Retired U.S. Army Col. John Cooper once assisted the grieving families of fallen soldiers as director of the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operations Division. He doesn’t forget military families and their sacrifices, and he urges all Americans to do the same. The Humboldt native shared his thoughts and experiences May 22 during the University of Tennessee at Martin’s 26th Memorial Day Commemoration ceremony held in the Boling University Center’s Watkins Auditorium.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember those who have died in the nation’s service. UT Martin annually observes the day of remembrance on the Friday before the official Memorial Day holiday, which falls this year on May 25.
Cooper is a 1989 UT Martin business administration graduate. His U.S. Army service spanned 28 years as an intelligence and human resources officer, specializing in senior-level advising in intelligence and human resources strategic structure. His military career includes multiple deployments and operations throughout the Middle East, most notably in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Kuwait. He currently serves as the executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. He and his wife, Tanza, also a UT Martin graduate, live in Mt. Juliet.
The colors were presented by UT Martin Army ROTC Battalion cadets Ian Eastridge, a sport business major from Dover, and Mason Enochs, a computer science major from Newbern. The national anthem was sung by Sarah Del Valle, a cell and molecular biology major from Union City.
Lt. Col. Robert Hawkins, professor of military science, emceed the program. UT Martin Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. and Weakley County Mayor Dale Hutcherson each welcomed commemoration attendees.
“Memorial Day is more than just the beginning of the summer or a long weekend for family. … Today we honor not only those who made the ultimate sacrifice but also the families who carry that sacrifice with them every single day,” Freeman said in welcoming comments. “Their strength and devotion remind us that service to our country extends well beyond the battlefield.”
Freeman said that education and citizenship share a deep connection at UT Martin, which means preparing students for successful careers in their chosen profession and as leaders “who understand duty, who understand service, character and community.”
“Memorial Day reminds us that freedom carries responsibility, and then each generation must decide how it will honor the sacrifices of the individuals who came before us.”
Hutcherson followed Freeman on the program and told why Memorial Day has special meaning for his family. His great uncle, Richard Smith, made the ultimate sacrifice at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, considered the largest World War II naval battle.
“He’s still missing today, but we know that he gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live, work and play as we please,” Hutcherson said. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice so I could stand before you today and talk freely about how much I appreciate not only our veterans but those who have fought and died for us.”
During his opening comments, Cooper responded to Hutcherson’s personal story by assuring him that the search continues for his great uncle and other missing military members, one of Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs’ primary missions.
Cooper’s main message centered around the challenge to Americans to “promise, proclaim and protect.”
“We must promise that every family who bears the weight of loss that their loved ones will remain at the forefront of our thoughts and our prayers,” Cooper said. “We must proclaim that Memorial Day remain sacred, a highly esteemed commemoration since its inception of 1868. …
“And we must protect. We must protect the legacy of our fallen to protect the memories of the service, their sacrifice and their commitment to this nation.”
Cooper said that these commitments are possible if the nation maintains high moral standards, values and principles. The country must also move toward unity and away from division.
“We also must never ever – never ever, and I emphasize this – take democracy for granted, but we must defend it and we must protect it,” he said. “We must be a nation that remembers and never forgets the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen heroes, a nation that protects the families they left behind, particularly our Gold Star families.”
Cooper paused to recognize Mike and Molly Morel, the only Gold Star Family present. Their son, Marine Capt. Brent Morel, a 1999 UT Martin graduate, was killed April 7, 2004, near the city of Fallujah in Iraq. Gold Star families have lost an immediate family member as a result of active military service.
“Memorial Day should call us back to one of America’s true purposes: to pause, to honor, to remember those who gave everything for our freedoms,” Cooper said. “For many, Memorial Day feels like a celebration, but for the families that grieve, it is anything but.”
Cooper told how his time leading Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs showed him the courage and level of service exhibited by families and was one the most rewarding but challenging jobs in his military career. He described difficult and heartbreaking situations that he or his teams experienced when assisting families.
He specifically talked about a mother whose military son was killed by friendly fire, and she asked Cooper if she could speak with the soldier who killed her son. She did not blame this soldier for her painful loss, and she didn’t want to see two sons lost because of this tragedy.
“That courage just pretty much left me speechless,” Cooper said. “In that moment, I saw the deepest truth about service and sacrifice. It binds us together in ways that transcends rank, status, and any kind of circumstance and situation.
“Even in tragedy, families can find grace, and I prayed grace for this family. They can find strength in one another, and they can find courage through the steadfast support from you, our American public, who honor their loved ones through Memorial Day commemorations like this.”
The commemoration closed with taps played by Kevon Finch, a music major from Milan, and a gun salute outside the Paul Meek Library by officers representing the UT Martin Department of Public Safety and the Martin Police Department.
PHOTO: Sarah Del Valle, a cell and molecular biology major from Union City, sings the national anthem to open the 26th Memorial Day Commemoration held May 22 in Watkins Auditorium at UT Martin. Pictured in the background is Lt. Col. Robert Hawkins, professor of military science and program emcee.
