Draft Board Minutes
MINUTES OF THE SIOUX COUNTY LOCAL BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 10, 1943
… On motion, the following registrants were placed in Tentative 1-A, subject to examination:
… Henry Anthony Kosters, Hawarden …
Source: Sioux Center News March 18, 1943, p 5
38 SIOUX COUNTY MEN ACCEPTED FOR U.S. MILITARY SERVICE
Following is a list of the Sioux County men accepted for service in the United States Armed Forces. These men left last week Tuesday for induction. They will leave this week Thursday for their various stations. The new ruling forbids the publication of the names of those called until after induction, nor does it permit publication of the names of those who have been rejected.
Following are those accepted: … U. S. Navy … Henry Anthony Kosters, Orange City …
Source: Sioux Center News May 27, 1943, p 1
Henry Kosters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gt. Kosters, … leave Friday for armed services in the Navy.
Source: Sioux County Capital May 27, 1943, p 7
Henry Kosters A/S Co. 372.43 Camp Waldron, U.S.N. Trg. St., Farragut, Idaho.
Source: Sioux County Capital Jul. 1, 1943, p 8
Three Sons In Service
Gerrit William Kosters, S/1c U.S.N.R., U.S.S. South Dakota Div. 11, c/o Fleet Postmaster, New York, New York.
Pfc. Allen Kosters, A. A. F. 797th T. S. S. Barracks 309, Seymour Johnson Field, Goldsboro, N. C.
Henry Kosters A/S, Co. 372_43, Camp Waldron, U.S.N.T.S. Farragut, Idaho. Henry left for the navy recently and is getting his boot training at Farragut. He is a member of one of the choirs there and says it is a real thrill to sing in a choir consisting of 150 voices.
The above 3 young men are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters.
Source: Sioux County Capital July 8, 1943, p 7
Six Sioux County Boys who were stationed together at Camp Waldron, Farragut, Idaho, are all home now enjoying a fifteen-day furlough after their eight-week boot training in the Navy. The boys will be placed in the Out Going unit on their return and none of them know where they will be stationed.
The Sioux County boys who are in this group include Davie Vander Berg, Gerrit John Van Laar of Alton, Henry Kosters, Thomas Noteboom, Albert Van Oort of Orange City, and Donald Den Herder of Boyden. …
Source: Sioux Center News July 29, 1943, p 8
The address of Henry Kosters is Henry Kosters, Sea. 2/c, F. K. Service School, Barracks 18-6, Camp Peterson, Idaho.
Henry met the De Jong twins at Camp Peterson and the three young men spent a three-day leave visiting Spokane, Wash.
Source: Sioux County Capital Aug. 12, 1943, p 1
Cpl. Allen Kosters of Seattle, Wash. and Seaman 2nd Class Henry Kosters of Farragut, Idaho met in Yakima, Wash. Saturday evening. The brothers stayed in Yakima and attended church there Sunday.
Source: Sioux County Capital Sept. 9, 1943, p 7
Henry Kosters S 2/c, S. K. Service School Bks. 18-L, Camp Peterson, Farragut, Idaho.
Source: Alton Democrat Sept. 16, 1943, p 8
Mr. and Mrs. Jake Duistermars spent Monday afternoon at the Gerrit Kosters home at Orange City where they visited with Henry Kosters who is home on furlough from Farragut, Idaho where he is stationed with the U. S. Navy.
Source: Sioux Center News Dec. 23, 1943, p 4
Henry Kosters S 1/C Batt. I Bks. 0123 Bunk 51 U. S. Naval Receiving B.K.S. Shoemaker, California
Source: Sioux County Capital Feb. 3, 1944, p 5
Henry Kosters S 1/c Navy R.S.-131, c/o Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, Calif.
Source: Sioux County Capital Feb. 3, 1944, p 7
Kosters Brothers In Service (photos) Pictured here are the two sons of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters of Orange City, Iowa.
SGT. ALLEN KOSTERS
Sgt. Allen Kosters entered the service in November, 1942. He received his basic training at Coffeyville, Kan. At present he is stationed at Salt Lake City, Utah, but expects to be transferred soon. He is an upper turret gunner on a B-17. His address is: Sgt. Allen Kosters 17071233 Army Air Base Salt Lake City, Utah
HENRY KOSTERS S 1/C
Henry Kosters S 1/c entered the service on May 28, 1943. He received his boot training at Farragut, Idaho. After that he graduated from Storekeeper School there. He has now been assigned a ship. We are not permitted to publish his address, please call the News for it.
There is also another brother, Gerrit William, who entered the service in August 1942, and was sent overseas after five weeks of boot training. He has been in two major engagements. Call the News for his address.
Source: Sioux Center News May 25, 1944, p 1
Seaman 1/c Henry Kosters called his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. Kosters Friday night from San Francisco, Calif. Seaman Kosters has spent the past 7 months on sea and is scheduled for a leave which he will spend here around September 11.
Seaman 1/c Wm. Kosters, who has been home on leave, left for Seattle, Wash. Thursday morning.
Source: Sioux County Capital Aug. 24, 1944, p 7
Seaman Henry Kosters also of the South Pacific arrived Monday morning from San Francisco to spend a 20-day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gt. Kosters.
Source: Sioux County Capital Sept. 14, 1944, p 7
Henry Kosters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters of Orange City left again for the service on Monday afternoon after enjoying a three week stay at home. He has been in service in the South Pacific for two years.
Source: Sioux Center News Sept. 28, 1944, p 10
William and Henry Kosters, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters, met recently in the South Pacific. Henry spent 4 hours on Bill’s ship. William is now coxswain.
Source: Sioux County Capital Dec. 21, 1944, p 10
USS SPENCE LOST
The U. S. Destroyer Spence was lost recently in a Pacific typhoon according to radio reports Wednesday evening. Henry Kosters, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters, was on the Spence. No word has yet been received here as to the survivors. Three destroyers were lost in the typhoon with about 400 men listed as missing.
Source: Sioux County Capital Jan. 11, 1945, p 1
Staff Sgt. and Mrs. Robert Niekerk came Saturday from Warrenton, Virginia for a weeks’ furlough. Mrs. Niekirk was formerly Miss Kosters of Orange City. Sunday they received word that her brother Henry Kosters who was on the Spence destroyer was missing in a storm and only a few rescued.
Source: Alton Democrat Jan. 18, 1945, p 8
Receive News Of Death Of Son
Mr. and Mrs. Gerrit Kosters have received official notice that their son, S 1/c Henry Kosters, was lost in a typhoon December 15, 1944. He was on the destroyer Spence, one of the three that were lost.
Source: Sioux County Capital Mar. 15, 1945, p 1
Orange City’s Service Board Has Growing List Of Names Orange City men in the Armed Services as listed on the service board at the Town Hall:
… Gold Stars …, Henry Kosters, …
Source: Sioux County Capital May 10, 1945, Second Section
Henry Anthony Kosters was born July 7, 1924 to Gerrit and Gertrude Bronsen Kosters. He died Dec. 18, 1944 and is memorialized at the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines and has a cenotaph in West Lawn Cemetery, Orange City, IA.
Petty Officer Kosters served in World War II with the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Spence (DD-512) which capsized and sank in Typhoon Cobra in Philippine waters. He was MIA/FOD/KIA.
Source: ancestry.com; abmc.gov
