This is the VIC 4 VETS, Honored Veteran, during Veterans Month in America.

SUBMITTED BY:  TIM CHILDS 

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ARMY MASTER SGT. ERNEST R. KOUMA / SGT MAJOR TONY B. KOUMA

Vic and Ken,

I would like to share the names of two brothers who both enlisted in the military to fight for our freedom in the buildup to and after our declaration of war in World War ll. I never had the opportunity to meet Earnest but Tony was married to my 2nd cousin Mary Henehan. I had the pleasure of spending time with him and his family in California , while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton from 1983-1985. He was a great big man with just as big a heart. Earnest was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and Tony earned the Navy Cross, which is one step below the Medal of Honor. Hearing Tony describe the details of what his brother went through, and after much prodding on my part, what he went through to earn their respective medals was chilling and awe inspiring at the same time. It was amazing to me, initially, that brothers would both earn such honors and neither posthumously. After spending time with him and his family I came to understand the type of character it takes to be these men. I know you plan to honor 1 veteran each day. I would appreciate it if you could take the time to mention them both at the same time so listeners can understand the level of courage, honor and devotion to country demonstrated by these two young men, brothers from 1 family.

If I may, I would like to also give a mention for Ashli Babbit.
Ashli Babbitt had a 12-year military career in the Air Force, primarily serving as an enlisted security forces controller. She enlisted after high school and served from 2004 to 2016, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. During her active duty, she met her first husband, Staff Sargent Timothy McEntee. Babbitt also served in the Air National Guard, including a six-year stint with the Capital Guardians, a unit responsible for defending the Washington D.C. region. She reached the rank of Senior Airman.  Thanks, Tim

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This is today’s VIC 4 VETS, Honored Veteran, during Veterans Month in America on NewsTalkSTL.

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Sgt. Maj. Anthony B. Kouma (Retired)  
was born in Dwight, NE, May 30, 1922. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942. 
His distinguished military career included service in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. 
Among his many decorations, he was awarded the Navy Cross in 1944 for 
extraordinary heroism. In 1951 he married Marjorie Dixon, mother of his nine 
children. After her death, he retired and worked as a school bus driver to care for 
their children. He was joined by his beloved wife Mary Henehan, who sadly 
preceded him in death by a year. He passed away at his home in Encinitas on 
Sept. 12, 2004. He will be remembered for his lively sense of humor and his 
constant love of God, family, friends, country, and the U.S. Marine Corps. His 
frequent letters often ended with a phrase he personified in life - Semper fidelis 
(Always faithful.) 
Navy Cross Citation: 
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the 
Navy Cross to Corporal Anthony B. Kouma (MCSN: 485555), United States 
Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while 
serving with Headquarters and Service Battery, Third Battalion, Tenth Marines, 
SECOND Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Saipan, 
Marianas Islands, 7 July 1944. Investigating suspicious movement in the vicinity 
of his Battery's position, Corporal Kouma worked his way forward from his 
foxhole and, discovering the enemy in force to his front, alerted the listening 
posts and directed accurate and effective automatic fire against the Japanese. 
Doggedly continuing his advance into the enemy lines under intense machine
gun and rifle fire, he located and destroyed two hostile machine guns which were 
firing into his Battery. He then returned to his own area and, discovering that the 
position was becoming untenable, efficiently directed the withdrawal of the men 
and assisted in the evacuation of the wounded. His leadership, courageous 
devotion to duty and gallant fighting spirit reflect the highest credit upon Corporal 
Kouma and the United States Naval Service.

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Master Sgt. 
Ernest R. Kouma 
Army Master Sgt. Ernest R. Kouma was credited with killing an astonishing 250 
enemy soldiers to protect retreating U.S. infantrymen during an hours-long battle 
at the beginning of the Korean War. It's no surprise that his efforts earned him 
the Medal of Honor. 
Kouma was born Nov. 23, 1919, in Dwight, Nebraska, and grew up on a family 
farm. In 1940, as war was building in Europe, he decided to enlist in the Army. 
Kouma served with the 9th Infantry Division during World War II. He fought his 
way across Germany and helped relieve the people of Bastone, Belgium, after a 
long siege during the famed Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45.  
After the war, he served as part of the occupation force in South Korea and 
Japan. But shortly after the Korean War began in the summer of 1950, Kouma 
was again sent to the front lines as an M26 Pershing tank commander of 
Company A, 72nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division.  
Kouma's unit was part of the defensive perimeter around the port city of Pusan 
along the Naktong River. Near midnight on Aug. 31, 1950, about 500 enemy 
troops crossed the river and launched an attack against infantry units the tanks 
were supporting. 
The infantry units were ordered to withdraw, and Kouma's armored unit was 
tasked with covering them until another defensive position could be set up. But 
the enemy's assault was heavy, and it overran two tanks, destroyed another and 
forced a fourth to withdraw.  
That's when Kouma realized his tank was the only one left to defend the fleeing 
infantry units. His company desperately needed to hold their ground. 
Kouma ordered his crew to fire on the attackers, fighting them off repeatedly 
throughout the night. During one assault, insurgents surrounded Kouma's tank, 
so he jumped from the armored turret despite a hail of gunfire coming at him. He 
made it to the .50-caliber machine gun mounted on the rear deck of the tank and 
fired at point-blank range into the enemy. After the machine gun ran out of 
ammunition, he shot his pistol and threw grenades to keep them off the tank. 
For nine hours, Kouma's tank unit battled the enemy nonstop at close range until 
they were finally forced to move to safety, withdrawing through eight miles of 
hostile territory. The whole journey, Kouma kept firing and was able to take out 
three hostile machine gun positions.  
During the retreat, Kouma injured numerous insurgents and killed an estimated 
250 enemy soldiers. It was an intense display of heroics that allowed the infantry 
to get to safety and reestablish their defensive positions. 
Kouma was injured during the ordeal, but once he rejoined his company, he tried 
to resupply the tank and get back to the battle. His superiors made him get 
medical treatment, and his request to return to the front lines was again shot 
down. 
A few days later, Kouma returned to his unit. He was promoted to master 
sergeant and evacuated back to the U.S.  
His leadership, heroism and intense devotion to the mission first led to the 
Distinguished Service Cross being awarded to him. That was quickly upgraded, 
however, to the Medal of Honor. He was one of the first men to receive it for 
actions taken in Korea and received it during a ceremony held by President Harry 
S. Truman on May 10, 1951. 
After the war, the distinguished soldier remained in the Army and served as a 
recruiter, a tank gunnery instructor and a tank commander, but he never again 
saw combat. He retired in 1971 after 31 years of service and went on to work as 
a game warden at Fort Knox. 
Kouma lived a quiet life in McDaniels, Kentucky, until his death on Dec. 19, 1993. 
He is the only Medal of Honor recipient buried in Fort Knox Cemetery.  
Kouma received many honors after leaving the service. The 194th Brigade 
Dining Facility at Fort Benning, Georgia, is named in his honor. In 2016, just 
outside of Fort Knox, officials in Radcliff, Kentucky, renamed a road Ernest R. 
Kouma Boulevard in his memory.