William T. Cooley

William T. Cooley
Birth nameWilliam Theodore Cooley
Nickname(s)Bill[1]
Born (1966-02-04) February 4, 1966 (age 58)
Fort Worth, Texas
AllegianceUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
Years of service1988–2023
RankColonel (Highest grade: Major General)[2]
CommandsAir Force Research Laboratory
Global Positioning Systems Directorate
Phillips Research Site
350th Electronic Systems Group
AwardsDefense Superior Service Medal (2)
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsApplied Physics
Laser weapons
Institutions
ThesisMeasurement of ultrafast carrier recombination dynamics in mid-infrared semiconductor laser material (1997)
Doctoral advisorRobert Hengehold

William Theodore Cooley (born February 4, 1966) is a retired senior United States Air Force officer who previously served as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory.[3][4] He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be court-martialed. He was relieved of command after allegations of abusive sexual contact against him were reported.[5][6][7] After a General Court Martial found him guilty of abusive sexual contact, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall chose to demote the two-star general to a field-grade officer. Cooley retired as a colonel. [8][9]

Early life and education

William Theodore Cooley was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 4, 1966.[10] He graduated from Highland High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1984. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on an Air Force ROTC scholarship from which he received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering in 1988 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Air Force. After leaving Rensselaer, Cooley attended graduate school at the University of New Mexico and received a Masters of Science in mechanical engineering in 1990 while simultaneously working at the Sandia National Laboratory. After leaving New Mexico, Cooley worked from 1990 to 1993 at Air Force Wright Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB on photovoltaic solar cells and later crystal growth of III-V compounds using molecular beam epitaxy. In 1993, Cooley entered the doctoral program at Air Force Institute of Technology. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in applied physics in 1997 while working under the supervision of Professor Robert Hengehold.[10]

Military career

Cooley was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Air Force after completing the Air Force ROTC program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1988.[10] In 2015, Cooley was promoted to brigadier general.[11] In 2023 he was demoted before retirement to the rank of Colonel.[12][2]

Abusive sexual contact allegations and court-martial

Cooley faced a general court-martial at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in April 2022, charged with three counts of violating Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by committing abusive sexual contact. On April 23, 2022, Cooley was found guilty of one count abusive sexual contact for forcibly kissing his sister-in-law[13][14] after a family barbecue. Cooley was sentenced on April 26, 2022, to a public reprimand and total forfeiture of $54,550 in pay over a five month period.[15] He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be court-martialed.[16] An appeal with the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals is pending.[17]

Awards and decorations

Cooley has been awarded and is authorized to wear the following major honors as of June 2020:[18]

Defense Superior Service Medal
Width-44 crimson ribbon with a pair of width-2 white stripes on the edges Legion of Merit
Width-44 scarlet ribbon with width-4 ultramarine blue stripe at center, surrounded by width-1 white stripes. Width-1 white stripes are at the edges. Bronze Star Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Achievement Medal

Effective dates of promotion before demotion

Insignia Rank Date
Major general 3 July 2018
Brigadier general 1 March 2015
Colonel 1 September 2007
Lieutenant colonel 1 March 2004
Major 1 October 1999
Captain 19 June 1992
First lieutenant 19 June 1990
Second lieutenant 19 May 1988


References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to William T. Cooley.
  1. ^ https://cdn.govexec.com/media/brigadier_general_william_cooley.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ a b Kheel, Rebecca (30 May 2023). "Major General Convicted of Forcible Kissing to Retire as Colonel". Military.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  3. ^ "General Officer Announcements". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ^ MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM T. COOLEY > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display
  5. ^ Pawlyk, Oriana (16 January 2020). "Air Force Two-Star Fired Amid Investigation into Misconduct Allegations". Military.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  6. ^ Hudson, Amy (10 November 2020). "Former AFRL Boss Faces Sexual Assault Charge". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. ^ Pawlyk, Oriana (10 November 2020). "Two-Star Air Force General Charged with Sexual Assault". Military.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Military judge convicts Air Force general of 2018 sexual assault". Air Force Times. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Air Force two-star to retire as colonel after sex crime conviction". Air Force Times. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Cooley, William Theodore (1997). Measurement of ultrafast carrier recombination dynamics in mid-infrared semiconductor laser material (Ph.D. thesis). Air Force Institute of Technology. OCLC 22722284. ProQuest 304379653.
  11. ^ Stark, Ryan (15 April 2015). "Brothers with Kirtland Ties Get Big AF Promotions". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
  12. ^ Dickstein, Corey (30 May 2023). "Air Force major general convicted of sexual assault demoted to colonel ahead of retirement". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  13. ^ Cohen, Rachel (23 April 2022). "Military judge convicts Air Force general of 2018 sexual assault". Air Force Times. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  14. ^ Cohen, Rachel (19 April 2022). "Air Force general's sister-in-law describes alleged sexual assault in Day 2 of court-martial". Air Force Times. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  15. ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (26 April 2022). "Gen William Cooley sentenced for sexual misconduct in first-ever US air force trial". the Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  16. ^ Roza, David (6 January 2022). "An Air Force general is about to be court-martialed for the first time in history [Updated]". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  17. ^ Mabeus-Brown, Courtney (24 June 2024). "Air Force general pleads guilty to adultery, dereliction of duty". Military Times. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Major General Cooley". US Air Force. June 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2022.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

Military offices
Preceded by Director of the Global Positioning Systems Directorate
2013–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Program Executive for Programs and Integration of the Missile Defense Agency
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory
2017–2020 		Succeeded by