Brian Cooper:
CLASS OF 1981
Jackson Elementary SchoolClass of 1981
Greeley, CO
Maryville University of St. LouisClass of 1990
St. louis, MO
Jacksonville High SchoolClass of 1989
Jacksonville, IL
Jonathan Turner Junior High SchoolClass of 1985
Jacksonville, IL
Eisenhower Elementary SchoolClass of 1983
Jacksonville, IL
Brian's Story
Life
After graduation, I headed off to college and completed my Bachelors Degree in Nursing. A year after graduation I joined the Army and became a Paratrooper. I have spent 8 years at Ft Bragg, NC, six of them serving with the illustrious 82D Airborne Division. During my time there i met my future wife and married her in 2000. Shortly after leaving the 82D and going to work for the main hospital, on Ft Bragg, Womack Army Medical Center, my daughter was born. My wife and I finally decided to purchase a house and did so a month and a half later. I got out of the Army after a little over 9 years and headed back to school to get my Master's Degree as a Physician's Assistant. Airborne!!! Before getting out I decided to stay with the Army but on the Reserve side of the house. I was notified that I was being mobilized, meaning i was being activated. So, back to full time army life for me. I deployed to New Jersey to assist preparing and training other reservists and national guard troops heading to Iraq and Afghanistan. While...Expand for more
there, I volunteered to go to Iraq for a one year tour in order to train and advise the newly formed Iraqi National Police. I worked directly with an Iraqi Battalion along with the rest of an 11 man team. After getting mortared, rocketed, shot at and hit with an IED, I was more than happy to stop playing dodge bomb and head back to the states to be with my family again. Shortly after getting home, my wife and I were pleased to get the news that we are going to have another addition to our family due later this year. I was working on the FOB on Ft Bragg as a shift leader for an aid station but we were finally relieved of that mission so that we could concentrate on other more important training missions. My wife and I had our second child in November, a boy this time, and are now starting back at square one with the infant thing again. I am also picking up a couple of needed classes so that this coming year I will be ale to apply to the Army PA Program. If all goes well, I hope to be in PA school starting sometime in 2009.
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