Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Spring comes laughing down the valley, all in white, from the snow where the winter's armies rally love to go. You gave your life, Officer Cook, in the spring and when your birthday comes each November you are fondly remembered as a true hero and friend of all Dade County residents. You gave your all and no matter the season, you are the reason we can continue our pursuits of life, which springs eternal. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 12, 2014

Sport develops not character, but characters. Police officers who do an honest day's job, develop the proper work ethic to be recognized as the brave men and women that the citizens they protect come to respect for their efforts. Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them- a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. The will of all police officers must be that iron clad if they are going to achieve peace and unity in their communities. Your will, Officer Cook, your constitution was as firm as your demeanor. You championed the cause of everyone. Every time you win, you're reborn; when you lose, you die a little. We all died a little, Officer Cook, it's your spirit that enables us to carry on your will and that of the people. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 11, 2014

My voice goes after what my eyes cannot reach, with the twirl of my tongue I encompass worlds and volumes of worlds. Speech is the twin of my vision, it is unequal to measure itself, it provokes me forever, it says sarcastically, you contain enough, why don't you let it out then? A call in the midst of the crowd, my own voice, orotund, sweeping and final. A police officer's voice should be the last one heard in order to settle a dispute. Your voice, Officer Cook, was unwavering and it spoke loudly, it speaks to us in a very profound and divine spiritual manner, we just need stop and ponder the true meaning behind the wit, words and wisdom of one of Dade County's humble and humane servants. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 11, 2014

True eloquence does not consist in speech....It must consist in the man, in the subject and in the occasion. It comes, if it comes at all, like the outbreaking of a fountain from the earth, or the bursting forth of volcanic fires, with spontaneous, original, native force. As a man of eloquence and politeness, Officer Cook, your down to earth calming voice was a wonderful resource for all officers to emulate. Your voice may have been silenced physically, but spiritually it can be heard from the heavens above and resonates throughout this world. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 11, 2014

So now he is a legend when he preferred to be a man. We all prefer to act without any recognition, at least the humblest of God's faithful servants, such as yourself, Officer Cook. Sometimes we try to tackle a bit too much, ingesting more than we are capable. Grandiosity is so seductive. And greatness may be too high a goal. Fulfillment might be a better one. Before any of these three may seep into our crevices of our minds, perhaps growing up and becoming a man or woman first might very well be the answer. You are living proof, Officer Cook, you were raised with values and these values propelled not only your life and marriage to Karen, but your cherished career as a police officer. You were not a taker, you were a giver who gave back more to this community than we could ever give back to you. The fulfillment of your aspirations became fruition when you graduated from the Miami-Dade Police Academy and began your patrol of its streets. No one knows when Our Creator will come calling, but one thing for certain, you stood toe to toe and attempted to rein in terror that day. Nothing inconsistent, no mixed messages about your professionalism, your ideology reflected the professional standards of both your department and division and you made us all proud to call you a hero and one of God's very special and truly humble golden angels. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Officers need to check their egos at the front door and bring with them each day a load of passion mixed with compassion and honesty.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 10, 2014

Look out how you use proud words. When you let proud words go, it is not easy to call them back. We love eloquence for its own sake and not for any truth which it may utter, or any heroism it may inspire. I do know one thing, Officer Cook, we all know a thing or two about hopefully those men and women who took a solemn affirmation to serve and protect us are honest law abiding people as well. Eloquence does speak about a person's integrity and to their character. Very instrumental into how an officer goes about their position on a day to day basis. Your performance, Officer Cook, was rock solid and the firmness of your dignity cannot be shattered. You would take someone aside and speak to them in a very friendly and folksy manner and they would comprehend the point you were trying to get across to them. If some of today's officers modeled their performances after yours the world would be much better off. You did the right thing at the right time on May 16, 1979, forgoing your own safety to save your four comrades and those three civilians. No telling how many countless others were saved by your boldness. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 10, 2014

