Born: April 26, 1923
Died: May 16, 1947
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima
Highest Rank Attained: Private First Class
Decorations:
Howard Cooper was born in West Virginia in 1924. His father, John Howard Cooper, died in 1928, leaving his wife Carrie to raise eight children and run the family boarding house. When Carrie died in July, 1942, her two sons decided to join the Marine Corps. Howard and his older brother Carl both went through boot camp at Parris Island, and stuck together to become machine gunners with Dog Company, 24th Marines.
With Dog Company:
Howard Cooper was a gunner with the Third Machine Gun Platoon. He was anxious to get overseas. Two of his cousins had been killed aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, and Cooper wanted to avenge their deaths. He quickly earned a reputation for drinking heavily on liberty and picking fights; he was busted in rank from PFC to private for going over the hill in January.
Cooper got his wish to go into combat in February, 1942, as his company landed on Namur. By the end of the two-day battle, he had gained his battle experience, but lost a brother. Carl was shot in the head and killed on February 2.
With Charlie Company
Howard Cooper was transferred to Charlie Company's machine gun platoon in March, 1944. His reputation for trouble on liberty was quickly matched by his reputation for volunteering for the most dangerous assignments and his gung-ho attitude on the battlefield. The young gunner fought through Saipan and Tinian, earning back his PFC stripe in the fall of 1944.
Despite his hard-charging attitude, Cooper survived the war unwounded. He returned to Kanawha after his discharge.
Howard Cooper was killed in a car accident in 1947; he was only twenty four years old. He was buried alongside his parents and brother in Sawmill Cemetery.