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| Thomas Kouns and his brother Robert were killed in action less than 10 days apart. |
Thomas was born December 24, 1918 in Carter County, Kentucky. His parents Thomas Sr. and Addie were also born in Kentucky. Thomas had one older brother, one older sister, and a younger brother, and nine half-siblings. His father was a farmer and passed away in 1921, and his mother remarried; she passed away in 1930. In 1940 Thomas and his younger brother Robert were living with their step-brother and working as laborers on the family farm.
Thomas was inducted into the US Army in April 1941. By 1945 he was a Staff Sgt. in Company G of the 149th Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division. The 38th ID was a National Guard division that was federalized in January 1941. After training in the States, the 38th ID deployed to the Pacific Theater in January 1944, where it participated in the New Guinea, Southern Philippines, and Luzon campaigns. In recognition of their contributions in liberating the Philippines, the 38th ID was given the nickname “The Avengers of Bataan” by Gen Douglas MacArthur. Staff Sgt. Kouns was killed in action April 14, 1945 during combat operations in Northern Luzon, Philippines. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.
Sadly, Thomas’s younger brother Robert was killed in action only nine days later on April 23, 1945. Robert had been inducted into the Army in August 1942 and served as a Staff Sgt. in the 11th Armored Division. He was killed during combat operations in the Po Valley in Italy.
Thomas J. Kouns and Robert E. Kouns are buried side by side in Bellew Cemetery in Samaria Kentucky.
Thank you Thomas and Robert for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for Thomas and Robert.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Pfc Willie Putty of the 4th Infantry Division. You can read about Willie here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
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WW2 Fallen 100 is supported by
The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation
“Where Every Day is Memorial Day”
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