Hero - Chief Warrant Officer 5 David F. Cooper
Distinguished Service Cross
Do you want to know what a hero is? Then read about CWO5 Cooper and marvel.
A 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) Soldier will be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross during a ceremony at 2 p.m. July 11 at the Personnel Processing Center, Bldg. 7162, on Fort Campbell, Ky.
Chief Warrant Officer 5 David F. Cooper is being awarded the DSC for extraordinary heroism when he selflessly chose to fly as a single attack helicopter at low levels over an active firefight to draw enemy fire away from United States Special Operations ground forces on the scene. He acted with complete disregard for his own safety as he single handedly took aerial action against an armed and numerically superior enemy during a combat engagement in central Iraq in 2006.
The DSC is the Army’s second highest award for combat valor and is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States during military operations. This is the eleventh DSC to be awarded for actions in Iraq since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. To date, Cooper is the only aviator to receive the DSC non-posthumously for actions in support of the War on Terror.
Adm. Eric T. Olson, Commander, United States Special Operations Command, and Lt. Gen. Robert W. Wagner, Commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, will preside over the ceremony and present the awards.
His bio is here [PDF file] but you should see his list of medals:
His awards and decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, two Bronze Star Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Air Medals for valor, four Air Medals, Army Commendation Medal for valor, two Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, three Southwest Asia Service Medals, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Award, Global War on Terrorism Service Award, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Saudi Arabia Liberation Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Master Army Aviator Badge.
Story via Blackfive and Guidons, Guidons!
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