[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6745]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF JEFF COOPER: GULF WAR VETERAN, FATHER, HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 9, 2009

  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Sgt. Jeff 
Cooper (Ret.), a North Carolina resident and a U.S. Army Veteran.
  The Cooper family was recently chosen by the ABC television show 
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, as the recipients of a new home. They 
have been living in a deteriorating double-wide trailer that is not 
only uncomfortable, but also is not suitable for the disabled members 
of their family. With the help of Edenton Builders, Inc. and thousands 
of volunteers from northeastern North Carolina, their home will be 
rebuilt in just one week. On March 13th, when the Cooper family returns 
home to Jamesville, North Carolina, from their vacation here in 
Washington, D.C., they will be welcomed into their new home.
  Madam Speaker, Sgt. Cooper (Ret.) is someone who truly deserves this 
honor. He has earned several medals of honor for his service as an Army 
Combat Medic in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. I remember that 
when my father, Congressman Walter B. Jones, Sr., passed away, Sgt. 
Cooper (Ret.) paid him the great respect of placing one of the medals 
he had earned on my father's casket. I will always remember this 
meaningful gesture and kind display of appreciation for my father's 
service.
  Unfortunately, Sgt. Cooper's (Ret.) service on behalf of our nation 
left him with symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome; he suffers from multiple 
sclerosis as well as serious immune disorders. Due to these illnesses, 
he is now confined to a wheelchair. Since he returned from combat, 
Cooper has been a tireless advocate for his fellow veterans. He has 
lobbied the North Carolina General Assembly for a special license plate 
honoring Gulf War veterans and has become an outspoken supporter of 
rights for the disabled.
  Sgt. Cooper (Ret.) deserves to be commended not only for his service 
to our nation and his fellow veterans, but also for the acts of heroism 
he has demonstrated within his own family. When his young son Aaron was 
run over by a garbage truck two years ago, he used his medic skills to 
save his son's life, though Aaron still lost most of his right arm and 
has undergone several surgeries since. Cooper has served as a role 
model to his children, as his daughter Windy has followed her father's 
example by signing up for medical lab technician training with the Army 
National Guard.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to offer my congratulations to the family 
of Sgt. Jeff Cooper (Ret.), a special person whose service to his 
nation and fellow veterans has made him well-deserving of this new home 
and special honor.

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