So, you see, George Coker is the real reason we were released. [24] Coker served as Chaplain to his fellow prisoners while he was in captivity, providing them with spiritual guidance and constructive counseling. Vietnam Campaign Medal. Walking under the bridge to the Red River's edge, he swam downstream all night and at sunrise buried himself in a mudbank in an effort to remain concealed. Before joining the Navy, George attained the rank of Eagle Scout, was a state wrestling champion, and played football. The citation notes that "Lieutenant Coker's resourcefulness, superb airmanship, and courage in the face of great danger contributed materially to the success of the mission." Genealogy for George Thomas Briggs Coker (1818 - 1865) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Challenge met, see Talk:George_Thomas_Coker#Verification_of_17_medals. While at Rutgers, he participated in an aviation officer cadet program and was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. "[43], A fellow POW, Commander Paul Galanti, said "George is one of my heroes...but the real reason we're home is the bad guys wanted to get Coker out of the country. George Thomas Coker. An Eagle Scout, he is noted for his devotion to scouting. Look at me. [14][15], Coker was held by the North Vietnamese at a number of different POW camps in the Hanoi area, including Cu Loc, Dirty Bird, Alcatraz Grove, the Zoo, Little Vegas, and Hỏa Lò Prison (the "Hanoi Hilton"). ContentsBiographyGeorge Thomas Coker Net WorthDoes George Dead or Alive?FAQs Biography George Thomas Coker is best known as a Military Officer. Reflecting on his wartime experiences in a Veterans Day tribute to POWs, he said "If you're never tested, you don't know...You're capable of a great deal more than you realize, if you really set your mind to it. Troop 62's adults asked Coker to become Scoutmaster, a position in which he served for several years. They have also lived in Atmore, AL George is related to Pamela A Coker and Elizabeth Haskins as well as 2 additional people. 1815 Tree Line Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23454. The second best result is George T Coker age 70s in Virginia Beach, VA. Predeceased by his father, George Thomas Coker, mother, Ella May Coker (nee Harrison), and brother Dr. John (Jack) Coker. Coker grew up in Linden, New Jersey and became an Eagle Scout in Troop 32 of Saint Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Linden on January 27, 1959. The attack was the third in a series of attacks on North Vietnamese oil storage depots dating back to June. George Thomas Coker (born July 14, 1943) is a retired US Navy Commander, honored with the Navy Cross for his leadership as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War, and a Distinguished Eagle Scout noted for his devotion to Scouting.. Troop 32 had about a dozen members at that time but had over 60 members when Coker made Eagle Scout in 1959. Coker began serving as the lodge adviser for the Blue Heron Lodge of the OA in December 2005. Coker remained in Alcatraz until December 9, 1969 and spent the next three years in captivity shuffled between a number of different prisons. In 1951, his family moved to Linden, New Jersey, where he became a New Jersey high school state wrestling champion in the 142 lb weight class and played high school varsity football at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. cover, 12–13. Coker is married and has two daughters and a son. He was born on July 14, 1943 […] How many people with the first name Coker have been born in the United States? Coker is married and has three children; two daughters and a son. The edit inserted earlier summarizes the issue perfectly — Rlevse • Talk • 22:15, 17 July 2008 (UTC) The challenge isn't frivolous, its just not supported by any reliable source. FOIA request for military records, July 23, 2007 Reply to FOIA request for military records, August 20, 2007 Information Releasable Under The Freedom Of Information Act Combat Area Casualties Returned Alive File; Medals and letters of commendation . He also returned to active participation in Scouting. George Coker was a Bombardier/Navigator on an A6 Intruder in Vietnam. During this time the troop formed an Explorer Post and Sea Scout unit. Coker and Air Force Captain George McKnight (another of the "baddest") were cellmates for awhile and were the only POWs to ever escape from the Hao Lo Prison (" Hanoi Hilton"). PLANES SINK 3 TORPEDO BOATS; Hanoi Vessels Hit as They Head for 7th Fleet Ships Planes of Seventh Fleet Sink 3 