kept back and new orders were cut for him to be sent to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey.  From there he was deployed on a troop ship to England where he was reassigned to the Corps of Engineers to utilize his newly-acquired machinist skills.

When Ed arrived in England on June 16, 1953, two weeks post Queen Elizabeth’s coronation on June 2, the country was immersed in all the festivities and hoopla for such a momentous occasion.  His time spent in England caused Ed to become a lifelong Anglophile.  He enjoyed riding his bicycle and taking pictures of the picturesque countryside, which he later recreated in his artwork.

During his time in England, he was a member of the 620th EAMC (Engineer Aviation Maintenance Company) based at RAF Station Chelveston, England, where his main responsibilities as a machinist included making parts utilizing outdated WWII equipment to support the 817th Construction Battalion building new runways to handle new B-47 jet bombers.  While the Air Force cadre was responsible for operating the base, the 817th Construction battalion did the heavy work using bulldozers, graders and other heavy equipment to rebuild the airfields surrounding the Iron Curtain.  The 620th consisted of Machinists, Electricians, Welders, Small Engine Repair and Heavy Equipment Repair platoons. Each section of the 620th worked in an unheated metal hanger. Because of the cold in Korea, much of the winter clothing went to the troops over there.  Consequently, Ed went through his entire service without a field jacket liner, and he said English winters can be a bit chilly.

All of the Army personnel were members of SCARWAF (Special Category Army With Air Force). It came about when the Air Force became a separate branch of service in 1947 and no longer had its own Engineers so it became necessary for the Air Force to borrow Engineers from the Army. The group was short lived and was disbanded around 1957 when the Air Force developed its own group of Engineers called Red Horse (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers) and they are a worthy replacement for SCARWAF.

Chelveston was quite notable during WWII as one of its first commanders was Col. Curtis LeMay who while at the base devised the “Box Formation” that best allowed every plane in a formation to use its guns in the most effective manner to cover one another with defensive firepower. Subsequently, it became standard throughout the Air Corps until the end of the war. On a sadder note, the 305th suffered the heaviest casualties on October 14th, 1943, during the second Schweinfurt raid called “Black Thursday” the purpose of which was to destroy the ball bearing works there. Sixteen B-17’s each with a crew of ten were sent out and only three returned, a loss of 130 men.

Ed put his machinist skills to good use operating drill presses, grinders, lathes, shapers and other miscellaneous equipment.  On one particularly difficult project, he was required to repair a broken paving machine wheel that had been repaired by welding which hardens the metal so it could not be finished by normal means and had to be ground to its final dimensions using a grinding attachment mounted to a lathe.  The job took 24 hours because it required constant monitoring, and grinding is not a fast operation. When the job was completed, Ed said all he could smell for three days was iron.

While at Chelveston, Ed was named Soldier of the Month several times in a row and was the only man on the base to be selected to attend the 7th Army NCO Academy in Munich, Germany.  Ed enjoyed the Army and was proud of being able to serve his country. Sometimes he says, “I regret turning down OCS three times.”

Ed was born in 1932 and grew up in Boise, Idaho in his younger years.  His father died when he was 3 years old from the effects of fighting in France during WWI. His mother met a soldier from New Jersey who was stationed at Gowen Field with part of the group being trained to drop the atomic bomb. His mother remarried, and Ed spent the 7th grade in Grand Island, Nebraska, and subsequently moved to New Jersey where he eventually met Janice, a very special young lady.

Ed graduated high school in New Jersey in 1951 and met his bride-to-be in May of 1952 when he escorted her to her Senior prom.  When duty called, their plans to get hitched were put on hold, but a week after his return from overseas, he put a ring on her finger and they were married the following Spring on May 12th, 1956, four years to the day of their meeting. They lived a fulfilling life for 66 years with three children and two grandchildren. She was the love of his life until her recent passing.

Ed worked in the corporate world for Deluxe Check Printers ultimately attaining the position of Central Region Production Manager until changes in the company occurred in which he found himself running a press.  It was then he decided to develop his neglected art talent in 1986. He committed the effort as found in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts will be established” KJV. He followed his heart and calling and is now considered one of the foremost artists of miniature paintings.  A miniature painting must be less than 35 square inches and follows a rule of 1/6 sizing meaning a portrait of a head which is about 9 inches cannot exceed 1-½ inches.  Ed has mastered this art form which has resulted in him winning 96 awards, including a Congressional letter and being inducted into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame and the Illinois Senior Hall of Fame. He is also a signature member of the Whiskey Painters of America and the Miniature Artists of America, two groups which recognize outstanding artists of miniatures. Ed was also one of 37 artists invited to England to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Royal Miniature Society under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth II.

Ed and his wife were also very involved in civics and volunteering. In 2003, Ed received the Citizen of the Year award for Hoffman Estates, and the next year the couple received The Cook County Sheriff’s Medal of Honor for outstanding volunteerism. It was the first time in the history of the award that it was awarded to a couple. 

The couple hosted many foreign exchange students and were very involved with the Hoffman Estates Sister Cities program with Angouleme, France, the town’s Sister City. Because of Janice’s beautiful singing voice, they also enjoyed four European music tours with the group to which she belonged. Their involvement with French Sister City counterparts, student exchanges plus the art also provided many opportunities to travel, as well as visiting friends Ed had made while stationed in England. Ed said his favorite trip was traveling at 1454 mph in the Concorde on a trip to England and returning on the QEII.

Thank you, Ed,  for your many years of service to our country. Enjoy your day of honor in Washington D.C.  May your time viewing the Korean War Monument provide you with a proud reflection of your service time.