Doris Gertrude Ferguson Cooper honorably served in the United States Women’s Army Service Corp and gave her life off the coast of Africa.

From Champaign, Illinois, she was the first born of blacksmith[i] Bright G. “Swede” Ferguson and his wife, Mary Frances Sprowls Ferguson,[ii] on August 1, 1915.[iii] Bright was from Kentucky and Mary from Illinois.[iv]

When she was four, Doris’ father, Bright, was using his blacksmith skills to shoe horses. The little family is living in a rental house in Champaign.[v] Doris was joined by a baby brother, William B. Ferguson, in May of 1921.[vi]

Ten years passes and Doris, now 14, is living with her family in a house they own. Bright is still shoeing horses at a blacksmith shop. The family owns a radio set, so it is likely they gathered around the set in the evening as so many families did at that time.[vii]

Doris attended Champaign High School where she was on the editorial committee for the school’s yearbook in 1932. In her senior yearbook, it reports that she was in the Physics Club, The Dancing Club, Maroon Club and Girls Life Saving. The quote that accompanies her senior picture is “And the sunshine kissed her yellow hair.”[viii] She graduated in 1933.[ix]

HER LIFE BEFORE MILITARY

Doris attended the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois for the[x] 1933-1934 school year.[xi] While at the university, she was a member of the Home Economics Club: Aeolia, Electra, Iris, Loki, and Thalmus.[xii] Following her year at U of I, she graduated from Illinois Commercial College.

She worked in Champaign and managed the restaurant that was connected to the tavern her father operated,[xiii] the Tumble Inn.[xiv]

On September 9, 1936, when Doris was 21, she married 25-year-old Bert A. Cooper[xv] in the neighboring state of Indiana.[xvi] He was from Villa Grove, Illinois, close by Champaign where Doris lived. Bert was working as a truck driver[xvii] and had the interesting birthday of Christmas Day. The newlywed couple lived in Champaign.

The young couple were only married about a year when tragedy struck. Bert Cooper passed away on January 24, 1938 in Goose Creek, Illinois after he was killed in a truck crash in Deland.[xviii] The funeral was held just two days later on January 26th. He was buried in Pesotum Cemetery just a few miles from where he grew up in Villa Grove.[xix]

Before the war years and after her husband’s passing, Doris returned home to live with her father, mother and 18-year-old brother, William. Her father, Bright, has opened a new business. He is no longer blacksmithing but operating a tavern. Her brother, who has now finished high school, is working as a hired man on a near-by farm. Doris is listed in the 1940 census as helping her mother with housework[xx] and the family is living just on the outskirts of Champaign in area called Hensley, Illinois. Her father later became a farmer.[xxi]

In 1941, when Doris is 26, her mother and father deeded the property they owned in Hensley, using a quitclaim deed, to Doris. She immediately deeded it back to her mother, leaving her father off the deed. It’s unknown why this transaction was made.[xxii]

At age 27, Doris enlists in the army. It must have been hard on her parents to have both the children in the armed services. Around the same time, her brother, William, joined. He was a private first class with the motor transport division of the Marine Corps.[xxiii]

HER MILITARY STORY

Sergeant Doris Ferguson Cooper, service number A-603072, served in the Women’s Army Corp, WACS. Doris enlisted on December 22, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois[xxiv] as an aviation cadet.[xxv] She was at first listed in the inactive reserves.[xxvi] Later on , she served in the 1202nd Army Air Force Base Unit, WACS.

According to HonorStates.org, the women who were in the 1202nd were older, with an average age of 28, than the usual recruit and were chosen for their “maturity and work experience.”

In November of 1944, Doris was one of 159 WACs in Accra, British West Africa to serve with the Air Transport Command. Their job was to deliver troops and supplies as well as transfer aircraft.[xxvii]

HER LAST DAY

Sergeant Doris Cooper, the senior most WAC that day,[xxviii] was leading 17 other women of the Women’s Army Corp on a normally routine 776- mile[xxix] flight from Accra, British West Africa to Robert’s Field[xxx], Liberia. The WACs were onboard as they were being transferred to a new assignment. There were scattered showers that morning but no other weather of note.[xxxi]

Her plane, piloted by a crew of three[xxxii], a C-478 #44-76406, disappeared.[xxxiii]

The plane was last reported over Takoradi, British West Africa, about 150 miles west of Accra, shortly after departure.[xxxiv]

Little is known about what transpired aboard the plane that day but several calls of “Mayday,” an emergency procedure used as a voice distress signal, were heard. The distress signal was loud and clear, lasting five minutes.[xxxv] A search was conducted by aircraft and surface craft over a wide area of the French Ivory Coast.[xxxvi] The search consisted of seven PET’s and British, French, and Native forces, who were informed to search waters and coastline. No sign of the plane was found.

The plane is believed to have crashed into the sea near Takordi, Ghana.[xxxvii] The Chicago Tribune reported the “[xxxviii]18 WACs were the first ever reported lost overseas.”

She went missing on May 30, 1945 and was declared dead while missing in action off the coast of Ghana, Africa.[xxxix] News of the missing planes made newspapers across America on June 6th, 1945. Her hometown paper, The Evening Courier in Urbana, Illinois, headlined the story “Doris Cooper, Missing WAC, Died in Action.”

