
Nathan E. Cook, the last survivor of the Spanish American War, died in 1992 at the age of 106.  He is listed as a Notable burial on VA's National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona's website.  
https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmca.asp


Below information found on the Library of Congress website article "Happy Birthday to Our U.S. Navy" by Lisa Taylor.

He was born in 1885, and enlisted in the Navy in 1901 to, as the recruitment posters said, “See the world.”  At 15 years old, he didn’t even know how to swim, and had to have his sister sign the enlistment paperwork for him.  Starting as an apprentice seaman 2nd class, Cook served in the Navy until 1945, and worked his way up to the rank of Lieutenant.  Having served in three wars, including the Spanish American War, World War I and World War II, Cook sailed the globe four times. He sank German submarines, and rescued a ship and its crew that had been torpedoed.

With many accomplishments and many more near misses, it was a heavy mooring line that produced the most exciting experience of Cook’s service.  In 1908, while aboard the USS Kansas, Cook picked up the mooring line only to have his appendix burst. Not sure if they could get him home, the captain wrote to Cook’s wife notifying her that he would be sent home for a proper burial.  Packed on ice, Cook made it to Philadelphia for surgery and was back reporting for duty shortly thereafter.

When Cook did his oral history interview, he was the sole survivor of the Spanish American War, and was proudly still wearing his uniform to parades and commemorative events, proving that while time may march on, the call of duty is eternal. When asked what kept him in the Navy for 44 years, his reply was:

"There is just something special about the sea."

Photo of 15 year old Nathan E. Cook as an Apprentice Seaman 2nd Class. Taken from video. Nathan E. Cook Collection. Veterans History Project, AFC/2001/001/00567.

Photo of 15 year old Nathan E. Cook as an Apprentice Seaman 2nd Class.

NATHAN E COOK

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