THE WALL OF FACES

My father and mother went to Edsel Ford with John and still talk about what a great friend he was and how much he was missed.

Operation Atlanta (October 19 – December 8, 1966) was a road security operation in Bien Hoa Province, RVN, carried out by the 11th Armored Cavalry “Blackhorse” Regiment (11th ACR) and was the first major combat operation of the 11th ACR in the war. The objective of the operation was to clear and secure lines of communication in three provinces near Saigon (Long Khanh, Phuoc Tuy, and portions of Bien Hoa) and secure the new Blackhorse Base Camp south of Xuan Loc (in Long Khanh Province). At first, the operation was limited to clearing and securing National Route QL-1 from Xuan Loc to Bien Hoa and interprovincial route LTL-2 to the base camp; however, as the operation continued, the 11th ACR extended its operations away from the roads and throughout the area. Regimental experience varied from Roadrunner and convoy escort duties to cordon and search operations in which the squadrons sealed off an area and then moved in, both mounted and dismounted, to drive out the Viet Cong. During Operation Atlanta, the Army Security Agency’s 409th Radio Research Detachment was attached to the 11th ACR to provide the Regiment with communications intelligence, specifically manual morse and voice interception, along with radio direction finding. Small teams from the 409th Radio Research Detachment deployed with elements of the 11th ACR in direct support of combat operations while others maintained collection sites at isolated fire support bases. On the sixth day of Atlanta (October 24th), a jeep carrying three members of the 409th Radio Research Detachment was ambushed on LTL-2, three kilometers (1.8 miles) northwest of Blackhorse Base Camp. Their vehicle was hit by a command detonated Claymore mine followed by three rounds of sniper fire. The attack killed passenger 1LT John F. Cochrane and wounded one another. Cochrane died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head and fragmentation injuries. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star medal for meritorious achievement. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and “Operational Report - Lessons Learned, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment for quarterly period ,31 January 1967” at archive.org]

First Lieutenant John Floyd Cochrane, Served with the 409th Radio Research Detachment, 303rd Radio Research Battalion, 509th Army Security Agency Group, Army Security Agency, United States Army Vietnam.

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. The remembrances from those who served with you are touching and attest to their admiration and respect for you. May you rest in eternal peace.

The school picture for John Cochrane is from his senior year at Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn, Michigan in 1960. Help with the photo came from Nancy Horvath Martinsen and other classmates and friends of John's at Edsel Ford. He is still remembered and missed by his class.