Flight Officer Jackie Coogan: AKA Fester

[Sedalia Dave]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1MH1dDSdVu/

 

 

WWII uncovered: Flight Officer Jackie Coogan: Leading the Way During the Invasion of Burma

 

John Leslie Coogan was born on October 26, 1914 in Los Angeles California. Some may remember him as the sidekick of Charlie Chaplin in the classic "The Kid" others may remember him as one of the stars of the television series "The Addams Family" - but we remember Jackie Coogan as the fearless pilot who led the way during the Invasion of Burma.

 

According to the National Museum of the US Air Force: "Jackie Coogan enlisted in the Army on March 4, 1941. When the US entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jackie requested a transfer to the AAF on December 9th, 1941. He would serve as a glider pilot due to his civilian flying training and experience.

 

"Flight Officer Coogan graduated from Victorville Air Field, California. He was promoted to Flight Officer, class 43-2, on January 18, 1943." - The National WWII Glider Pilots Committee of the Silent Wings Museum Foundation

\"Jackie then volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group being formed by Colonel Phil Cochran. In December 1943, the unit was sent to India where, using Waco CG-4A gliders, it airlifted British troops under General Orde Wingate during the night aerial invasion of Burma on March 5, 1944."

 

"Flight Officer Coogan flew the Chindits, landing the first glider plane of the raid in a small jungle clearing 100 miles behind Japanese lines."

A recipient of the Air Medal, Flight Officer Coogan returned to the United States in May 1944 and was discharged in December. 1945 with the rank of Second Lieutenant.

 

After the war Jackie resumed his career in entertainment. He may be best known for his role as Uncle Fester on the television show "The Addams Family" but he is remembered as a decorated World War II veteran.

 

Flight Officer Jackie Coogan passed on March 1, 1984 at the age of 69. He lies in rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City California.

 

Lest We Forget.

[DeaconKC]

He was also a huge proponent of child actors and actresses being protected from relatives who would clean them out and then leave them penniless. Made the studios offer legal and financial advice to the kids and their parents.

[Blackwater 53393]

3 hours ago, DeaconKC said:

He was also a huge proponent of child actors and actresses being protected from relatives who would clean them out and then leave them penniless. Made the studios offer legal and financial advice to the kids and their parents.

Jackie Coogan was a victim of just that kind of abuse. He was a child actor from the time he was a toddler!  His unscrupulous relatives left him destitute and in debt.

 

The government, accompanied by the unions of the acting profession, passed strict laws and established narrow guidelines for the protection of child and juvenile actors.

 

One such piece of legislation was nicknamed “The Jackie Coogan Law!”

 

The Jackie Coogan Law, also known as Coogan's Law, is a California law designed to protect the earnings of child performers. It was enacted in 1939 in response to the financial exploitation of child actor Jackie Coogan by his parents. The law mandates that a portion of a child's earnings from entertainment work (currently 15%) be set aside in a blocked trust account, known as a Coogan account. This ensures that the money is protected and not accessible to the child or their family until they reach the age of majority (18 in California)

 

 

[Chantry]

Being a glider pilot in the 1st Air Commando in Burma during WWII wasn't a low risk job.  Gliders wrecking on landing wasn't uncommon. 

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

His most famous role was as "The Kid" with Charlie Chaplin.

 

[watab kid]

thats a cool bit of info i never knew of before , thanks , 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

On 8/1/2025 at 8:01 AM, Chantry said:

Being a glider pilot in the 1st Air Commando in Burma during WWII wasn't a low risk job.  Gliders wrecking on landing wasn't uncommon. 

Those guys were badasses, as were the other pilots who flew into those fields. Bringing in the Chindits was a high-risk endeavor and the Chindits themselves were TOUGH. The whole China/Burma/India theater was one of the most grueling of the war. 
 

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