🎉 Help us wish a huge Happy Birthday to the kindest, most loyal 5th Squad supporter we know — Kristin! 🎉 Fun fact: We see more of her than her husband... but it’s fine, "he’s sitting right here!" 😂 #IYKYK Kristin’s love for 5th Squad runs deep, and if you know anything about us, you know we wouldn’t be where we are today without her heart, hustle, and constant support. Hope your day is as amazing as you are, Kristin! #HappyBirthdayKristin #LoyalToTheCore #5thSquadFamily (fb)

Marine Cpl. William J. Cooper Died May 19, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom 22, of Eupora, Miss.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 19 near Garmsir, Afghanistan, while supporting combat operations. Corporal killed in combat in Afghanistan By Dan Lamothe Staff writer A corporal deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Afghanistan was killed in combat Monday, Marine officials said. Cpl. William J. Cooper, 22, of Eupora, Miss., died near Garmsir in Helmand province, where the 24th MEU has been fighting insurgents for several weeks. He was assigned to Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, and based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., II Marine Expeditionary Force officials at Lejeune said Tuesday in a statement. Cooper joined the Corps on Dec. 27, 2004, and joined 1/6 on March 3, 2006, the statement said. He was promoted to corporal Aug. 1 and had received the Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Medal, as well as two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons. Last week, another member of Cooper’s company, Lance Cpl. Sam Hansen, was shot in the head by an insurgent in Garmsir, a town in Helmand where Marines have faced fierce opposition from the Taliban. Hansen’s helmet slowed the bullet, and he escaped with a wound that needed stitches, bullet fragments in his scalp, and bruising and swelling of the brain. He has been sent back to the U.S., Marine officials said. #telltheirstories #seetheirfaces #SayTheirNames #knowyourmississippiheroes #5thsquad #5thsquadms (fb)