21 Dec 2001 "To live in the hearts we leave behind, is never to have died." (Thomas Campbell, circa 1888) Oren Lee Crook lived all of his life outside Doniphan, Missouri. He was born on June 15, 1949, the son of Ora and Essie Robinson Crook. I grew up as a cousin with Oren Lee and his brothers Bobbie and Jimmy. He loved to fish and hunt and experience the outdoors. I never will forget the morning I received the call from my father that Oren Lee had been killed in Vietnam. We went immediately from Cape Girardeau where I was attending Southeast Missouri State University to be with the family. We in the family often wonder what really happened to Oren Lee in Vietnam. His funeral was the saddest I have ever attended and to this day I can't hear Taps without immediately going back to the day he was laid to rest. It still brings tears to my eyes. Every time I go back to his grave I shake my head and think what a useless death, which is the feeling that I have for all those brave men who gave their life in that useless war. We all have to remember what Lt. General Harold Moore said, "Hate war but the love the warrior." Oren Lee now gone all these years, but the pain is still fresh in our minds. We miss your easy spirit and the laughter you brought to us all. When I touched your name on the Wall, I felt your spirit. Memories abounded of the good times we had together as kids. Sitting in the woods and talking with you still comes to mind. I still love the stillness of nature and the peace it brings. We think of you often and now Dad in just a few graves down from yours. The tears still come and the pain will never end. John Robinson litjohnnyrob@aol.com

 

20 Dec 2004 I never knew Oren Lee Crook, but I feel that I missed out by not knowing him. I think of him daily. Oren and I came from similar environments in Southern Missouri. From the memorial written by his cousin, we had a lot in common. While I was a senior in high school in Alton, Missouri, Oren was probably a sophomore in Doniphan. I was in Oren's hometown of Doniphan, Missouri, about one month ago and passed by a cemetery just West of Doniphan. I thought of Oren Lee then and wondered perhaps if I had just passed by his final resting place. I intend to find his grave someday and perhaps put a little flag on it in tribute to his memory. Oren Lee arrived in Vietnam just after I had departed. I'll always remember Oren Lee as a friend that I never had the opportunity to meet in this life. 11 June 2005 I found Oren Lee Crook's burial place on Wednesday, the 8th of June. His grave is located at the Oak Grove Cemetery just north of the junction of Hwy 142 and Hwy 21 North just outside of Doniphan, Missouri. From a fellow Vietnam Veteran, Ronnie G. Cowens 206 Broadway, Alton, Mo 65606 e9steel@yahoo.com

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