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Afghanistan Took a Toll. Then He Committed His Life to Caring for Fellow Soldiers.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Afghanistan Took a Toll. Then He Committed His Life to Caring for Fellow Soldiers.
By McGregor McCance, cmm9vg@virginia.edu July 30, 2021
Nearly everything that has happened in Joseph Cooper’s adult life can be traced back in one way or another to that day: Sept. 11, 2001.
It’s why he joined the Army. Why he came to the University of Virginia for medical school. Why he named his son Ben. Why he is passionate about mental health. Why he worries about more American soldiers committing suicide.
“A hundred percent comes back to 9/11,” Cooper said recently. “lf 9/11 didn’t happen, I just cannot fathom how different my life would be. There is no way I’d be a doctor. There’s no way I’d have been a soldier.”
Major Joseph Cooper of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, shown in his official military portrait, serves as a battalion surgeon in the 10th Special Forces Group. He earned his medical degree from the UVA School of Medicine. (Contributed photo)
Today, Cooper, who earned his medical degree from UVA in 2017, holds the rank of major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He serves as a battalion surgeon in the 10th Special Forces Group. The job includes providing medical oversight and primary care for all of the Green Berets in the unit, as well as providing medical training for those in combat and wilderness settings.
It also focuses on mental and emotional support for soldiers who – in some cases – have been on war footing for the better part of two decades since 9/11 and are suffering from brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related conditions.
{snip}
Afghanistan Took a Toll. Then He Committed His Life to Caring for Fellow Soldiers.
By McGregor McCance, cmm9vg@virginia.edu July 30, 2021
Nearly everything that has happened in Joseph Cooper’s adult life can be traced back in one way or another to that day: Sept. 11, 2001.
It’s why he joined the Army. Why he came to the University of Virginia for medical school. Why he named his son Ben. Why he is passionate about mental health. Why he worries about more American soldiers committing suicide.
“A hundred percent comes back to 9/11,” Cooper said recently. “lf 9/11 didn’t happen, I just cannot fathom how different my life would be. There is no way I’d be a doctor. There’s no way I’d have been a soldier.”
Major Joseph Cooper of the U.S. Army Medical Corps, shown in his official military portrait, serves as a battalion surgeon in the 10th Special Forces Group. He earned his medical degree from the UVA School of Medicine. (Contributed photo)
Today, Cooper, who earned his medical degree from UVA in 2017, holds the rank of major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He serves as a battalion surgeon in the 10th Special Forces Group. The job includes providing medical oversight and primary care for all of the Green Berets in the unit, as well as providing medical training for those in combat and wilderness settings.
It also focuses on mental and emotional support for soldiers who – in some cases – have been on war footing for the better part of two decades since 9/11 and are suffering from brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related conditions.
{snip}