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Butte Sergeant Wins Five MilitaryDecorations on Western Front(Continued From Page 1pital in England Feb. 4, Sgt. Cooper told his wife simply:“I have been in the hospital for a little checkup—nothing bad. I am a sergeant now and I got the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and cluster and I am going to get the Purple Heart, too.”A few days ago a package, postmarked in England March 17. came to Mrs. Cooper. It contained a box bearing the Purple Heart medal, the ribbon and the small lapel pin.Overseas since last July, Sgt. Cooper is a member of Company K., 331st infantry regiment, 83rd division, American First Army.The action for which he was awarded the Silver Star medal, the military’s third highest award for heroism in action, is explained in a release received by Butte newspapers from his divisional headquarters. The award summary and citation is contained on a mimeographed and typewritten form printed on back of a German letterhead, once the property of the European Copper and Glass companyof Dusseldorf.The citation describing the action reads as follows:Sgt. William P. Cooper (then private, first class» infantry Company K, 331st infantry. UnitedStates army—for distinguishing himself by gallantry in action on Jan. 12, 1945 in Belgium. With fearless devotion to duty, Sgt. Cooper moved with his rocket launcher to a deep cut in a road and waited for an approaching enemy tank to get within range. He then tookaim and destroyed the tank withtwo rounds. This daring action enabled his company to proceed to its abjective. The grim determination and gallant fighting spirit of this non-commissioned officer reflectthe highest credit upon himself andthe finest tradition of the armedforces of the United States.”On Jan. 12. the Butte infantrymen *as a private, first class. On Feb. I, he was a sergeant, and on Feb. 24, he was a staff sergeant.IVife ConfusedMrs. Cooper had been rather confused as to the welfare of her hus-land since she received the letter le wrote Feb. 4, informing her he was in the hospital for a “little :heck-up,” and that he was going :o get the Purple Heart. She wrote •i letter to the War department seeking information as to where ind how badly he was wounded.Before hearing from the War department, Mrs. Cooper received a xst card sent from an overseas lospital on which the officer in charge stated:“I am pleased to inform you that mi Feb. 24, your husband, S/Sgt. William P. Cooper was convalescing :rom frost bite of feet.On March 12, the War department, in answer to Mrs. Cooper's inquiry, advised her that her husband’s name was not contained on any casualty report received by that department.A week ago Mrs. Cooper received a letter written by her husband from a hospital in England in which he indicated he might soon arrive inthe States.Thursday she received a letter.sent by free mail, which he wrote March 5, also from the hospital in England, in which was enclosed a slip of paper, apparently clipped from a mimeographed sheet, which explained that S Sgt. William P. Cooper was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in action in the Belgium area on Jan. 17.Exploits PublicizedSome of the exploits of Company K, Sgt. Cooper’s outfit, have been written up in the “TTF,” the newspaper of the 331st Infantry regiment of the 93rd division.One story tells how for days 15 men of Company K (of which Sgt. Cooper was one) held a hill, which served as an infantry outpost, battling Germans and some of the worst weather experienced on the Western front. Finally a determinedV German patrol attacked the hill, and when the din of battle had subsided the patrol was wiped out to a man, the American defenders suffering one man wounded.That action occurred last November, and later in a letter home, Sgt. Cooper mentioned he had taken part in the action, that he and three other infantrymen had been jammed in a foxhole with water up almost to their waists in the middle of the fight. He added that one of the four had been wounded and that the restcarried him down the hill when thebattle was over.In the Dec. 28 edition of the regiment paper, the top story related the exploits of Company K in the battle for Gey, a Nazi stronghold on the outskirts of the Hurtgen forest. The story tells how Company K spearheaded the drive through the city and drove the stubbornly resisting enemy to the bank of the Roer river, just south of Dueren, and captured 112 prisoners.The paper described Gey as a heavily defended city with every building a pillbox and every house a “complete Rrsenal.”*lt;i%I]1*1INative of ButteTRUSTEESBorn and reared n the Mining city, Sgt Cooper attended Sacred Heart school and prior to entering the armed forces on Jan. 24, 1944, was employed as a driver by the C. F. firm. After completing basic training at Camp Wheeler, Ga„ he was home on furlough last June to visit his wife, his mother, his 10-year-old daughter, Maxine, and other relatives and friends.He reported back to duty at Fort George Meade, Md., and in July went overseas. He was landed in France and assigned to the American First army.Ha saw considerable action throughout the campaign in France and on Sept. 4 as a “buck” private won the Combat Infantryman’s badge “for displaying exemplary conduct in action against the enemyin France.” He saw action in Luxembourg and was in the thick of the fight when the Germans staged their counter offensive In the Ardennes forest. It was the First army that bore the brunt of that enemy action.Other members of Sgt. Cooper’s family are a brother, Lewis Cooper, of Butte, and four sisters, Mrs. James McArthur, Mrs. Louis Danse-reau, Miss Helen Cooper, all of Butte, and Mrs. Carl Rimmel of Great Falls.His father, the late Frank Cooper, an old-time Butte teamster, died here last July, a few days before Sgt. Cooper embarked for overseas duty.
Newspaper Details
The Montana Standard
Butte, Montana, US
Fri, Apr 06, 1945
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Antoine N.
FR 03 Feb 2020
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