MADISON, Wis.—Oct. 3, 2022—The Green Bay Packers and WPS Health Solutions paid special tribute this week to Army Sgt. Maj. Jim Cook and his family in conjunction with the Oct. 2 game against the New England Patriots. Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marks its 16th season in 2022.
Cook grew up in Arizona and Washington, entering the Army in 2000 at age 18 with the goal of becoming a police officer. He put in three years in the Army and then went into the Reserves so he could attend college. While in college, he was activated to train new recruits as a drill sergeant. He served in the Reserves from 2003–2008 but was activated for four of those years. In 2008, he signed up for active duty and was sent to join the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was deployed to Afghanistan in May 2009 and returned in July 2010. He then joined the intelligence section at Fort Bragg, where he served until 2015. He was deployed to Djibouti, Africa, and then again to Afghanistan. Cook was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., from 2015–2017, returned to Fort Bragg from 2017–2019, then moved to Fort Huachuca, Ariz. He moved to Fort Shafter, Hawaii, in 2021 and is still stationed there. He has served 22 years in the Army and is looking forward to retiring next year.
Cook attended the game with his sister, Jessica Basile, dad, Mike, and mom, Mary. Cook and his family live in Hawaii.
As the honorees for Operation Fan Mail this week, the Cook family also received four tickets to the game and a $150 Packers Pro Shop gift card, courtesy of WPS.
The program, which debuted in 2007, is designed to honor families with a member who is on active duty or a member who is a veteran. The Packers and WPS Health Solutions will host a family at each 2022 season home game and recognize the members on the video boards during pregame activities. A total of 151 individuals, families, or groups have been recognized through the program since it began.
The Packers and WPS Health Solutions invite interested families, or friends of eligible families, to submit an essay, 500 words or less, on why a particular family should be saluted this year. Families intended for recognition are those that have a member serving on active duty, or a member who is a veteran. The family member can be a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, or sibling.
Essays can be submitted online at operationfanmail.com or sent to:
Operation Fan Mail
P.O. Box 10628
Green Bay, WI, 54307-0628.
The appearance of U.S. military visual information does not imply or constitute endorsement by the U.S. military.
To see a gallery of past honorees, visit OperationFanMail.com.
