Staff Report
SIDNEY _ The Sidney American Legion benefit event Saturday raised more than $13,000 for a soldier hurt in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas.
Matthew Cooke, 30, formerly of the Sidney area, appeared via a Web video connection and spoke with area residents attending the dinner and auction activities at the Legion Hall at 22 Union St., said Edward ``Ed'' Hoffman, the lead organizer of the benefit.
Hoffman said 308 tickets for a roast beef dinner were sold, and businesses and individuals contributed items for silent and live auction. The preliminary tally was $13,224, he said, but some envelopes, checks and donations are still being counted. The Hulse Brothers Band provided country and classic- rock music, he said.
Hoffman, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, said the event and support for Cooke were ``heartwarming'' examples of the care the community has for its soldiers who serve in the U.S. military forces.
Cooke, of Forward Support Company, 20th Battalion, 36th Brigade, was among 30 people injured when Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire at Fort Hood on Nov. 5. Twelve soldiers and one civilian died, and Hasan faces criminal charges.
Cooke was shot several times, and he has been credited with saving the life of another soldier.
Cooke's father, Carl Cooke of Sidney, said ``it was great'' to see his son via the Web and that he seems to be doing well.
``He's still alive, and I thank the Lord for that,'' Carl Cooke said Sunday night. The community came together, as it did after the flood of 2006, to help someone in need, he said, adding that the effort as ``awesome.''
Cooke, a 1998 graduate of Afton Central School who also attended school in Sidney, joined the Army in 2005 and previously served in the Marines. He had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this year.
