Sgt. Travis S. Cooper of Macon, Mississipi attended Noxubee High School. He was a dedicated man who loved the military lifestyle. He was an ambitious and the type person that wanted to make something of his life and he saw the military as a way to do that. Initially he was rejected by the Guard because of a tattoo on his neck. But Travis worked at a grocery store to save $2,500 to have the tattoo removed. Then he left school a year early and took his GED and joined the Guard. All he ever talked about was serving his country. In September 2000, he joined the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in April 2005. He was happiest playing spades with his family and spending time with his fiancee. He also enjoyed learning about past wars on the Discovery Channel. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Travis was posthumously presented with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Mississippi Medal of Valor. He is survived by his brother Antwan, and his aunt Levon Cooper Beamon. He died in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained the previous day when an improvised explosive device exploded near the vehicle he was searching in Baghdad. He was 24.

Army
2nd Battalion
114th Field Artillery Regiment
Mississippi Army National Guard
Starkville, Mississippi

Sgt. Travis S. Cooper of Macon, Mississipi attended Noxubee High School. He was a dedicated man who loved the military lifestyle. He was an ambitious and the type person that wanted to make something of his life and he saw the military as a way to do that. Initially he was rejected by the Guard because of a tattoo on his neck. But Travis worked at a grocery store to save $2,500 to have the tattoo removed. Then he left school a year early and took his GED and joined the Guard. All he ever talked about was serving his country. In September 2000, he joined the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in April 2005. He was happiest playing spades with his family and spending time with his fiancee. He also enjoyed learning about past wars on the Discovery Channel. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. Travis was posthumously presented with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Mississippi Medal of Valor. He is survived by his brother Antwan, and his aunt Levon Cooper Beamon. He died in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained the previous day when an improvised explosive device exploded near the vehicle he was searching in Baghdad. He was 24.

Army
2nd Battalion
114th Field Artillery Regiment
Mississippi Army National Guard
Starkville, Mississippi