Fred Cochrane
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | May 19, 1920 Los Angeles, CA |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 4, 2014 Riverton, UT |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | US Army Air Force |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Fred C. Cochrane, the son of George and Alice Cochrane, was born on May
19, 1920, in Los Angeles, California. He was awarded “Most Beautiful
Baby in LA” at the age of one. From an early age, Cochrane had a love of
airplanes and collected bottles to save the $4 needed for his first ride
in a biplane at just eight years old. But Cochrane also loved baseball
and signed with the Salina Milers of the Class C Western Association,
aged 20, in 1940. A left-handed hitting outfielder, Cochrane played 106
games and batted .229. In 1941, he played for the San Bernardino Stars
of the Class C California League until the team folded in July,
finishing the season with the Anaheim Aces. He appeared in 135 games.
Cochrane entered military service in November 1941. Not surprisingly, he
served with the Army Air Force, initially stationed in the
quartermaster's department at an army air field in Wyoming, before
training as a gunner on a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and serving in
Europe, where he received the Purple Heart for wounds received in
combat.
After the war, Cochrane became an officer in the Los Angeles Police
Department, and was a hard-hitting centerfielder on the LAPD baseball
team. He retired from the LAPD after 25 years and became Chief of the
Volunteer Fire Department in Green Valley, California. Cochrane was an
avid volunteer, helping in many capacities, including assisting with the
building of a life-size replica of the Spirit of St. Louis (the plane
flown by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, on the first solo non-stop
transatlantic flight), which can be seen at the San Diego Aerospace
Museum.
Fred Cochrane passed away on December 4, 2014, in Riverton, Utah. He was
94 years old and is buried at Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego,
California.
Date Added February 3, 2018
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