thedrifter
12-02-08, 06:23 AM
Geoff Oldfather: Port St. Lucie Marine killed in Iraq deserved 2nd Purple Heart awarded Thursday
By Geoff Oldfather
Thursday, November 20, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH — What kind of man would turn down a medal he earned with his own blood, spilled in combat against the enemy?
What kind of man is it who, wounded in action, would say he didn’t deserve a medal because a fellow Marine’s wounds were worse?
The finest kind. A Marine.
Marine Cpl. Ian Zook was that kind of man.
Like his brother Marines he knew the meaning of sacrifice and took measure of his own and decided it wasn’t enough.
Zook, 24 at the time, was killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq in October 2004.
Three weeks earlier, he survived an anti-tank mine explosion that blew the front off the Humvee he was driving.
It was in that action that Zook was wounded for the first time.
The Marine sitting next to him lost a leg in the blast. Zook took shrapnel in his right arm and shoulder and in his right foot.
But when his command said they were putting him up for a Purple Heart, the medal given to military personnel wounded in action, he said no.
He said he didn’t deserve the same medal being given to the Marine who lost his leg because his own wounds weren’t as serious.
And things might have remained that way but for the efforts of some other Marines who exemplify and live the Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” or simply, “Semper Fi,” which means “Always Faithful.”
“We never leave a fellow Marine behind,” said Gunnery Sgt. Reid Hollander, who spent the better part of a year getting witness statements and command approval for a Purple Heart for the first wounding Zook suffered.
He had to find other Marines there the day Zook was wounded to get their statements since medical records from the incident weren’t very detailed. Then he had to shepherd the file up the chain of command until the Marine Corps decided Zook deserved the medal.
“The Marine Corps is very stringent about its medals and awards. We don’t give these out lightly,” said Hollander, who lives in Stuart.
In every way, that’s what this is about — not leaving a fallen Marine behind.
His brother Marines knew Zook earned the medal and did what was needed to make sure he received it.
On Thursday, during a special ceremony at 4th ANGLICO — Air/Naval Gunfire Liason Company — in West Palm Beach, Zook’s parents were presented with the Purple Heart for the first incident in which Zook was wounded.
He’d already been given a Purple Heart posthumously for the explosion in which he was killed. That medal was upgraded to Purple Heart with Gold Star, denoting a second medal.
“It just shows the Marine Corps’ ‘esprit de corps’ and for them to do this for Ian exemplifies what being a Marine is all about,”said Mark Zook, Ian’s father.
Mark Zook is a corporal in the Florida Highway Patrol. The family lives in Port St. Lucie where Ian Zook earned straight “A’s” and was valedictorian at Faith Baptist School, graduating in 1999.
Marine 1st Sgt. Michael Miller, a Gunnery Sergeant at the time who was there when Zook was wounded, recalls seeing the Humvee Zook was driving hit an anti-tank mine buried in the road.
“He definitely rated the medal. He was wounded in combat,” Miller said.
He also said he “wasn’t surprised” Zook felt he didn’t deserve the recognition.
“Corporal Zook was a quiet kind of a guy, very humble. He was an excellent Marine,” Miller said.
A Marine who’s sacrifice wouldn’t be forgotten.
Semper Fi.
THE ZOOK TIMELINE
Here’s a look at how Marine Cpl. Ian Zook received his second Purple Heart:
September 2007: Gunnery Sgt. Reid Hollander begins searching for Marines who served with Zook. Hollander also begins obtaining medical records. The records are sketchy.
October 2007: Having obtained witness statements, Hollander obtains command endorsement, or recommendation, from Lt. Col. Thomas Martin, active duty commanding officer at 4th ANGLICO. The endorsement is submitted to the United States Marine Command.
October 2007: Command endorsement goes to Cpl. Ian Zook’s former platoon commander for further documentation.
February 2008: The Purple Heart application package goes to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
February 2008: The endorsement goes to Marine Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
April 2008: The Purple Heart certificate is approved by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, Marine Central Command, MacDill AFB.
