Injured Iraq War veteran returns to Wauconda

October 1, 2007 (WLS) -- A wounded Iraqi war veteran is getting a hero's homecoming. Army Specialist Joe Cook is one of three brothers from Wauconda who have served in the war.

He was badly wounded when the vehicle he was in was hit by a roadside bomb. Cook arrived at O'Hare airport Monday.

There is a three-star flag on Bob and Melissa Cook's front door, for their three sons in Iraq. Middle son Joe came home Monday.

"As soon as I heard that voice and the way he sounded, I knew he had been hurt and something was wrong, and I said, 'How bad?' He said 'Oh, it's pretty bad.' I said, 'I'm ready, tell me,'" said Bob Cook.

The blast from a roadside bomb had crushed Joe Cook's left leg below the knee. It happened in Baghdad. Five times before, he had felt the concussion from IEDs, but this time the blast was more powerful.

"We are just happy he's coming home. You're never prepared, not when it's your child," said Bob Cook.

Late Monday afternoon, Joe Cook came home after weeks of stateside rehab.

"They're going to have to teach me how to walk without a limp, teach me how to run again. It should be fun," Joe Cook said.

He was captain of his high school cross country team but now will walk now with a prosthesis. His welcome home at the airport is being followed by a welcome home in the village of Wauconda. The village has made it a habit to welcome every combat vet back home.

"We want to make sure that nobody has the experience that our brothers and sisters had coming back from previous wars. We want everyone to feel welcome," police officer Pat Yost said.

Joe Cook said he's relaxed and looking ahead to college.

All three of the Cook brothers enlisted in the Army within six months of each other, and all volunteered for service in Iraq. Their parents say each one of the sons was determined to pursue that choice. And while the parents are extremely excited to have Joe back at home, they still have two sons in Iraq.

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