Talking is like playing on the harp, there is as much in laying the hands on the strings to stop their vibrations a sin twanging them to bring out their music. In a country like ours, eloquence is a powerful instrument, well worthy of the special pursuit of our youth. I can say, Officer Cook, that you probably enjoyed beating those drums while at Norland High School. Sweet music to one's ears even if was real loud. This was your personality, it was so endearing, that it carried over to your wonderful career as a Metro-Dade Police Officer. The cool and eloquent way you and your partners that teamed with you went about your official duties. It was a real shame to have lost you, but not lost in the translation was that you went out and effected a positive change in Dade County that can still be felt today and has and will continue for all future generations to come. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 10, 2014

I meant to say, Officer Cook, you were a sure hero and legend whose humility spoke volumes of your stellar character. Better things are said, more incisive, more wit and insight are dropped in talk and forgotten by the speaker, than get into books. You were the kind of studious and thought provoking officer whose words carry much insight and wisdom and weight all these years after your sudden departure from our world brought about by your heroism. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 9, 2014

I realize that...there are certain limitations placed upon the right of free speech. I must be exceedingly careful, prudent, as to what I say and even more careful and prudent as to how I say it. I may not be able to say all I think, but I am not going to say anything I do not think. This is one of the various reasons why we have so many dedicated, devoted and brave police officers, such as yourself, Officer Cook, who sacrificed their lives in an effort to protect our freedoms to communicate with one another. Being the ever so thoughtful police officer, humble and calm, you only let your heroic and all your actions speak for themselves, it's usually the best way to get the desired results from your endeavors. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 9, 2014

True greatness is not accomplished overnight. It takes persistence, relentless effort, powerful ambition and most importantly, resilience in the face of setbacks. The camaraderie you made in your station house has been missed all throughout these many years, Officer Cook, since your sacrifice on behalf of Dade County citizens. There are no second acts in American lives. We sometimes tend to put extra words such as we have more time, another time or next day. In police work as in some other professions, one may not always receive one more time or another day. So we are blessed for what we have at the moment. You were never delusional in your calculations of person, place or time, only using your maximum talents to the fullest to produce the finest quality of success as a Metro-Dade Police Officer. A sure hero and legend who humility spoke volumes of your stellar character, rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 8, 2014

We are not all equal. All of us possess talents that the next person does not. Like a diver, Officer Cook, you stayed submerged in your career with the utmost courtesy, compassion and the comprehension necessary to perform properly and with integrity at all times. You enjoyed your life and career. You had a great upbringing from your loving and devoted parents and a wonderful sister, Nancy who loved you as any sibling would for their sibling. Your marriage to Karen was one built on the bonds not only of matrimony, but faith, loyalty and honesty as you both worked in profession that demand the highest level of honor and professionalism at all times. Pushing and prodding yourself certainly paid dividends in all your accomplishments that were done in a most humble fashion. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 7, 2014

I like what is in work-the chance to find yourself. Your own reality-for yourself, not for others-what no other man can ever know. You worked a profession that you thoroughly enjoyed, Officer Cook and you would not wanted it any other way. You were passionate about dispensing law and order in an honorable manner, like no other police officer. As stressful as a police officer's job might be, your job kept you reasonably healthy to where you could immerse yourself fully. You truly found an inner peace working with the various man and women who displayed the same kind of loyalty and bravery as you, Officer Cook. A goal driven individual, being out on patrol in the streets of Dade County allowed you to concentrate on the many tasks at hand. You showed a true grit and a mettle to match. Today, I visited your grave and laid four pinwheels by your stone. Life we know continues even through tragedy and those who pray for your soul all indeed miss you companionship. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. .

