In the early morning hours of Aug. 1, three Marines were speedily driving along Likelike Highway heading toward Honolulu when the driver lost control and collided with a rock wall.
Two of the Marines in the car were pronounced dead on the scene, while the driver was sent to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to a Honolulu Police Department statement on the case.
“Speed and alcohol both appear to be contributing factors to this collision,” the statement said.
The incident is currently under investigation and the driver, later released from the hospital, has not been arrested or charged, according to a statement from the Marine Corps. The name of the driver has not been released due to privacy concerns.
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Pfc. Jordan Cook, 21, from Kitsap, Washington, and Lance Cpl. Gabriel Clark, 20, from Ramsey, Minnesota, were killed in the accident.
Cook, a supply administration specialist, joined the Corps in August 2019, according to Capt. Eric Abrams, a spokesman for Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
When Cook told his sister that he wanted to enlist in the Corps, her first response wasn’t the most encouraging, she told Marine Corps Times in a phone call.
“The first thing I said to him was you’re fat,” Ashley Carlson said in the phone call. “He was like the total chubby little kid who played video games all day.”
But Cook was confident that he could put in the work required to earn the title Marine, telling his sister that he “could fix his body,” easier than she could fix her attitude.
Cook spent a year getting in shape before shipping off to boot camp, going for a run every morning and losing the weight he put on sitting on the couch, Carlson said.
He transformed “from this little kid I had known my whole life to this grown man,” Carlson said.
Cook was part of Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Forces Pacific, and was stationed on Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii, Abrams said in the release.
His medals include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
“Cook was a valuable member of our command, and his tragic loss has impacted our entire Marine Corps family,” Col. Tony Bango, the battalion’s commander, said in an emailed statement.
“Our deepest condolences go out to PFC Jordan Cook’s family, and our thoughts and prayers are with them always, as this young Marine’s spirit and legacy endures,” he added.
Clark was a 6176 Osprey crew chief assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 located at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Abrams said in the email.
He joined the Corps in October of 2018 and his medals include the National Defense Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Abrams said.
“Lance Cpl. Clark had an infectious positive outlook on everything he did and always made people smile,” Gunnery Sgt. Timothy Sampley, VMM-363′s flightline chief, said of the Marine.
“He made the tough times easier to handle. He was a great Marine and is sorely missed,” he added.
Clark’s family did not respond for comment.
This story has been updated to correct the last name of Pfc. Jordan Cook.
