The son of a U.S. Air Force officer, Cooper grew up in a family which moved around the world living on Air Force bases where his dad was stationed. He had twin siblings, Ronnie and Connie, who were two years younger than he.[2] William Cooper was briefly active in the Masonic-affiliated youth organization DeMolay International.[4] He graduated in 1961 from Yamato High School in Japan[5][6] and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force that same year. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1965. Later that year he enlisted in the U.S. Navy[7] where he rose to the rank of petty officer.[8]He served in Vietnam first on board a tanker, then following training at the Naval Security and Intelligence School for Internal Security Specialists,[9] as a patrol boat captain.[10] Cooper claimed that for the remainder of his Navy career he worked on and off for Naval Security and Intelligence.[9]   Death By 1998 Cooper was living in Arizona. Still wanted on the charges of tax evasion,[17][18] Cooper was the subject of an arrest warrant for “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon” against a local doctor shortly before his death.[17] On his website, Cooper wrote that any attempt to execute unlawful arrest warrants “will be met with armed resistance.”[17] In July and September 2001, Cooper was accused of brandishing a handgun to threaten passersby near his home in Eagar, Arizona.[18] Just before midnight on November 6, 2001, officers of the Apache County Sheriff’s office converged on Cooper’s homestead to arrest him on a warrant arising from the threat complaint. On November 6, 2001 at 11:40 P.M., Apache County Sheriff’s deputies attempted to [let's keep reading!]