Ernest R. Kouma

Holding a tank position through nine hours of close combat

Born in Dwight, Nebraska, on 23 November 1919, Ernest Richard Kouma entered the Army in June 1940. He served with the 14th Cavalry at Fort Riley and on the Mexican border, then trained with the 9th Armored Division in California and Louisiana. He went to Europe in 1944 and served as a tank commander through the Ardennes fighting and the advance into Germany. After the war, occupation assignments took him to Korea and Japan. He was stationed at Fort Lewis before returning to Korea in 1950.

Ernest Richard Kouma earned the Medal of Honor near Agok, Korea, in the fighting beginning on 31 August 1950. Commanding a tank with Company A, 72nd Tank Battalion, he covered an infantry withdrawal after other armored vehicles were lost or driven away. Kouma’s tank remained through repeated attacks. He fought from its exposed rear machine gun, then used his pistol and grenades when ammunition ran out. After more than nine hours, he brought the vehicle back through hostile territory, giving the infantry time to establish new defenses.

President Harry S. Truman presented his Medal of Honor in May 1951. Kouma subsequently served as a recruiter, tank gunnery instructor and armor noncommissioned officer, including further assignments in Germany and at Fort Knox. In 1958 he took part in the interment of the Second World War and Korean War Unknown Soldiers at Arlington and presented a folded flag to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He retired from the Army in 1971 and remained in Kentucky. He died on 19 December 1993 and was buried in the Fort Knox Post Cemetery.

Medal of Honor citation

M/Sgt. Kouma, a tank commander in Company A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His unit was engaged in supporting infantry elements on the Naktong River front. Near midnight on 31 August, a hostile force estimated at 500 crossed the river and launched a fierce attack against the infantry positions, inflicting heavy casualties. A withdrawal was ordered and his armored unit was given the mission of covering the movement until a secondary position could be established. The enemy assault overran two tanks, destroyed one, and forced another to withdraw. Suddenly M/Sgt. Kouma discovered that his tank was the only obstacle in the path of the hostile onslaught. Holding his ground, he gave fire orders to his crew and remained in position throughout the night, fighting off repeated enemy attacks. During one fierce assault, the enemy surrounded his tank and he leaped from the armored turret, exposing himself to a hail of hostile fire, manned the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the rear deck, and delivered point-blank fire into the fanatical foe. His machine gun emptied, he fired his pistol and threw grenades to keep the enemy from his tank. After more than nine hours of constant combat and close-in fighting, he withdrew his vehicle to friendly lines. During the withdrawal through eight miles of hostile territory, M/Sgt. Kouma continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy and exhausted his ammunition in destroying three hostile machine-gun positions. During this action, M/Sgt. Kouma killed an estimated 250 enemy soldiers. His magnificent stand allowed the infantry sufficient time to reestablish defensive positions. Rejoining his company, although suffering intensely from his wounds, he attempted to resupply his tank and return to the battle area. While being evacuated for medical treatment, his courage was again displayed when he requested to return to the front. M/Sgt. Kouma's superb leadership, heroism, and intense devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.