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]
William T. Cooley | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Birth name | William Theodore Cooley |
| Nickname(s) | Bill[1] |
| Born | February 4, 1966 Fort Worth, Texas |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1988–2023 |
| Rank | Major General (retired as Colonel)[2] |
| Commands held | Air Force Research Laboratory Global Positioning Systems Directorate Phillips Research Site 350th Electronic Systems Group |
| Awards | Defense Superior Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal |
| Alma mater | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Applied Physics Laser weapons |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Measurement of ultrafast carrier recombination dynamics in mid-infrared semiconductor laser material (1997) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Hengehold |
Early life and education edit
William Theodore Cooley was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 4, 1966.[8] 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.[8]
Military career edit
Cooley was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Air Force after completing the Air Force ROTC program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1988.[8] In 2015, Cooley was promoted to brigadier general.[9] In 2023 he was demoted before retirement to the rank of Colonel.[10][2]
Abusive sexual contact allegations and court-martial edit
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[11][12] 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.[13] He is the first general officer in US Air Force history to be court-martialed.[14]
Awards and decorations edit
Cooley has been awarded and is authorized to wear the following major honors as of June 2020:[15]
Effective dates of promotion edit
| 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 edit
- ^ https://cdn.govexec.com/media/brigadier_general_william_cooley.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b Kheel, Rebecca (30 May 2023). "Major General Convicted of Forcible Kissing to Retire as Colonel". Military.com. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ "General Officer Announcements". U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM T. COOLEY > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display
- ^ Pawlyk, Oriana (16 January 2020). "Air Force Two-Star Fired Amid Investigation into Misconduct Allegations". Military.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Hudson, Amy (10 November 2020). "Former AFRL Boss Faces Sexual Assault Charge". Air Force Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Pawlyk, Oriana (10 November 2020). "Two-Star Air Force General Charged with Sexual Assault". Military.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Stark, Ryan (15 April 2015). "Brothers with Kirtland Ties Get Big AF Promotions". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cohen, Rachel (23 April 2022). "Military judge convicts Air Force general of 2018 sexual assault". Air Force Times. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Major General Cooley". US Air Force. June 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.