Posted on 07/29/2008 5:11:00 AM PDT by cll
Profiles of valor: USA CWO Cooper
On the afternoon of 27 November 2006, Chief Warrant Officer 5 David Cooper of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment—the “Night Stalkers” —was leading a formation of six helicopters north of Baghdad. The formation comprised two AH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters (one flown by Cooper), two MH-6 troop-carrying Little Birds, and two MH-60 Black Hawks carrying Special Operations soldiers. When the formation was 50 kilometers from Baghdad, Cooper heard his wingman shout “Mayday!” An insurgent had hit the helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade, severing the tail rotor. Despite the damage, Cooper’s wingman was able to land his helicopter without sustaining major injuries, and the other helicopters in the formation landed to assist.
The Black Hawks soon evacuated the downed pilots, leaving behind 20 special operators and the Little Bird pilots to set up a perimeter around the disabled helicopter. Forty minutes later, eight enemy anti-aircraft gun trucks approached the crash site, and Cooper took off in his Little Bird to investigate. He immediately came under attack by the enemy force but stayed in the air to draw fire away from the exposed U.S. soldiers on the ground. Meanwhile, two more trucks unloaded enemy forces into a house about 800 yards away, where they began to set up mortars and machine guns.
Cooper immediately began attacking the numerically superior force using his Little Bird’s miniguns and rockets. When his helicopter ran out of ammunition, Cooper landed and the men on the ground quickly unloaded the rockets from the downed helicopter and put them on Cooper’s, despite intense enemy fire. Cooper took off and again started to pummel the enemy despite the bullets that were striking the helicopter inches from his face. When low fuel forced Cooper to land again, the soldiers on the ground used a Leatherman tool to remove an auxiliary fuel tank from the disabled helicopter and attach it to Cooper’s Little Bird. Cooper went back into battle a third time, finishing off the trucks and mortar positions once and for all.
For Chief Warrant Officer 5 David Cooper’s “complete disregard for his personal safety and extreme courage under fire,” he became the first Night Stalker to be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. “I just happened to be the guy there that day,” Cooper said. “Any one of the Night Stalkers that’s in this formation would have done the same thing I did.”
Note: The Distinguished Service Cross (the Army equivalent of the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross, is second in precedence only to the Medal of Honor)
The SOF/SOCOM guys and supporting units, like the 160th, get the best of everything.
Best equipment.
Best training.
Best people.
Everybody else gets to deal with the “everyday” duties, equipment, personnel, etc, yet they’re pulling their own weight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’m currently reading Takedown, the full account of the 3rd Infantry Division invasion and assault into Iraq and Baghdad. In this conventional unit, you’ll find many examples of leadership, courage, competence and outstanding soldiering.
‘zactly.
guys, please understand I am not disparaging line units. Line units just don’t have the same way of doing things thats all... Great people in line units. Line units fantastic. northing I love more than an Army line unit. Army line units are really great...
Ok, are we good now?
Just darn.
Took off and attacked the enemy in support of a downed chopper and some troops. Ran out of ammo. Landed and reloaded from damaged chopper. Took off and fought until low on fuel. Landed and REFUELED from downed chopper after some MacGuyver types got the aux fuel tank loose using their Leatherman tool. Took off and finished wiping out the Talibunnies.
You couldn’t put this in an military action/adventure story. Nobody would believe it.
Where the heck do we get people like this?
“Ok, are we good now?”
Special Operations ARE Special.
the infowarrior
About eight or nine years ago.
Actually, the CW5 grade was established in the early 90’s. I didn’t see my first CW5 until the late 90’s, tho.
lol
the infowarrior
Only if the Glorious Fedayeen had dragged him and his buddies around the streets of Baghdad./sarc
> It is a good read and I highly recommend it.
I’m going to the library today, and on the strength of your recommendation I’ll check it out.
Thanks!
...I worked on my MBA at Campbell with Mike Durant, and a couple other Nightstalkers- those guys are high speed...Mike got me through financial management...
We met David Cooper today in North Carolina.. He was so nice to pick up a dead rat (ok, it was a baby mouse.. but it was still gross!!).. I mean, we almost sat down right beside it!! What a hero!
After reading about his accomplishments in the Army, We are very happy to have met him and now appreciate him even more! Thank you Mr. Cooper for all you have done for us and our country!!
- The 3 girls at CLT on 5/23/09
Thank you for sharing your story.
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