THE WALL OF FACES

COLONEL

WILLIAM EARL COOPER

was a posthumous recipient of the

AIR FORCE CROSS


who remains to this day as being


/////// -- MISSING IN ACTION -- \\\



YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN

NOR SHALL YOU EVER BE



========================================


CITATION FOR AWARD OF THE

AIR FORCE CROSS

TO

*COOPER, WILLIAM EARL

( MISSING IN ACTION )

Lieutenant Colonel

United States Air Force

469 Tactical Fighter Squadron

Korat Royal Thai Air Base

Thailand

Date of Action: 24 April 1966


The Air Force Cross is presented to William Earl Cooper, Lieutenant Colonel, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as Commander of the 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron on April 24, 1966. On that date Lieutenant Colonel Cooper led a mission to attack the Phu Lang Thuong Bridge, which was an important enemy supply bridge for rail and truck traffic from China to North Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Cooper was listed as " Missing in Action " when he failed to return from this dangerous and important mission. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Lieutenant Colonel Cooper reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.




14 February 1999

I have not forgotten you. I chair the Adoption Committee for The National League of Families of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. We will always remember the 1,889 Americans still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia and the thousands of others that lost their lives. We will not stop our efforts until all of you are home where you belong.

We need to reach the next generation so that they will carry on when our generation is no longer able. To do so, we are attempting to locate photographs of all the missing. If you are reading this remembrance and have a photo and/or memory of this missing American that you would like to share for our project, please contact me at:

Candace Lokey
PO Box 206
Freeport, PA 16229
[email protected]

If you are not familiar with our organization, please visit our web site at :

www.pow-miafamilies.org

The poor brave soldier ne'er despise, nor count him as a stranger!!!...REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...he's his country's stay!!!!...in day and hour of DANGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I should die, and leave you here awhile, be not like others, sore undone, who keep long vigils by the silent dust and weep...for MY sake, turn again to life, and smile...Nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do something to comfort other hearts than thine...Complete these dear, unfinished tasks of mine,...and I, perchance, may therein comfort you.

Col. Cooper, I have worn your MIA bracelet almost seven years now, and hopefully, will wear it for much longer. I just want you to know that your sacrifice for us has helped teach my son what love and sacrifice and honor and patriotism all mean, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. We will pray for you always.