Howard Harrison Cooksey
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Howard Harrison Cooksey was born on 21 June 1921 in Brentsville, VA, and raised in Manassas.

He was a 1943 graduate of Virginia Tech and, in 1964, he earned a Master's Degree in Foreign Affairs from George Washington University.

Cooksey's combat duties as an Infantry Officer were with the 158th Regimental Combat Team in the Philippines in World War II; the 7th Infantry Division in the Korean War; and, as a General Officer, with the American Division and the 1st Regional Assistance Command in Vietnam. He qualified as a paratrooper in 1958.

Other military assignments were with General Douglas MacArthur's Honor Guard during the occupation of Japan and with the 2nd Battle Group, 6th Infantry Division, in Berlin. He was also Assistant Professor of Military Science at Drexel Institute in Philadelphia. He served as the Commanding Officer of Fort Dix, NJ, when in June 1968 he was assigned to the 23rd Infantry Division. Months earlier, that Division was responsible for the Vietnam War's most infamous massacre of Vietnamese women and children.

Cooksey was Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition at the Pentagon when he retired in 1978 after serving his country for 35 years.

Medals and Awards

Army Distinguished Service Medal (3 Awards)
Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit (2 Awards)
Bronze Star Medial with Combat "Valor" Device (2 Awards)
Air Medal (29 Awards)
Army Commendation Medal (3 Awards)
Purple Heart

Badges

Combat Infantryman Badge with 1 Silver Star (Indicates 2 Awards: WWII & Korea)

Death and Burial

Lieutenant General Howard Harrison Cooksey died on 22 December 1999. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.