Oral History Interview with L. W. "Dutch" Kooper, March 1, 2002

Oral History Interview with L. W. "Dutch" Kooper, March 1, 2002

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Track One 1:24:43

Description

Transcript of an oral interview with Dutch Kooper. Kooper enlisted at the Great Lakes Training Center on November 15, 1938. After training camp, he was sent to Seattle for assignment on the USS Williamson (a four-piper converted into a Seaplane Tender), which operated between Seattle and Alaska. Kooper heard that the USS Houston was going on an Asiatic cruise and wanted volunteers so he volunteered; he was eventually transferred and became a gunners mate. After the start of the war, the Houston was sent to help the Dutch defend Java from the Japanese. He states that they were well trained … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 24 min., 42 sec.)

Creation Information

Kooper, L. W. March 1, 2002.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Kooper, L. W.

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

Transcript of an oral interview with Dutch Kooper. Kooper enlisted at the Great Lakes Training Center on November 15, 1938. After training camp, he was sent to Seattle for assignment on the USS Williamson (a four-piper converted into a Seaplane Tender), which operated between Seattle and Alaska. Kooper heard that the USS Houston was going on an Asiatic cruise and wanted volunteers so he volunteered; he was eventually transferred and became a gunners mate. After the start of the war, the Houston was sent to help the Dutch defend Java from the Japanese. He states that they were well trained but had defective ammo. The Houston was sunk on March 1, 1942 in the Sunda Straits after taking multiple torpedo hits. The HMAS Perth was also sunk. Kooper gives a very descriptive account of the Houston's sinking, his swimming and finally reaching shore, his capture by the Japanese and his life as a POW. After being a POW on Java, they transported them up to Singapore and then into Burma to build the railroad there. After 42 months as a Japanese POW, Kooper was liberated on August 29, 1945 by OSS troops. His last POW camp was in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. They were flown out of Thailand to a hospital in Calcutta and then on home, landing in New York and spending about a month there. After further medical treatment, they were given a 90-day (hospital) furlough. Kooper stayed in the Navy and retired after 24 years.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 24 min., 42 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00461
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607762

Relationships

Oral History Interview with L. W. "Dutch" Kooper, March 1, 2002, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1603949

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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