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Published on Tuesday, October 19, 2004
in the Peoria Journal Star, IL
Father of slain Marine says son 'wanted the best for everybody else'
PEORIA - In the early morning hours of Oct. 12, Mark Zook, a Florida Highway Patrol corporal, had to tell a family that their 25-year-old son been killed in a car accident.
That evening, as he repaired damage to his garage from Hurricane Charley, he watched as three men approached to tell him that his 24-year-old son, Ian, had also been killed - while serving his country in Iraq.
Just the month before, on Sept. 20, Marine Cpl. Ian Zook narrowly escaped death when his Humvee ran over a mine while going to rescue wounded soldiers.
He told his dad that he got "all messed up" in the accident. Shrapnel had injured his right arm. The Marine sitting beside him lost his legs.
But after medical personnel fixed Ian up, he was back out doing his job, Zook said. "He was just that type of guy."
Ian Zook lived in East Peoria until he was 4. His father worked for Caterpillar Inc. but was laid off during the recession of the early 1980s. In 1984, Mark Zook moved his family to Port St. Lucie, Fla.
"We homeschooled (Ian) for about six years," Mark Zook said. "He started at Faith Baptist School in seventh grade and set a goal for himself to make straight A's. He graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1999."
He then attended Word of Life Bible College in Hudson, Fla., but later decided he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps.
He began studying criminal justice at a local junior college, but a conversation with an FBI agent in the parking lot of the local grocery store where Ian Zook bagged groceries changed his direction. The agent told him that he got into the FBI through the Marine Corps. He joined the Marines in May 2001.
His first duty station was in Kings Bay, Ga., not too far from home. He was later transferred to Twentynine Palms, Calif., almost 3,000 miles away.
He came home in late July, the last time his family saw him, and left for Iraq in August. The Sunday before Ian died, he called to check in. He also e-mailed them a photo of him standing next to the Humvee that was later destroyed by a mine. Ian Zook liked to send his family pictures of everything, especially the sunsets in the desert.
Before his injuries in the Sept. 20 accident, Ian Zook was scheduled to receive a Purple Heart for for injuries he sustained. He also carried a fatally injured soldier to medical care.
Mark Zook said the first few days after his son's death have been very difficult for his family, some who still live in the Peoria area.
"We'll see pictures, remember something and that's tough," Mark Zook said.
Mark Zook said Ian was very proud of what he was doing in Iraq. "From what I understand, he was an excellent leader," he said. "There's a lot of people (in Iraq) who looked to him for guidance.
"He was a very happy-go-lucky, loving and caring person that looked after the little guy, that loved the Lord and just wanted the best for everybody else."