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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: Last Patrol - Clay C. Cooper Jr.- CO PT 324
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My Dad, Clay Cooper, 89, passed away on May 31 in Columbia, Missouri. He was the XO and later CO of PT 324 (Ron 21). His boat was engaged in combat operations in the Philippines. After VJ day, he was reassigned to the USS Pinnacle (AM 274) where he participated in post-war minesweeping operations in the East China Sea. The Pinnacle returned to the US in early 1946 and Dad was assigned to the Alameda Naval Air Station. He was discharged from active duty in May of 1946.
He was a wonderful father to his 8 children and we miss him very, very much. Up until the last few weeks of his life, he was an incredibly active, extremely sharp and humorous guy. He was playing tennis just three weeks before his death from complications related to pancreatic cancer. He very much enjoyed receiving the All Hands newsletter, but had never attended a reunion. Last fall he told me he wanted to attend the 2007 reunion, as it was within driving distance and close to where one of my sisters lives. We sent in the registration in February, but sadly, he didn't get the chance to attend. As a retired member of the military myself (LtCol USMCR), I was so looking forward to taking him to the 2007 reunion. Below is a link to his obituary, if you have the interest and time to read it. He was a college coach at the University of Missouri his entire career.

[url]http://archive.columbiatribune.com/2007/jun/20070603obit003.asp[url]




Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 7:20am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Dear Scooper

First let me pass along my sincere sorrow over the loss of your Dad. He sounded like a wondereful guy. Rest assured that he is once again at the Helm of his boat, bow high riding into the wind, his Crew at the ready. I am not sure where your Family is located, but it would be so nice to have you attend my PT BOAT EXHIBIT in SPRINGFIELD MASSACHUSETTS. I know your Dad would have been very proud to have seen it. You can see it by checking out the Post about Franks Exhibit in Springfield on this message board. God Bless to you and your Family..........



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 11:48am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



Dear Frank:

Thank you very much for your kind condolences on the passing of my Dad, Lt Clay C. Cooper Jr.. I must admit I shed a tear when I read your sentence:Rest assured that he is once again at the Helm of his boat, bow high riding into the wind, his Crew at the ready.

Amazingly, I actually have an old photo of him in which he is doing exactly what you described. I would love to share it with the PT Boat community, but because I'm new to this forum, don't know how to upload and post photos on this message board. If someone would give me some instructions on this, I'd be happy to post the photo.

Thank you too, for the invitation to visit your display in Springfield, MA. It sounds facinating. In the summer of 2003, I was on a business trip to Providence, RI. Because one of my father's sisters lives in Boston, I took him with me so that he could visit her, and so that we could check out the PT Boat Museum at Fall River. Because he was a PT boat veteran, the folks at the museum gave us a personal tour and allowed us to walk on the deck of the PT boat they had on display. It was so incredible to see my Dad walk the deck of a PT boat, 60 years later, and talk about his experiences as the CO of the 324 boat. While in Providence, we visited one of the old downtown hotels, where he stayed while on liberty from the PT Boat School in Mehlville.



Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 12:22pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



MR. COOPER;
I KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL PROUD OF YOUR DAD'S SERVICE AND I HOPE THAT YOU CAN FIND COMFORT IN THE FACT THAT HE'S IN EXCELLENT COMPANY.

Steve Tuhy

Posted By: Steve Tuhy | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 12:39pm
Total Posts: 114 | Joined: Oct 17, 2006 - 5:41am



What more can one add beyond what Frank has already posted. Very well said Frank. I'm very sorry for your loss.

If you have the photo on a hosting site site already, all you do is type IMAGE surrounded with brackets [ ] and paste in the url to the photo then follow it with /IMAGE inclosed in brackets[ ].

Like:
[IMAGx]your photo's address[/IMAGx] . Replace the x with E. i had to do the x or it would have tried to post a photo and you could not have seen the fromat.

If you do not have a hosting site, i would be proud to use mine and post the photo here for you.

Just e-mail the photo file to me using the e-mail icon above my post and will take it from there.

Ed



Posted By: ducati650 | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 1:14pm
Total Posts: 450 | Joined: Feb 19, 2007 - 10:01am



Steve-

Thank you for your condolences. He really made some great friends during the war. One of them was Lenny Tom (Thom?) whom Dad met when Lenny was on his second tour of duty in the Pacific. As most of you know, Lenny was Jack Kennedy's XO on PT 109. Dad played football at the University of Missouri before the war and competed against Lenny in the 1939 Missouri vs. Ohio State game in Columbus.



Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 5:18pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Ed-

Thank you for your words of condolence. Thanks, too, for offering to post the photo of my Dad on the bridge of PT 324. I will e-mail it to you shortly. Thanks again.
Shep Cooper




Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 5:29pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



[image]http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-11/65524/GMYIQ-198224101-PT324.jpg[/image]

Posted By: ducati650 | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 6:40pm
Total Posts: 450 | Joined: Feb 19, 2007 - 10:01am



Great photo. Your dad looks like he is on top of the world. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Ed



Posted By: ducati650 | Posted on: Jul 10, 2007 - 6:44pm
Total Posts: 450 | Joined: Feb 19, 2007 - 10:01am



What more can one picture say. We now know why on any given day these old warriors would not have traded their experiences on a PT BOAT for anything in the World.



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Jul 11, 2007 - 1:56am
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



Frank, you're corrected; my Dad's wartime experiences as a PT Boat officer truly enriched his life. He met such a great group of fellows through his service. He told me an interesting story about how he got into the service: He was told that, as a junior officer, he could command his own boat if he went into Motor Torpedo Boats. So, on his Naval Officer application, he "fudged" a bit and checked the "yes" box which asked, "Do you have any small boat experience?" Of course, growing up in the Midwest at that time, he had no such experience. Regardless, he successfully got into the Motor Torpedo Boat training program. He also told me that many of the PT Boat officers he met were from wealthy Eastern families who, by virtue of their patrician upbringing, had experience sailing yachts and other types of small water craft.

After VJ Day, the 324 boat, like most of the PT Boats, was stripped of its usuable gear and burned. However, we still have the wheel off of Dad's boat, as well as its National Ensign (US flag) and the Bureau of Ships Navy Comparing Watch that was issued to Dad. I treasure them even more since Dad passed away on May 31.





Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jul 11, 2007 - 8:29am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Scooper:

Would you please contact me at mosquitofleet@comcast.net I would like to talk with you off site. Thanks Very Much...........



Posted By: Frank J Andruss Sr | Posted on: Jul 11, 2007 - 2:34pm
Total Posts: 3497 | Joined: Oct 9, 2006 - 6:09am



LtCol Cooper USMCR(Ret),

My condolence for the lost of your Father.

My Dad, LtJg Henry Johnson and your Father may have served together on the USS Pinnacle AM-274. My Dad was aboard the Pinnacle for her entire WW II experience plus the post war sweeping operations. I remember him say that he became the skipper of the Pinnacle when the LT skipper when home in late 1945. I believe my Dad was then made the CO, and would have sailed her back home to CA in 1946.

While not a PT, if you have any information or pictures about your Dad's time on the Pinnacle, I’d love to see them. I am currently serving in Iraq as mobilized reservist myself. Both of my brothers and myself were all Marines. My Day use to lament, "Three Sons all Marines were did I go wrong." My home e-mail is wadedeb83@aol.com. Here in Iraq: wade.johnson@mnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

Semper Fi,
Wade M. Johnson
Colonel, USMCR
Camp Fallujah, Iraq




Posted By: Wade Johnson | Posted on: Jan 13, 2008 - 12:29am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



You have my heart-felt condolences. Your father was truly a hero.

You've got a question, I've got an answer.

Posted By: TGarth Connelly | Posted on: Jan 13, 2008 - 2:16pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Scooper,

My sincere condolences on the loss of your Dad. God bless him, and may he rest in peace.





Posted By: Drew Cook | Posted on: Jan 14, 2008 - 2:32pm
Total Posts: 1306 | Joined: Oct 19, 2006 - 10:44am



SCooper; Regarding your fathers PT possessions, if there are any items which you do not desire to keep in your family, please consider contributing them to the PT Museum.

Posted By: QM | Posted on: Jan 14, 2008 - 6:37pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



All-

Thank you for your continued condolences on the loss of my father, Clay Cooper Jr. He was, as others have written, a hero, as were all of his comrades-in-arms who served our great country in WWII. Not a day goes by without me missing him. Hardly an hour passes without me thinking of him. I know many on this board had fathers who served in the "Mosquito Fleet," and I'm sure you all have similar feelings about your Dads.

For LtCol Wade Johnson USMC:

Thanks for getting in touch. Yes, I do have some photos of my father aboard the USS Pinnacle (AM 274), where he served for about 8 months following VJ day. I have one photo of my Dad with three of his fellow Pinnacle officers taken at night club in Shanghai, China, where the Pinnacle was in port for several weeks at the end of 1945. Maybe your Dad is one of them? I will try to scan them and e-mail them to you. Thank you for your service as a brother Marine, and to your "blood brothers" as well. Watch your six and take care while in Iraq.

Semper fi.
Shep Cooper LtCol USMCR (Ret)



Posted By: scooper | Posted on: Jan 30, 2008 - 7:08pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered