Sgt. Bruce Cook awarded the French Legion of Honor from WWII

2025-2026 Bill 954: Sgt. Bruce Cook awarded the French Legion of Honor from WWII - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 954
STATUS INFORMATION
Senate Resolution
Sponsors: Senators Ott, Adams, Alexander, Allen, Bennett, Blackmon, Bright, Campsen, Cash, Chaplin, Climer, Corbin, Cromer, Davis, Devine, Elliott, Fernandez, Gambrell, Garrett, Goldfinch, Graham, Grooms, Hembree, Hutto, Jackson, Johnson, Kennedy, Kimbrell, Leber, Martin, Massey, Matthews, Peeler, Rankin, Reichenbach, Rice, Sabb, Stubbs, Sutton, Tedder, Turner, Verdin, Walker, Williams, Young and Zell
Document Path: LC-0449VR-KAR26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 24, 2026
Adopted by the Senate on February 24, 2026
Summary: Sgt. Bruce Cook awarded the French Legion of Honor from WWII
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/24/2026

Senate

Introduced and adopted (
Senate Journal-page 6
)

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VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/24/2026

A
senate
RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE STAFF SERGEANT PHILLIP BRUCE COOK FOR HIS BRAVERY
AND SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II AND TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON HIS NOMINATION BY
FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON AS A CHEVALIER IN THE ORDRE NATIONAL DE LA
LEGION D'HONNEUR, THE HIGHEST AND MOST PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL HONOR OF MERIT TO
REWARD THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GREAT DEEDS FOR FRANCE
.

W
hereas, conceived over
two centuries ago by Napoléon Bonaparte, Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur
was created to reward eminent military and civil merits in the service of
France and is divided into five degrees with the majority of the recipients classified
as a "Chevalier" or Knight. To receive the honor, a World War II veteran must
show engagement in combat operations on land, in the air above, or within the
territorial waters of France, and undergo a comprehensive examination of the
veteran's military record and post-war life experiences; and

W
hereas, immediately
following graduation from Swansea High School in 1943, at the age of seventeen,
Phillip Bruce Cook enlisted in the Army Air Force on June 28, 1943, little
imagining the impact his life would have on people he did not know. At eighteen,
he began basic training at Keesler Army Airfield in Biloxi, Mississippi, and
once completed, he received additional training as an aerial gunner. Following
deployment overseas, he was assigned to the 524th Bomber Squadron, 379th Bomb
Group, 8th Air Force, based at RAF Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire, England; and

W
hereas, Staff Sergeant
Cook flew 35 combat missions aboard a B-17 "Flying Fortress" as a crewman
assigned primarily to man the aircraft's ball turret gun position, which
protected the belly of the 4-engine bomber, with his first mission on August
30, 1944, when the group bombarded the German submarine Pens at Pas-de-Calais
as well as the V1 "Buzz Bomb" rocket launching sites at Fiefs, France, not far
from Calais; and

W
hereas, the 379th Bomb
Group's primary objective was to bombard enemy rail yards, airfields,
factories, communication centers, synthetic fuel factories, rocket sites, and
enemy troop concentrations within France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Holland,
including during the Battle of France, when the 379th bombed enemy positions to
assist ground troops throughout France from Normandy through the breakthrough
beyond St. Lo. As the war progressed, the group attacked German communications
and fortifications within Germany itself, and during the Battle of the Bulge
and beyond, the group bombed bridges and viaducts in France and Germany to aid
the Allied assault across the Rhine River; and

W
hereas, the combat
record of the 379th was the most successful of all the 8th Air Force heavy
bomber groups. The unit held records as far as bomb tonnage dropped, dropping
26,459 tons, and exceeded all other United Kingdom-based Bomb Groups in the
total number of missions flown, carrying out 330 missions between May 1943 and
May 1945; and

W
hereas, now a
centenarian, Staff Sergeant Cook was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf
Clusters; the Army Good Conduct Medal; the European African Middle East
Campaign Medal with 4 Campaign Stars for Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes,
and Rhineland; and the World War II Victory Medal. After his honorable
discharge on October 18, 1945, he returned to Lexington and attended a trade
school to learn watch and clock repair, working as a technician for numerous
jewelry stores before opening his own shop in 1963, and retiring in 1983. He
has two children, Peggy and Phil; and

W
hereas, upon learning
that his application was approved for the prestigious French Legion d'honneur,
he reflected, "Never would I have thought that what I did in WWII would mean so
much, not only for the United States, but for those who had to endure years of
enemy occupation. I was glad to have done my part, just one of the millions who
proudly wore our nation's uniform." Now, therefore,

B
e it resolved by the
Senate
:

T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
Senate
, by this resolution,
recognize United States Army Air Force Staff Sergeant Phillip Bruce Cook for
his bravery and service during World War II and congratulate him on his nomination
by French President Emmanuel Macron as a Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Legion
d'honneur, the highest and most prestigious national honor of merit to reward
those who have done great deeds for France.

B
e it further resolved
that a copy of this resolution be presented to Phillip Bruce Cook.

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This web page was last updated on February 24, 2026 at 1:18 PM