Cook, Ryan James

Ryan James Cook was a 29-year-old soldier from Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He served as a Specialist in Company A, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Cook died on September 18, 2011, in Talikan, Afghanistan. The official cause was listed as hostile fire. The specific details of the engagement were not publicly released by the military.

Cook's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2011, the year of his death, U.S. forces were heavily engaged in counterinsurgency operations, particularly in the country's eastern provinces.

Cook's death was reported by several news outlets, including the Northwest Florida Daily News, which covered the local impact of the loss. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other commendations.

He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial Wall in Florida and is listed among the more than 2,300 U.S. service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom. His unit, the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, continued its deployment following his death.

Ryan James Cook was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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