BELTON, TEXAS — John Cooney, a retired U.S. Army helicopter pilot from Belton, Texas, placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in March 2026. He was among four Central Texas veterans invited for the ceremony.

Cooney flew Cobra attack helicopters during the Vietnam War. "My unit was very lucky in the time I was there. We didn't have anybody killed. We had guys that got shot down, [but] we always were able to recover them," he said.

After Vietnam, Cooney served in the U.S. Army in Germany and later spent many years training military helicopter pilots at Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas.

Cooney also recalled the contrast between the homecomings of Vietnam War veterans and later generations. "Having been at Fort Hood during Desert Storm and seeing all of the pride of welcoming people back and sending people off in good order, and we [Vietnam War veterans] got none of that," he said. When U.S. troops returned from the Vietnam War, there were few 'welcome homes.'

His visit to Arlington National Cemetery was facilitated through Honor Flight Austin, a nonprofit organization that flies U.S. military veterans free of charge to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials built in their honor.