Thomas R. Cooley
Thomas Ross Cooley | |
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USS Almaack | |
Battles/wars | World War I Yangtze Patrol Nicaraguan Campaign World War II |
Awards | Legion of Merit Commendation Medal (2) |
Thomas Ross Cooley (June 26, 1893 – November 28, 1959) was a decorated officer in the
Following the War, Cooley served as Commander,
Early career
Thomas R. Cooley was born on June 26, 1893, in Grass Valley, California, the son of Pianos commission agent, Thomas R. Cooley Sr. and Mary Adelaide Cota. He graduated from the high school in his hometown and earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland in summer 1913. While at the academy, Cooley was active in German Class committee and was nicknamed "Ross" and "Sosh".[3][1][2]
Among his classmates were future four star admirals
Due to the
Cooley returned to the United States in October 1920 and was ordered to the
He was subsequently ordered to the
In April 1929, Cooley was attached to the staff of Commander, Special Service Squadron and served as Aide and Flag lieutenant to Rear admiral Edward H. Campbell. He served in this capacity aboard cruiser USS Rochester and participated in the patrols in the Caribbean during the United States occupation of Nicaragua for which he won Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Diploma.[1][2][11]
Cooley assumed command of destroyer USS Yarnall in January 1932 and operated her with the Scouting Fleet along the East Coast and Atlantic until May that year, when he was ordered to Washington, D.C. for duty in Bureau of Navigation. He was ordered back for sea duty in June 1934, when he joined light cruiser USS Concord as Gunnery officer under Captain Alexander Sharp Jr.[1][12]
He took part in the patrols off Hawaii, Alaska, and in the Panama Canal Zone, before he was promoted to Commander on June 30, 1937, and ordered back to the Naval Academy for duty in the Department of Seamanship and Navigation. Cooley was appointed Executive officer of heavy cruiser USS Wichita in June 1940 and took part as the part of Cruiser Division 7 in goodwill cruise to South America.[1][2]
World War II
Cooley assumed command of newly commissioned
The Almaack was transferred to South Pacific in April 1942 and after completing convoy duty to
In April 1944, Cooley was ordered back to South Pacific and assumed command of battleship
Cooley was promoted to the temporary rank of
Postwar career
Following the
He was placed in command of a task unit and made Commander of the
In October 1950, he was ordered to
Death
Following the retirement from the Navy, Cooley settled in Menlo Park, California and was active in the Naval Order of the United States, was a member of the United States Naval Institute, and United States Naval Academy Alumni Association. He died from a heart attack on November 28, 1959, while on the visit of his youngest daughter, Mary Lawrence Aitken at Quantico, Virginia at the age of 66. Vice admiral Cooley was buried together with his wife, at Monticello National Park Grounds in Charlottesville, Virginia. They had three daughters Adelaide, Mary and Margaret.[5][1]
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Vice admiral Cooley:[15]
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1st Row |
Combat "V"
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Combat "V" and one 5⁄16" Gold Star
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2nd Row |
World War I Victory Medal with Fleet Clasp |
Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal | Yangtze Service Medal | ||||||||||||
3rd Row |
American Defense Service Medal with "A" Device |
American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
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4th Row |
Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with one silver and two bronze 3/16 inch service stars |
World War II Victory Medal
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Navy Occupation Service Medal | ||||||||||||
5th Row |
National Defense Service Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal with two stars |
Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit with Diploma |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Vice admiral Thomas R. Cooley - Biography". oocities.org.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia - Thomas R. Cooley". pwencycl.kgbudge.com. The Pacific War Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
- ^ "Thomas R. Cooley - USNA 1917".
- ^ "Lucky Bag - USNA Class of 1908". United States Naval Academy. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1916. p. 72. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1917. p. 70. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1921. pp. 50–51. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1925. p. 56. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1926. p. 56. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1 July 1930. p. 48. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Valor awards for Thomas R. Cooley". valor.militarytimes.com. Militarytimes Websites. Retrieved June 19, 2018.