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 6, 2014

It has been a splendid tour of duty that you achieved in bravery, Officer Cook. You performed with a marvelous intelligence and spirit, favored by that fortune which loves the brave. It has now finished, we hope and pray with that fine good nature, which is after all, the distinguishing trait of your outstanding and uniquely calming character. To place yourself ahead of others so we may remain free of troubles, united together to form a common purpose and stay peaceful says a lot. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You let cooler heads prevail and this is the trail you paved for us all.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

This is God Almighty's war and we are only His agents. All we can expect of these finely trained and brave warriors is that they act accordingly and produce the effort that the tax paying citizens have come to expect of them. No one said it would be a picnic, but at least thanks in large part to you, Officer Cook and those comrades of yours who were unafraid to sacrifice on our behalf, you left us better prepared to face the tough times that may lie ahead. You paved the trail, paid the price and were the epitome of God's goodness that He planted on this earth. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero in God's greenest of fields where you now can observe all the entries and exits of those who were like yourself in speech and in action.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

Someone has said that God takes care of bad people and the United States. This expedition apparently relied on the probability that that axiom would prove true. God watches over the simple, the weak, the sick, the mighty, everyone. His police officers are looked after despite what they have to endure each and everyday. God measures us for how we speak and what comes out of our lips. He had no problems with men and women like yourself, Officer Cook, because He knows what you stood for and amplified in action and in pure, correct and proper linguistics. You set the bar as the example for how we should comport ourselves. That bar is pretty high as you now rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

Men and women must have their bread and butter, but they must have something to lift their hearts. The police departments are spending their allotted dollars in a proper fashion in an effort to keep more officers on the streets. They try to uplift people's spirits and the more they can do for them the better. You did your part, Officer Cook, smiling and greeting each individual happily and proudly. You wore your uniform humbly and honesty and are now looking down as one of God's blue angels. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. You took that one leap, a giant and a most humble one, Officer Cook, becoming a very special police officer in the Dade County community. It must have taken a lot of due diligence on your part, lots of studying, very taxing physical and mental awareness to be able to fulfill the dreams of a lifetime. You now have planted the steps in all of us to reach beyond our widest imaginations to become whatever we so desire to do with our lives. The ladder is high, but the goal remains to climb it one rung at a time. You deserve our heartfelt thanks for showing the gratitude and the proper attitude to get the job done correctly with a true fighting spirit and in dignity personified. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

I was not prepared for the bad lands. They deserve this name. they are like the work of an evil child. Such a place the fallen angels might have built as a spite to heaven, dry and sharp, desolate and dangerous and for me filled with foreboding. A sense comes from it that does not like or welcome humans. Officer Cook, as well as you may have trained and prepared, no one ever knows when that time may come calling. One sure thing is that you will forever remain a legend and a true Metro-Dade Police Department Hero shining brightly over all who knew and respected you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 5, 2014

Earth to a chamber of mourning turns-I hear the over weening, mocking voice, matter is conqueror-matter, triumphant only, continues onward. We have to go on, Officer Cook, for your family, friends, comrades. We have just begun the battle, now let us start thinking and acting in a soothing and passionate manner as you did. maybe we will get to witness the great results that your legendary professionalism has taken us to. You paved the way, laid a solid foundation to travel through, from thick and thin, from darkness to shining light, many a splendid picture to truly behold and to hang on to. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. From sea to shining sea, your soul for now and for eternity passes on by.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

Sorrow, the great idealizer. When I was a child people simply looked about them and were moderately happy; today they peer beyond the seven seas, bury themselves waist deep in tidings and by and large what they see and hear makes them unutterably sad. For all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: "It might have been." People still get upset at losing a love done, a close friend, a neighbor who was worth every dime as a courageous police officer as yourself, Officer Cook. I look at family albums of my parents and still cry and get upset, why I never met you and look at your picture and cry. I do it at your grave which I have visited quite a few times lately. It's perfectly normal to show one's emotions, I wear them on my sleeve. What should be a happy time for you and your family, has turned into grief over your untimely loss and that of your beloved father, Charles. I do hope and will always say a prayer for your beloved mother, Mrs. Julia Cook. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. People view life and death very differently as is our own DNAs.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

