Thomas Cooper

Military Honor(s):

Distinguished Service Cross

Citation: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Thomas Cooper (ASN: 1871651), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company K, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., at Trieres Farm, France, 30 September 1918, - 2 October 1918. Wounded in an attack on Trieres Farm, France, 30 September Sergeant Cooper remained on duty with his company and commanded his platoon until evacuated on 2 October 1918.

Silver Star Medal

Citation: By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Sergeant Thomas Cooper (ASN: 1871651), United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Sergeant Cooper distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with Company K, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Trieres Farm, France, 29 September 1918. Although wounded, Sergeant Cooper continued in the attack.

Purple Heart

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Life & Service

  • Birth: 12 March 1893, Darlington, SC, United States
  • Place of Residence:
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Death:
  • Branch: Army
  • Military Rank: Sergeant
  • Company: [K]
  • Infantry Regiment: 371st
  • Division: 93rd
Personal Narrative
Early Life (Pre-War): Includes general parent information, sibling information, education Toggle Accordion

Thomas Cooper was born on 12 March (or, 15 February) 1893 in Darlington, South Carolina, to unknown parents. His only confirmed sibling being Lessie (1895-1965), with the potential of having at least six half-siblings. Thomas and Lessie lived with their paternal grandparents between 1900-1910 in High Hill, South Carolina, where they attended school into upper-elementary grades. Details of Thomas’ early and teenage years are mostly unknown.

Service: Includes a summary of transfers, rank change(s), training, enlistment, and discharge locations Toggle Accordion

Cooper enlisted in the U.S. Army on 6 October 1917, listing his previous profession as a saw mill laborer in Darlington. Then-Corporal Cooper left Newport News, Virginia aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship President Grant on 7 April 1918, arriving at Brest, France on 14 April. Then-Sergeant Cooper received the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star Medal for his actions at Trieres Farm, France, 30 September-2 October 1918;

“The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant Thomas Cooper (ASN: 1871651), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company K, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, A.E.F., at Trieres Farm, France, 30 September 1918, – 2 October 1918. Wounded in an attack on Trieres Farm, France, 30 September Sergeant Cooper remained on duty with his company and commanded his platoon until evacuated on 2 October 1918.”

Awarded DSC by CG, AEF, November 30, 1918. Published in G.O. No. 81, WD, 1919.

“By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Sergeant Thomas Cooper (ASN: 1871651), United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Sergeant Cooper distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with Company K, 371st Infantry Regiment, 93d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near Trieres Farm, France, 29 September 1918. Although wounded, Sergeant Cooper continued in the attack.”

Sergeant Cooper received the Purple Heart on 17 December 1937 due to the wounds he received on 1 October 1918.

Sergeant Cooper and Co. K left Brest, France aboard the U.S. Army Transport Ship Leviathan on 3 February 1919, arriving in the United States on 10 February. Sergeant Cooper was Honorably Discharged on 22 February 1919.

Later Life (Post-War): Includes post-war education, occupation, marriage(s) and/or children, location and date of death Toggle Accordion

Cooper lives with his uncle, Eugene, in the 1920s as a laborer on his farm in High Hill, South Carolina. Cooper’s location from then-on is not clear, though he does live in Philadelphia in the 1940s near his sister, and remains there at least until 1965, as he is the informant on her death certificate.

In the 1960s, Lessie returned to complete her high school degree, mentioning that the schools they attended in Darlington burned down before she could complete her studies.

Cooper’s place and date of death are currently unknown, though it most likely occurred in Pennsylvania, as he is not interred in the Cooper Family Cemetery in Darlington.