Harry Cooper ( soldier ) Harry L . Cooper ( circa 1870 – September , 1935 ) was a United States Army Colonel who received the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his service in World War I . Military career . Harry Cooper enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard as a private in 1889 . Between 1889 and 1901 he completed a degree from the University of Pennsylvania and received a commission in the United States Army . As a first lieutenant , Cooper was assigned to the 23rd Infantry on 19 October 1901 . He later transferred from the 23rd Infantry to the 28th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) on 18 August 1902 . From 1901 to 1904 the 28th Infantry was in the Philippines during the Philippine - American War , from 1906 to 1908 in Cuba for the Cuban Pacification , and from 1913 to 1917 in Mexico for the Pancho Villa Expedition . By 1913 , Cooper was the commander of Company " L " , considered the top ( " crack " ) unit in the 28th Infantry based at Fort Snelling , Minnesota . About November 1916 , Cooper assumed command of the Officer ' s School at Fort Sill , Oklahoma . On 6 April 1917 , the United States entered World War I . Cooper was promoted to rank of Major , effective 3 August 1917 . Cooper likely received his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in October , as he subsequently reported on 1 November 1917 as a lieutenant colonel assigned to Camp Dodge , Iowa as Chief of Staff under Colonel Lincoln , and tasked with division infantry training on machine guns . Camp Dodge was a military draft camp created in response to World War I , the entirety of which became activated as the first 88th Infantry Division ( United States ) . Cooper ' s orders were officially updated to the 88th Division , Infantry , 28 November 1917 . On August 5 , 1918 , Cooper assumed duties as Commandant , 2nd Corps Schools , Chatillon France . The 2nd Corps Schools were established on 4 February 1918 to deliver specialized training in modern warfare to select officers and NCOs , following the harsh experiences of U . S . troops on World War I battlefields where tactics and technologies from the Banana Wars proved ineffective . The 2nd Corps Schools included an Artillery School , Infantry Weapons ' School , Engineering School , Field Officer ' s School , Gas School , Signal School , Sanitary School , Tactical School , and an Aeronautical School . The roots of TRADOC reach back to this era , a revolutionary period of change in both military doctrine and readiness for the United States as expeditionary capabilities evolved from pack - animal warfare to mechanized warfare . For his exceptional service during this critical time , Cooper was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal , and received the following citation : < br > After his return to the United States from France , in 1920 Cooper and his family lived in Fort Leavenworth , Kansas . By 1930 , Cooper had been transferred to Fort Meade , Maryland . In 1931 , Cooper served in the Office of the Chief of Infantry under Major General Stephen O . Fuqua , his 43rd year in uniform . Personal life . Harry L . Cooper was born in 1870 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania USA . Around 1903 at the age of 33 , he married Harriet Bonnycastle , daughter of John Charles Bonnycastle and Harriet Everett . Harriet was a widow from Kentucky with three children , whose husband John Stewart Harrison had died on 16 December 1901 . Harriet Bonnycastle Cooper died 17 February 1942 in Wilmington , North Carolina . Harry and Harriet had one child together , Barbara Eleanor Cooper , who died in 1970 . Memorials . The Colonel Harry L . Cooper Post # 160 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Glen Burnie Maryland is proudly named in his honor . Cooper is buried with his wife at Arlington National Cemetery .