Not indolence, nor pleasure, nor the fret of restless passions that could not be stilled, but sorrow and a care that almost killed, kept me from what I may accomplish yet. If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. If only that day, Officer Cook, the first of your comrades to arrive at that fateful scene could have gotten that young man to surrender, the bloodshed and violence that day could have been avoided. You did your job to the best of your abilities, at least you were passionate, calm to a degree and gave proper instruction to your partner, Reserve Officer Scott Lincoln, who besides Detective Blocker escaped unscathed. I do not know what I might have done if I was your partner that day, say a lot of prayers that you would pull through and resume your career with your comrades as they battled for their lives in the hospital. The supreme sacrifice that you made was only for heaven's name and for the safety of the community that you loved patrolling and gracing with your compassion. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. We can only hope to see you one day and do pray for the welfare of your comrades who lived because of your unsung bravery to act accordingly. I'm sure Officers DiGenova and Edgerton think about you and would celebrate your retirements together.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

Be still, sad heart! And cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary. Some days are like this, we can't change the weather. But we can correct the courses that our life pursuits take us. Police officers cannot always control their fates, although they definitely can perform their jobs in a way that may make them less vulnerable to the perils that may await them in the streets. You worked and performed, Officer Cook as you were trained to do. Sizing up a situation and utilizing a calming and soothing tone translated into success for you most of your six years of duty as a safe and sound officer. All this has been noticeably absent, but those who worked with you have never forgotten your good name and the honor with which your represented your department and community. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Your goodness in name and in heroism will last forever.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

A lean sorrow is hardest to bear. All are hard to bear much less witness. Believe me, every person has their secret sorrows, which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call someone only when they are sad. You went through a sorrow, Officer Cook ,when your beloved father, Charles, passed away in November 1976, from what your nephew, Justin told me. The fact that your beloved mother, Mrs. Julia Cook, has unfortunately gone through these two tragic family sorrows shows us her endless courage unto itself, her physical regality, her spiritual resourcefulness and her ability to recognize and be able to continue her life in the very face of adversity. But make no mistake Officer Cook, you and your dad, Charles, served your country and community with the same exact amount of excellence, grace, dignity, integrity and ingenuity and bravery beyond what is expected of its faithful and loyal servants. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. God could not have two finer servants both in humbleness and in humility protecting His streets.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal, every other affliction to forget; but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open, this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude. In the deepest heart of all of us there is a corner in which the ultimate mystery of things works sadly. If you suffer, thank God!-it is a sign that you are alive. We may brood, we are surely allowed to be upset, in the doldrums, angry, bitter and however we should feel when police officers who are brave and bold lay down their lives for our protections. You were this type of person, Officer Cook, who viewed a challenge and relished the thought of doing something about it. The day of May 16, 1979, you were out on patrol about to finish your shift and heard of a call go out over the radio, you went to that call and saw what needed to be done and in the process you saved your comrades and those three civilians in a matter of a few minutes. I'm sorry as are all other citizens that something happened to such a fine and and dedicated young man so full of life. But Dade County and in Washington, D.C. they will forever remember your heroics and have been singing their praises for a job well done. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014

I have used this word a few times and believe it is matriculate. Something that life teaches us great lessons on how we can better ourselves and the world at large that we all reside in. It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy we face the storm and defy it. Police officers face many good people who are willing to roll up their sleeves, pick in and assist wherever they are needed. They too face their adversaries in all kinds of environments, something you faced many times, Officer Cook and were able to reach a sound and peaceful conclusion. Sorrow teaches us a great lesson in humility and in perseverance. They are afforded the greatest honors in death as they exposed themselves to the many dangers while here in their many communities trying to serve, protect and defend our rights, freedoms and liberties. Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need is purgatory. All we know my neighbor, friend and hero is that your soul is surrounding us at all times in God's golden streets that are reserved for its many heroes and heroines who were unafraid to meet life's many challenges. Rest in peace.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

February 4, 2014