User:Marine 69-71/William Walter Kouts

Captain William "Bill" Walter Kouts (February 20, 1922-October 30, 2010) was a former United States Army officer who served in both World War II and the Korean War. Kouts was one of three men saved by Medal of Honor recipient David M. Gonzales during World War II. For over 60 years, Kouts searched for the family of the person who saved his life and in 2007 became the subject of the news media when he finally found the surviving son of Gonzales, David Jr. During his search, Kouts was unaware that Gonzales' son was also searching for him. Kouts is the only rescued survivor whose name has been made public by the U.S. Government.

Early years
Kouts was born to Walter and Pearl Kouts in the town of Saint Cloud, Minnesota where he received his primary and secondary education. In 1941, Kouts joined the Army following in the footsteps of his father, who had served in World War I. At the outbreak of World War II, Kouts was assigned to 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division and sent to combat in the Philippines.

World War II
On April 22, 1942, the 32nd Division sailed from San Francisco, bound for the war in the South Pacific. They arrived in Port Adelaide, South Australia on May 14, 1942. On September 15, 1942, the first elements of the Division were flown from Australia to Port Moresby, New Guinea. The 32nd Division was the first U.S. Division to fight an offensive action against the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific. Eventually, the 32nd Division was sent to fight the Japanese forces on Luzon island in the Philippines.

In 1945, Kouts was a Sergeant and the senior noncommissioned officer of Company A, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division. On April 25, 1945, Sergeant Kouts' company found itself engaged in combat against Japanese forces at Villa Verde Trail on Luzon island in the Philippines. A 500-pound bomb was dropped accidentally on the wrong hill by an American P-47 Thunderbolt. The Army Air Corps was using a tactic called "skip bombing" and were fusing the bombs for delayed action detonation to destroy the labyrinth of Japanese caves and tunnels in the northern Luzon campaign. This fusing allowed the bomb to bury itself deeply into the ground prior to detonation. This unfortunate event trapped American soldiers, including Kouts, in their standing foxholes. Immediately after the detonation of the 500 pound bomb, rescue efforts were initiated by company's commanding officer and Pvt. David M. Gonzales.

The commanding officer was killed by enemy machine gun fire while Gonzales was digging out the men using a shovel and his bare hands. In an attempt to dig faster, Gonzales stood up, exposing himself to enemy fire. With his actions, he was able to rescue three of the men. Gonzales handed the shovel to Kouts before he was hit and mortally wounded.

Kouts, who later received a field commission of Second Lieutenant, was the senior NCO (Non-commissioned Officer) at the time of the incident, who wrote the initial account citing the heroic efforts of David M. Gonzales on that April day. The report resulted in the awarding of the Medal of Honor to David M. Gonzales. This however, would not be the only time when one of Kouts' men would be awarded the highest military decoration of the United States.

On September 2, 1945, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, Highest Commander of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines, surrendered to the 32nd Infantry Division on Luzon.

After the war, Kouts was discharged and he returned to his civilian job. Kouts wondered about the family that David M.Gonzales left behind and tried to make contact with them, to no avail. He returned to the military in 1948 and was sent to the Army's Airborne school where he earned his "Parachutist Badge".

Korean War
On June 25, 1950, North Korea attacked South Korea. The civil war between these two nations was greatly expanded when the United Nations, led by the United States, and later China entered the conflict.

On August 27, 1950, the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment was reorganized and redesignated as the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team and the unit was quickly sent to Korean Peninsula under the command of Colonel William Westmoreland.

Captain Kouts was the commanding officer of Company A of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team which made the second and last parachute assault in Korea on March 23, 1952. On August 14, 1952, Lieutenant Walter Klepeis of the 674th Airborne FA Battalion notified Kouts that a Sergeant on a scope had spotted a patrol from his company, which seemed lost, was walking near the enemy line near Kumwha and that hundreds of Chinese were running to cut them off. Klepeis was ordered to open artillery fire on the enemy. It was a difficult task because the fog in the valley limited their visibility. Corporal Lester Hammond, Jr. was the radio man of the lost patrol and with his directions the artillery commander was able to fire effectively. He did this knowing that some of the rounds would eventually kill him. Kouts organized a relief force from Company C and sent it out to the valley to find the patrol and recover the body of Corporal Hammond. Corporal Lester Hammond was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Post Korean War
In 1955, Kouts, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, was honorably discharged from the Army and went to work for the Atlas Powder Company of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania as a Blasting Technician. He met Madeline King whom he married in 1956. They had three children Nanette, Maribeth and William Jr.

The search for the Gonzales family
The Kouts family moved to the State of Georgia and Kouts continued to search for the surviving family of David M. Gonzales. During his search, Kouts was unaware that at the same time on the other side of the United States in Pacoima, California, David Gonzales Jr. (born 1945) thought a lot about the three men his father saved and wondered who they were.

Years passed and the Kouts children, realizing that their father was in ill health, decided to help their father in his quest. Maribeth Kouts, daughter of William Kouts, began an extensive Internet search, and on March 20, 2007 she posted the following message on Wikipedia:

"'my father, William Kouts, was the soldier David M. Gonzales was digging out when he was shot and killed by sniper fire. My Dad is 85 and in ill health and we want to get into contact with the Gonzales family before Dad's passing so that Dad can tell David Jr. of his father's heroics firsthand.Mbkouts'"

Tony Santiago responded to the message and told Maribeth that he would try to help her in their quest. Santiago, who is a contributor in Wikipedia, sent e-mails to Congressman Howard Berman and telephoned every David Gonzales in the Los Angeles area without any luck. He then placed a message in Somos Primos, a Hispanic heritage cultural magazine, and on April 11, 2007, Santiago made contact with Ernestine Gonzales, cousin of David Gonzales Jr. and, as a result, both families met in the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs, Georgia for the first time on May 24, 2007. The event brought closure to over 60 years of searching for the relatives of David M. Gonzales on behalf of William W. Kouts. Said Beatrice Gonzales, David's daughter-in-law, "We feel so much peace because David's father died to save a very good man who lived a good life." "We owe so much to Mr. Santiago," said Maribeth Kouts.

Kouts died on October 30, 2010, in Powder Springs, Georgia and was buried November 5th, in Georgia National Cemetery located in Canton, GA. He is survived by his three children and two granddaughters, Katie Waters and Taylor Kouts. Kouts is the only survivor whose name has been made public.

Military decorations and awards
Among Capt. William W. Kouts' many military decorations are the following:

Badges:
 * Distinguished Service Medal ribbon.svg Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
 * Army Service Ribbon.svg Army Service Ribbon
 * Phliber rib.svg Philippine Liberation Medal
 * United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg United Nations Service Medal
 * Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg Korean Service Medal
 * Korea Defense Service ribbon.svg Korean Defense Service Medal
 * National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg National Defense Service Medal
 * World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg World War II Victory Medal
 * Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
 * Army of Occupation ribbon.svg Army of Occupation Medal
 * Army Overseas Service Ribbon.svg Army Overseas Service Ribbon (6 times)
 * United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg Presidential Unit Citation
 * US Army Airborne basic parachutist badge.gif Parachutist Badge
 * Combat Infantry Badge.svg Combat Infantryman Badge