A scholarship for nursing students at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus in Gautier has been established by the family of Sean M. Cooley, a Gulf Coast graduate killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving as a member of the National Guard in Iraq. The scholarship is given twice annually (since spring 2007) to nurses in their second semester of the nursing program. A plaque commemorating his achievements will be dedicated in the Nursing and Allied Health Building at the Jackson County Campus on Tuesday, September 22, at 4 p.m.
Sean Cooley worked at Singing River Hospital as an emergency room nurse and served as an Army sergeant 1st class with the Mississippi National Guard. His unit, the 150th Engineer Battalion, 155th Armor Brigade, Lucedale, deployed to Iraq in January 2005. He was killed on Feb. 3, 2005, when the Humvee he was driving rolled over an IED in northern Babil province. Cooley was the only one killed in the blast; three other soldiers in his unit were wounded.
“Although Sean was a registered nurse in his civilian life –and he loved being a nurse– he was also very dedicated to his unit,” said his widow, Laura Cooley. “He grew up with many of the unit’s members and felt they were his family. He chose not to become a commissioned officer so he would not have to leave his platoon. Sean thought getting his commission would be like letting his family down, especially when, in August 2004, his unit was mobilized. He said that his skills as an experienced emergency room nurse would put him in the unique position of helping anyone in his unit if they were wounded. He felt that so strongly that while in Iraq, he re-enlisted for six years. Unfortunately, Sean was the first to get injured.”
Cooley said the scholarship is awarded to nursing students who are currently in the military or who have served in the military. They are also eligible if their spouses have served in the military. “The scholarship is designed to keep Sean’s giving spirit alive,” Cooley said. “He was such a caring individual who wanted to help others. Sean believed in what he was doing as both a nurse and as a combat engineer, and he served his country willingly. We want to find scholarship recipients with that same attitude.”
Sean, who was from Benndale, is survived by his wife, Laura (Kehoe of Ocean Springs); his parents, Jerry and Kathryn Cooley; and his brother, Patrick. He also worked part time in the George County Medical Center and Ocean Springs Hospital emergency rooms. During his military service, he received the Order of the Breach Certificate of Achievement (2004), the Good Conduct Award (2005), and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Mississippi Medal for Valor and the Bronze Star. He was also promoted to master sergeant after his death.
“As a reflection of the impact Sean made on people he encountered, the funding for the scholarship is mostly from the donations of people who knew him, including his colleagues at the hospitals where he worked, fellow soldiers and former patients. In addition, the G.I. Museum in Ocean Springs has contributed, and we have added his military re-enlistment bonus to the fund,” Cooley said. “The whole family has worked to make the scholarship a success because we want to continue what Sean started while he was with us. It is a way for him to continue helping his community.”