Torpedo Boats", "OIL AT HAIPHONG BOMBED 3D TIME BY U.S. AIRCRAFT; Pentagon Discloses Attack After Hanoi Protests to Control Commission NEUTRAL ZONE AT ISSUE Aide Hints U.S. May Refuse to Recognize a Part of It as Barred to Troops OIL AT HAIPHONG BOMBED 3D TIME", "Our POWs: Locked up for 6 years, he unlocked a spirit inside", http://hamptonroads.com/2008/11/our-pows-locked-6-years-he-unlocked-spirit-inside, http://books.google.com/?id=u00YAAAAIAAJ&q=%22george+coker%22+vietnam+missions&dq=%22george+coker%22+vietnam+missions, "POWs' captivity, survival seen through Open Doors", http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/c/c089.htm, http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com/TD_TitleDetail.aspx?isbn=0312366531, "Biography of Col. Gordon "Swede" Larson", http://www.soft-vision.com/hanoi/larson/bio_6.htm, http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Silver_Star_Medal_-_G._T._Coker, http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Legion_of_Merit_-_G._T._Coker, "Honor Bound: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961–1973", http://www.axpow.org/files/bulletins/may2008.pdf, "Notes on People, Mao Meets Mobutu in China", http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70D12F63459147A93CAA81789D95F408785F9, = 19920331&slug=1483968 "Perot's Interim Partner Spent 7½ Years As POW", http://books.google.com/?id=pN_gf0KQorIC&pg=PA131&dq=george+coker+%22navy+cross%22#PPA131,M1, "Meritorious Service Medal – G. T. Coker", http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Meritorious_Service_Medal_-_G._T._Coker, http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780375501913.html, "Inventing Vietnam: The War in Film and Television", "Aftermaths: Enduring Love, Hearts and Minds", http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/11/01/041101crci_cinema?currentpage, http://www.veterantributes.org/MacsFactsNo74.htm, http://web.archive.org/web/20090412102558/http://www.usni.org/navalinstitutepress/pow.asp, Hearts and Minds: Analysis of war propaganda and dehumanization, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War, Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States), Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States). Local citizens turned out by the hundreds to greet him. After his release, he continued to serve in the Navy until his retirement in 1986. It is possible he received it after the New York Times article, but a biography shouldn't use unsupported material, or guesses, or original research. Coker visited many of the local Scouting units. Discover George Thomas Coker Net Worth, Salary, Biography, Height, Dating, Wiki. George Thomas Coker . He became the den leader of 7 boys, all of whom earned their Arrow of Light, the highest recognition in Cub Scouting. While most of those among the Alcatraz 11 were senior officers, Coker was the youngest and most junior of those isolated from the other POWs. His airplane was diverted to attack three North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin that were heading towards U.S. Navy destroyers in the area. Despite adverse weather conditions, Coker's actions contributed to an attack that destroyed all but one of the facility's storage tanks. In December 2004, he was elected Commander of his local POW chapter, the Tidewater ex-POW Association. In 1951, his family moved to Linden, New Jersey, where he became a New Jersey high school state wrestling champion in the 142 lb weight class and played high school varsity football at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. An Eagle Scout, he is noted for his devotion to scouting. George Thomas Coker (born July 14, 1943) is a retired US Navy commander, honored with the Navy Cross for his leadership as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War, and a Distinguished Eagle Scout noted for his devotion to Scouting. He was held as a prisoner of war in the " Hanoi Hilton" and other camps for 6.5 years (1966–1973). Genealogy profile for George Thomas Briggs Coker. Mohr, Charles. if (window.showTocToggle) { var tocShowText = "show"; var tocHideText = "hide"; showTocToggle(); } [12][13], Coker was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his actions as part of a coordinated 23-aircraft attack on petroleum storage tanks in Hai Phong on August 2, 1966, consisting of four waves of A-6 Intruders and A-4 Skyhawks, firing a combination of 750 and 1,000 pound bombs and rockets. He was honored by the Boy Scouts of America with their Distinguished Eagle Scout Award on August 09, 2005. Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, Coker provided accurate guidance to the pilot on airspeed, altitude and dive angle, while operating both the attack navigation radar system and electronic countermeasures. Do not edit the contents of this page. Genealogy for George Thomas Gilder Coker (1867 - 1941) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. For his "heroic achievement", Coker was awarded the Bronze Star.[26]. In 1951, his family moved to Linden, New Jersey, where he became a New Jersey high school state wrestling champion in the 142 lb weight class and played high school varsity football. Equipment of the Republic of Singapore Air Force, http://www.sbp.org/documents/1999-00_annual.pdf, http://web.archive.org/web/20061206013407/http://members.cox.net/scouting179/ScoutHistory.htm, http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0701/a-what.html, http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/02-529.pdf, "U.S. Coker was then inactive in Scouting during busy Naval career, but got involved again when his son joined Cub Scouts as a Tiger Cub after the family had settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia. During this time the troop formed an Explorer Post and Sea Scout unit. pp. Wikisource has original works written by or about. [37] Coker was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his “aggressive leadership” as Director of the Atlantic Fleet Command Center upon retiring from the Navy. See 2 Profile Searchers. He was shot down and became a prisoner of war for 7 years. < Talk:George Thomas Coker. Coker was then inactive in Scouting during a busy Naval career, but got involved again when his son joined Cub Scouts as a Tiger Cub after the family had settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia. George Thomas Coker (born July 14, 1943) is a retired United States Navy commander who was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. He also returned to active participation in Scouting. They were held in irons at Hoa Lo prison before being returned to Dirty Bird a few days later. [36] Coker was awarded six decorations at a ceremony at NAS North Island in San Diego, California: Navy Cross, Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, Legion of Merit, and Navy Commendation. Coker spent two years alone in a cell measuring 3 feet by 9 feet that had a light bulb kept on around the clock. In 1951, his family moved to Linden, New Jersey, where he became a New Jersey high school state wrestling champion in the 142 lb weight class and played high school varsity football. [30][34] In Alcatraz, each of the 11 men were kept in solitary confinement. George Coker was born in Amarillo, Texas in 1943. The two would escape from their cells and make it to the nearby Red River, swim by night and hide by day, estimating that it would take three or four days to reach the mouth of the river. While at Rutgers, he partipated in an aviation officer cadet program and was a commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. After his release from Vietnam, he returned to college to complete his degre… He was honored by the Boy Scouts of America with their Distinguished Eagle Scout Award on August 9, 2005. That night, after opening the cell door by removing door bolt brackets from inside the room, he proceeded over the wall and through several blocks of housing to the Domer Bridge. Troop 32 now had over 100 members. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. They moved on to Troop 62, Virginia Beach, in May 1994; with five of them later becoming Eagle Scouts, including his son. [20][27][28][29] Their effort made them two of the very few POWs to ever escape from a North Vietnamese POW camp. After making Eagle Scout, Coker joined the Sea Scout unit and worked at summer camp before the joined the Navy in October 1963. Born in Guelph, Ontario on January 11, 1928, Ken was a graduate of Waterloo College (Bachelor of Arts, Economics) and held a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. [1] Coker attended Rutgers University from 1961–1963, where he also wrestled. Planes; 3 MORE OIL DEPOTS AROUND HANOI HIT", George T. Coker – Distinguished Flying Cross citation, George T. Coker – Bronze Star Medal citation. Both of Coker's older brothers were involved in Scouting and Coker first became involved when he joined Cub Scouts in late 1951. The people over there are very backward and very primitive, and they just make a mess out of everything. //
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