Veteran of the Day graphic created by Dominique Ramirez for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Thad Cochran. He served from 1959-1961.
Cochran was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi on Dec. 7, 1937. After graduating from the University of Mississippi with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1959, he began his service in the United States Navy.
Cochran was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served aboard the USS Macon (CA-132), a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser. He spent 18 months aboard the USS Macon, eventually becoming the ship’s legal officer. Upon the decommissioning of his ship, Cochran was transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana to finish his 2-year tour of duty assigned to the staff of the Commandant of the Eighth Naval District. Cochran completed his service with the United States Navy in 1961.
Cochran went on to earn a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law and practiced law for several years before entering politics. In 1972, he was elected to Mississippi’s 4th congressional district and in 1978, he was elected the United States senator from Mississippi. Cochran held this position until retiring on April 1, 2018, making him one of the longest-serving senators in U.S. history.
Cochran passed away on May 30, 2019, at the age of 81.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Contributors:
Graphic designer: Dominique Ramirez
Editor: Leah Comins
Topics in this story
More Stories
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran David Bellavia, who received a Medal of Honor from the Iraq War’s deadliest operation, the Second Battle of Fallujah.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Scotty Hasting, who served in Afghanistan.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Roy Sheldon, who served in 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.
We honor the service of Navy Veteran Thad Cochran.
Cochran passed away on May 30, 2019, at the age of 81. may his soul rest on the lord
Today, my Uncle Rick Williams age 69 passed away at his home in Indianapolis, Indiana. Rick was a Marine and was drafted during the Vietnam War.
After serving overseas for two years, he was wounded by a stray bullet and hit in the arm. He lived the remainder of his years back here in Indiana. He was the youngest of seven kids. He has a son, Jason and two small grandchildren that will miss him very much.
He struggled with his wounds from serving due to Ajmer Orange which was used in the jungles of Vietnam