Her parents were notified by James A. Ulio, adjutant general via telegram. No details were given at that time but a press release from Washington followed with news of the missing plane. Her parents hoped to soon hear more about her service and other details from Yvonne Ogle, a Danville, Illinois WAC who had written to them.[xl]

Doris Gertrude Ferguson Cooper was 29.

“And the sunshine kissed her yellow hair.”[xli]

**READ THE STORIES OF ALL 21 ON THIS FLIGHT **

Click here- https://www.fold3.com/page/653613892/flight-c-47b-44-76406-stories-of-21-missing-in-action/stories

COMMENDATIONS

Purple Heart

World War II Victory Medal

American Campaign Medal

Army Presidential Unit Citation

Army Good Conduct Medal

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign[xlii]

MEMORIALS

On June 16, 1945, a memorial service for the missing women was held by the WACs’ leadership in Portman Square in London and over 660 WACs attended.[xliii]

Sergeant Doris F. Cooper is remembered on the Tablets of the Missing, an American Battle Monument, North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage Tunisia.

The University of Illinois honors Doris by remembering her in their Veteran’s Memorial Project online.

ABOUT THIS STORY

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

[i] https://www.facebook.com/notes/mia-recoveries-locating-lost-wwii-servicemen/the-tragic-loss-of-c-47-44-76406-the-wacs-worst-disaster/10150778536912463/

[ii] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56246325/doris-cooper

[iii] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[iv] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56246325/doris-cooper

[v] https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/family-tree/person/tree/9813917/person/-630896202/facts?_phsrc=Zvj150&_phstart=successSource

[vi] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56246325/doris-cooper

[vii] https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-00766-00268?pId=139048709

[viii] https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/32564_B039313-00034?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=107365423

[ix] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[x] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=36085

[xi] http://chiuiaaweb1.admin.uillinois.edu/illinois/veterans/display_veteran.asp?id=192

[xii] http://chiuiaaweb1.admin.uillinois.edu/illinois/veterans/display_veteran.asp?id=192

[xiii] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xiv] https://www.facebook.com/notes/mia-recoveries-locating-lost-wwii-servicemen/the-tragic-loss-of-c-47-44-76406-the-wacs-worst-disaster/10150778536912463/

[xv] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=36085

[xvi] https://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60282&h=6449561&ssrc=pt&tid=9813917&pid=310065922599&usePUB=true

[xvii] https://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2542&h=2751448&ssrc=pt&tid=9813917&pid=310065922599&usePUB=true

[xviii] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xix] https://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2542&h=2751448&ssrc=pt&tid=9813917&pid=310065922599&usePUB=true

[xx] https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-00766-00268?pId=139048709

[xxi] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xxii] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/69149015/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xxiii] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xxiv] https://www.fold3.com/page/83078823-doris-f-cooper/facts

[xxv] https://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4184605&ssrc=pt&tid=9813917&pid=-630896202&usePUB=true

[xxvi] https://search.ancestryinstitution.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4184605&ssrc=pt&tid=9813917&pid=-630896202&usePUB=true

[xxvii] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=334268

[xxviii] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=36085

[xxix]https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=22956270&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM3MDE5ODM5MSwiaWF0IjoxNjAwNjUzOTMxLCJleHAiOjE2MDA3NDAzMzF9.GGROPxU0pGgcIxOv2cUjLCtQalRy9746RfogyVqiR44

[xxx] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56250251/leona-marie_elizabeth-seyfert

[xxxi] https://www.abmceducation.org/understandingsacrifice/soldier/rose-puchalla

[xxxii] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56250251/leona-marie_elizabeth-seyfert

[xxxiii] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=334268

[xxxiv]https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=22956270&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM3MDE5ODM5MSwiaWF0IjoxNjAwNjUzOTMxLCJleHAiOjE2MDA3NDAzMzF9.GGROPxU0pGgcIxOv2cUjLCtQalRy9746RfogyVqiR44

[xxxv] https://www.abmceducation.org/understandingsacrifice/soldier/rose-puchalla

[xxxvi] New York Times, June 7, 1945 “18 WACS Missing on African Flight”

[xxxvii] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56250251/leona-marie_elizabeth-seyfert

[xxxviii]https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=22956270&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjM3MDE5ODM5MSwiaWF0IjoxNjAwNjUzOTMxLCJleHAiOjE2MDA3NDAzMzF9.GGROPxU0pGgcIxOv2cUjLCtQalRy9746RfogyVqiR44

[xxxix] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=334268

[xl] https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243619/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

[xli] https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/32564_B039313-00034?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=107365423

[xlii] https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=36085

[xliii] https://www.facebook.com/notes/mia-recoveries-locating-lost-wwii-servicemen/the-tragic-loss-of-c-47-44-76406-the-wacs-worst-disaster/10150778536912463/

Doris Ferguson Cooper - honorstates website.jpg

Doris Gertrude Ferguson Cooper -Champaign High School 1933 crop.jpg

Doris Ferguson (Cooper) U of Illinois Group Photo.jpg

Doris F. Cooper obit photo.jpg - https://basic.newspapers.com/image/668243631/?terms=%22doris%2Bcooper%22

Doris Gertrude Ferguson Cooper - Champaign High School 1933.jpg

Doris F Cooper