Hungry heart

I have not been to Hungry Horse, Montana, but after looking at pictures for most of the morning, it seems like one of America's most peaceful places. The big sky mountain peaks are complimented by sun-glistened lakes, making the area a dream for someone who loves the great outdoors. Perhaps that's why Pvt. Nick Cook wasn't intimidated by the rugged terrain of Afghanistan, and had already made the decision to go back if his country needed him.

The Missoulian reports that Pvt. Cook indeed loved to be outside, where he snowboarded, biked, jumped out of planes, and played football and baseball. He particularly loved snowboarding, getting his start on nearby Whitefish Mountain. Cook would later tackle the Alps while stationed in Italy, and was planning a snowboarding trip to Alaska during some upcoming leave from Afghanistan.

Tragically, the 19-year-old would not be able to make that trip with his friends. According to the Pentagon, Cook was killed on March 7 in Afghanistan's Konar province, when terrorists attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. Cook was buried with full military honors on Saturday in Columbia Falls, Montana.

Reporter Vince Devilin writes that Cook had been primarily raised by his grandparents, Chuck and Kathy Taylor, since age three. The soldier is also survived by his mother, father, brother, and two sisters. Cook's grandma told the newspaper about why the young man decided on a life of service.

Cook chose Army Airborne, Taylor said, because an aunt, Beth Mueller of Lake Charles, La., had also served as a "sky soldier."

"Nick loved his aunt," Taylor said. "Whatever his auntie did, he listened to her."

Cook didn't talk much about Afghanistan with his grandparents.

"He told us it reminded him a lot of home, because of the mountains," Taylor said. "But that's almost all he told me about it. He didn't say much about what was going on. Of course, he was only there a couple of months."

Afghanistan's Konar province is filled with majestic peaks. Hopefully, in the soldier's final moments, Pvt. Nick Cook got one last glimpse at a mountain and thought of home. Hungry Horse will never be the same without the patriotic daredevil snowboarding down its hills, and neither will the United States of America.