★★★ Memorial Monday ★★★
CDR William McCool, USN '83 was lost on February 1, 2003 when Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed above Texas during reentry. He was the orbiter's pilot.
From the Lucky Bag:
Hailing from the wide open spaces of Texas, Willie came to prove that even Texas could produce a man ready to accept the challenge "morally, mentally, and physically." Mentally and physically Willie had no problems at all. A natural athlete, Willie excelled at every sport. His first love, running, however, dominated his time. Participating in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track we didn't know if he was dedicated or just plain crazy. When got bored as a 4.0 Aero major, Willie decided to pick something he really liked: computers. He's the only one we know who bought a wrist watch specifically because it had space invaders on it. He’s done so well here that he's planning on getting his masters degree in computers before going to flight school. Though it sounds as if Willie was busy all the time, he still had enough spare time to teach himself to play the guitar and to speak French. (This really irritates G.P. and T.K. the other members of the urraah lounge.) He was in bed by 10:30 every night because he needed "at least 8 hrs. a night."
William received the masters mentioned above from the University of Maryland in 1985, and another in aeronautical engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School in 1992.
From his Wikipedia entry:
McCool completed flight training and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1986. He was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, for initial EA-6B Prowler training. His first operational tour was with Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 133 (VAQ-133), where he made two deployments aboard the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and received designation as a wing-qualified Landing Signal Officer (LSO). In November 1989, he was selected for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School (TPS) Cooperative Education Program.
After graduating from TPS in June 1992, he worked as a TA-4J and EA-6B test pilot in Flight Systems Department of Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. He was responsible for the management and conduct of a wide variety of projects, ranging from airframe fatigue life studies to numerous avionics upgrades. His primary efforts, however, were dedicated to flight test of the Advanced Capability (ADVCAP) EA-6B. Following his Patuxent River tour, McCool returned to Whidbey Island, and was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 (VAQ-132) aboard the carrier USS Enterprise. He served as Administrative and Operations Officer with the squadron through their work-up cycle, receiving notice of his NASA selection while embarked on Enterprise for her final pre-deployment at sea period.
McCool accumulated over 2,800 hours flight experience in 24 aircraft and over 400 carrier arrestments.
An incredibly powerful article, "16 Minutes From Home," is available on his VMH page.
William was survived by his wife, Lani, their three sons, and his parents.
To Honor! ⚓
https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/WILLIAM_C._MCCOOL,_CDR,_USN