Ellie
By Geoff Oldfather
Thursday, November 20, 2008
WEST PALM BEACH — What kind of man would turn down a medal he earned with his own blood, spilled in combat against the enemy?
What kind of man is it who, wounded in action, would say he didn’t deserve a medal because a fellow Marine’s wounds were worse?
The finest kind. A Marine.
Marine Cpl. Ian Zook was that kind of man.
Like his brother Marines he knew the meaning of sacrifice and took measure of his own and decided it wasn’t enough.
Zook, 24 at the time, was killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq in October 2004.
Three weeks earlier, he survived an anti-tank mine explosion that blew the front off the Humvee he was driving.
It was in that action that Zook was wounded for the first time.
The Marine sitting next to him lost a leg in the blast. Zook took shrapnel in his right arm and shoulder and in his right foot.
But when his command said they were putting him up for a Purple Heart, the medal given to military personnel wounded in action, he said no.
He said he didn’t deserve the same medal being given to the Marine who lost his leg because his own wounds weren’t as serious.
And things might have remained that way but for the efforts of some other Marines who exemplify and live the Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” or simply, “Semper Fi,” which means “Always Faithful.”
“We never leave a fellow Marine behind,” said Gunnery Sgt. Reid Hollander, who spent the better part of a year getting witness statements and command approval for a Purple Heart for the first wounding Zook suffered.
He had to find other Marines there the day Zook was wounded to get their statements since medical records from the incident weren’t very detailed. Then he had to shepherd the file up the chain of command until the Marine Corps decided Zook deserved the medal.
“The Marine Corps is very stringent about its medals and awards. We don’t give these out lightly,” said Hollander, who lives in Stuart.
In every way, that’s what this is about — not leaving a fallen Marine behind.
His brother Marines knew Zook earned the medal and did what was needed to make sure he received it.
On Thursday, during a special ceremony at 4th ANGLICO — Air/Naval Gunfire Liason Company — in West Palm Beach, Zook’s parents were presented with the Purple Heart for the first incident in which Zook was wounded.
He’d already been given a Purple Heart posthumously for the explosion in which he was killed. That medal was upgraded to Purple Heart with Gold Star, denoting a second medal.
“It just shows the Marine Corps’ ‘esprit de corps’ and for them to do this for Ian exemplifies what being a Marine is all about,”said Mark Zook, Ian’s father.
Mark Zook is a corporal in the Florida Highway Patrol. The family lives in Port St. Lucie where Ian Zook earned straight “A’s” and was valedictorian at Faith Baptist School, graduating in 1999.
Marine 1st Sgt. Michael Miller, a Gunnery Sergeant at the time who was there when Zook was wounded, recalls seeing the Humvee Zook was driving hit an anti-tank mine buried in the road.
“He definitely rated the medal. He was wounded in combat,” Miller said.
He also said he “wasn’t surprised” Zook felt he didn’t deserve the recognition.
“Corporal Zook was a quiet kind of a guy, very humble. He was an excellent Marine,” Miller said.
A Marine who’s sacrifice wouldn’t be forgotten.
Semper Fi.
THE ZOOK TIMELINE
Here’s a look at how Marine Cpl. Ian Zook received his second Purple Heart:
September 2007: Gunnery Sgt. Reid Hollander begins searching for Marines who served with Zook. Hollander also begins obtaining medical records. The records are sketchy.
October 2007: Having obtained witness statements, Hollander obtains command endorsement, or recommendation, from Lt. Col. Thomas Martin, active duty commanding officer at 4th ANGLICO. The endorsement is submitted to the United States Marine Command.
October 2007: Command endorsement goes to Cpl. Ian Zook’s former platoon commander for further documentation.
February 2008: The Purple Heart application package goes to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
February 2008: The endorsement goes to Marine Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
April 2008: The Purple Heart certificate is approved by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, Marine Central Command, MacDill AFB.
Ellie