HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Tennessee Valley is mourning the loss of Johnny Marshall Cooper III, a beloved veteran who for over a decade served as the Patriot Guard Riders’ Ride Captain for the North Alabama District.
Cooper led hundreds of motorcycle rides after memorial services for veterans while helping to welcome current veterans back home with a salute.
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“Always open arms whatever he could do, anything to help he was always there,” said Vickie Meader, a senior ride captain for the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR).
Known affectionately as “Coop”, he was a prominent member of the military community across North Alabama. The former Navy Seabees Construction Electrician and Petty Officer 3rd Class served his country in the Vietnam War.
The PGR honored hundreds of veterans under his watch over the years and for those who shared the road with him like fellow Navy Veteran Buster Mills, putting veterans first was Cooper’s life mission.