Private First Class Cochran was a member of Headquarters and Service Company, 116th Engineer Combat Battalion, U.S. Army. On 4 June 1953, he was driving near Kung-Dong, North Korea to pick up supplies, when his truck overturned on a steep grade.

Cochran was awarded the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.