Cooper, Claude Vernon, Jr., RM2

AR 2/c CLAUDE VERNON COOPER
aviation radioman and aerial gunner
U. S. NAVY AIR CORPS, WORLD WAR II

Hometown:  HAZARD, Perry County, Kentucky, USA.

Date of Birth: 7 November 1923.

Entered Service From:  Kentucky

Enlistment Date:  January 1943.  

Discharge Date:  January 1946.  

Branch of Service:  U. S. Navy Air Corps.

Combat Organization:  Gunner and Radioman. CASU 3 (Combat Aircraft Service Unit)

Boot Camp:  Trained at Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Company 145, Navy Chief Carruthers.  In his company were Perry County men known to him: Jack Brashear of Hazard, Ivon Brown "Cotton" Brashear of Viper and Carlo (Mac) Whitaker of Mason's Creek.

Next Duty, Tennessee:  Cotton Brashear and Cooper went to Millington Naval Air Technical Training Center.  Became Avaition Radiomen and Aerial Gunners.  Graduated, Honor Man of the Class.

Next Duty, Florida:  Lake City Naval Air Station.

Next Duty, South Carolina:  Beaufort Naval Air Station.  

Next Duty, Florida:  Cecil Field Training Base, where Chief Keith Hall was Chief Gunner Instructor, and his brother, Bob Hall was a neighbor of mine and lived on Poplar Street in Hazard. 

Next Duty, California:  Traveled by train to San Francisco.  

Next at Treasure Island Naval Base.

Next Duty, U. S. S. WEST POINT: sailed to Noumea, New Caldeonia, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands.  

More training at Lugan Field.

South Pacific Offensive: Henderson Field.  Guadalcanal. Vella Lavella as a replacement in CASU "Black Sheep" Squadron, Commanded by Gregory "Pappy" Boyington.  Cooper's friend, Bill Farler of Bulan, Kentucky was there.

3 January 1944:  Assisted in pre-flight of Major Boyington's plane. His plane was shot down that day, and he became a Prisoner of War. The Black Sheep were disbanded and we were sent back to Guadalcanal, later to Samar, Philippine Island, on to Clark Air Base.

"I was standing before the gates of Santo Tomas University, when the gates were opened and the American prisoners were taken out in open truck. Most of them looked like skeletons", stated Vernon Cooper. Return Home On Leave: Landed at Alameda Naval Air Station, San Francisco, California. On leave Cooper ran into Paul Brown of Lothair, Kentucky, who was a Navy Hospital Corpsman stationed at Nob Hill Naval Hospital.  

Next was a train ride to Lexington, Kentucky, followed by a Greyhound Bus to Hazard.

Next Duty, California: Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. Chief Paul A. Brinegar of the Communication Office, sent me to Farragut, Idaho for officers school. He became Wishbone, the cook on the TV series, Rawhide.

Battles, Campaigns, Theatres: Guadalcanal. Pacific Theatre.

Date of Death: 7 February 2007.

Place of Death: Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky.

Cemetery: David Young Combs Cemetery, Hazard, Perry County, Kentucky. 

Dr. C. V. Cooper, Jr., prominent Hazard business man passed peacefully at the ARH Hazard, Ky., February 7, 2007 with his family members and friends by his side. He was 83 years young. A graduate of Hazard High School in 1941. Mr. Cooper has degree's from the University of Kentucky and Auburn University. Honorary doctrine degree's from Eastern Kentucky University and Cumberland College. He served his country proudly during WWll in the United State Navy as an aviation radioman and aerial gunner in the Theatre of operations-Solomon and Philippine Islands. His rank upon discharge was AR/2C (Aviation Radioman second class).