By Eileen Buckley
Jamestown, NY – Once again, a young soldier makes the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Private Charles Cooper Jr. of Jamestown was killed in Iraq.
Last month, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld awarded a Purple Heart to Private Cooper. It was just a few weeks after he was injured in a bomb blast. But another bomb last Friday claimed his life.
The Department of Defense says Cooper died in Baghdad with another young soldier from Evansville, Indiana when an improvised explosive device detonated near their unit. Cooper was a soldier with the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum. He was 2004 graduate of Jamestown High School.
Principal Joseph Yelich says Cooper joined the Army a short time after graduating.
"He knew that joining the military would possibly put him in harm's way," Yelich said. "But he showed the courage to move on. That was the kind of kid he was. He showed bravey and died an honorable death."
Yelich says the school observed a moment of silence in honor of Cooper Tuesday morning.
"He was in one of our programs called videography. He did some film work. There are some film clips of him," Yelich said. "We'll be sharing that with the student body during our morning TV broadcasts."
Counselors are also on hand at Jamestown High School for any students or teachers who need help.
Cooper is survived by his father, Charles Cooper Sr. of Jamestown, his mother Sherry Weaver, also of Jamestown, as well as three brothers and two sisters. Cooper was the youngest of six children. He had been in Iraq for just a few months.