Colonel William Cooper

Col. William Earl "Coop" Cooper was born on September 16, 1920, in Dothan, Alabama and was raised in Albany, GA where he graduated from Albany High School in 1938. Pursuing his lifelong desire to be a fighter pilot, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on July 13, 1939, and entered Infantry Officer Candidate School on September 16, 1940. After graduating from OCS on November 9, 1942, Lt Cooper transferred to the Army Air Forces and completed Pilot Training in April 1944. He flew B-24 Liberator bombers in China and the Pacific Theater from late 1944 until the end of the war. Cooper left active duty and entered the Air Force Reserve on January 24, 1946, and was recalled to active duty on February 3, 1951. He then served as an instructor pilot until August 1956, when he transferred to the 53rd Fighter Day Squadron (redesignated the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron in July 1958) at Bitburg, Landstuhl, and then Ramstein AB, West Germany, where he served until June 1959. Maj Cooper then served as an instructor pilot with the 3556th Flying Training Squadron at Perrin AFB, Texas, from June 1959 to March 1960, followed by service as an Operations Officer with the 4138th Strategic Wing at Turner AFB, Georgia, from March 1960 to July 1963 during compassionate duty for his father during his illness. His next assignment with the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron, the 831st Air Division, and then the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron at George AFB, California, where he served from July 1963 to July 1964, and then with the 469th TFS at McConnell AFB, Kansas, until November 1965. Col Cooper took command of the 469th TFS and deployed with the unit to Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand, in November 1965, and was listed as Missing-in-Action on April 24, 1966. On April 24, 1966, a multi-plane strike force departed Korat Airbase, Thailand on a strike mission on a highway-railroad bridge north of Hanoi. The target was a vital link, bearing traffic coming down from China.

The Squadron Commander (and commander of the mission), Lt Col. William E. Cooper was in one flight of four F105s. As the first flight approached the target, Cooper's F105D was hit by a surface-to-air missile (SAM). The plane subsequently broke in half, and the front section, with canopy intact, was observed as it fell into a flat spin. Witnesses did not see Cooper eject and and believed the he went down with the aircraft, but there was doubt enough that the Air Force determined him Missing in Action rather than killed. He was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the period he was maintained Missing in Action.Col Cooper, along with all other Vietnam MIA/POW's (excepting Col. Charles Shelton) was declared dead by President Carter on February 9, 1978.

On July 31, 1989, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) repatriated a box of remains to the U.S. that allegedly contained the remains of Cooper. Due to the state of technology at that time, the remains could not be identified.

On Oct. 31, 1993, a joint U.S./S.R.V. team surveyed a site associated with Cooper’s loss, but found no evidence of an aircraft; however, one local villager recalled seeing an American F-105 crash on April 24, 1966, about nine miles from the current site. The villager also reported that after the aircraft crashed, he went to the scene, where he helped bury the pilot’s remains and after the war helped a Vietnamese military official exhume the remains. The joint team then surveyed the purported crash site. From April to November 1997, multiple joint U.S./S.R.V. teams excavated the purported crash site and possible burial site of Cooper. The team recovered human remains, as well as aircraft wreckage and crew-related materials. Between October 1995 and April 2013, samples of the remains were sent to the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) for analysis; however, due to state of technology, the remains could not be identified at that time. With the advances in technology, DPAA and AFDIL scientists re-examined the remains and were able to make an identification in 2014. In the identification of Cooper, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA, which matched his sisters’ DNA. William E. Cooper was awarded the Air Force Cross, 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 8 Air Medals with 7 oak leaf clusters and the Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.

A beloved husband, father, son and brother, he was preceded in death at the time of his identification in 2014 by his parents John L. and Corrie B. Cooper, Albany, GA, his wife Thelma (Banks) Cooper, Tarpon Springs, Fl, and sister Martha Eslinger of LaGrange, GA. He is survived by daughters Marianne (Gary) Brand, Tallahassee, FL, Carolyn Cooper Boswell, Tarpon Springs, FL, Amy Cooper Berkes (Greg), McDonough, GA, Sons William E. Cooper (Marjorie), Winter Park, FL, John D. Cooper (Deborah), Bryan, TX, Clayton L. Cooper (Jackie), Tarpon Springs, FL, sister Betty (Richard) Daniel, LaGrange, GA. Grandchildren Lisa (Maurice) Clark, Lynda (Curt) Fallaw, Vann Boswell, James (Jenifer) Boswell, William "Bebo" Cooper, Jordan (Sonny)Cooper Simpson, Lindsay Cooper, John Tyler Cooper, Elizabeth Berkes, Gregory Berkes, Christopher Cooper and 11 great-grandchildren. He was also survived by many well-loved in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

First Visitation: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 6:00pm-8:00pm, Arlington Forest Methodist Church, 4701 Arlington Blvd., Arlington, VA.

Burial Service with full military honors: Thursday, April 23, 2015 1:00pm Fort Myer Old Post Chapel 204 Lee Avenue. Building 335, Fort Myer, VA. Senior Chaplain Lt. Col. Michael W. Husfelt, officiating.

Internment: Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA

The family wishes to thank all the many dedicated personnel involved in obtaining this identification and bringing closure to his waiting family after 49 long years. We would also like to thank The National League of POW/MIA Families and the countless number of dedicated Veterans and patriotic Americans that kept the POW/MIA issue alive so that America doesn't rest until they ALL come home. The family extends an invitation to all to attend Col. Cooper's funeral. It will be our honor to have you in attendance.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association in memory of William E Cooper.
P.O. Box 1553, Front Royal, VA 22630-0033 follow "give direct" link www.river-rats.org