The Kouts-Gonzales Story
For 62 years, William Walter Kouts wondered what ever happened to the family of Medal of Honor recipient David M. Gonzales (Whose article I wrote), who in 1945 saved his life during WW II. Kouts daughter, Maribeth, asked me to help them in their quest because her father is in ill-health. After an extensive search, I was able to make contact with the surviving son of Gonzales, David Jr., who it so happens, always wondered what had happened to the men his father saved. Both families will met for the first time on Memorial Day 2007, an event which was covered by the press and I was invited to attend.
Senate Invitation
After writing about Medal of Honor recipient Humbert Roque Versace, I discovered his Puerto Rican roots. I started a movement to have his name inscribed in Puerto Rico's "El Monumento de la Recordacion" which is dedicated to Puerto Rico's fallen soldiers (including those of Puerto Rican descent). The government was unaware of its fifth Medal of Honor recipient. The finally result is that the government has invited me to the unveiling of his and Capt. Manuel Rivera, Jr.'s name on the monument. I couldn't attend though, I went to the memorial Day event in Powder Springs, Georgia.
Claridad Newspaper article
An article in the newspaper "Claridad" of Puerto Rico where writer David Miró stated on "Page 2" (middle paragraph) that "I am the Puerto Rican who has made the most contributions to Wikipedia".[1] I don't know about that.
Memorial Day Speech
One of the things that I did not expect was to be honored by the President of the Puerto Rican Senate Hon. Kenneth McClintock, who in his speech on Memorial Day in Puerto Rico campared me with Puerto Rico's Official Historian Dr. Luis Gonzalez Vale. The above is a portion of the speech.
on Memorial Day 2007
The Arizona Republic and Crispy News Articles
The press interviewed me about the events which led up to the meeting between the Gonzales and Kouts families and as to be expected the story came out in the Arizona Republic and in the Crispy News.[2][3]
"Sometimes the need to say thank you, the overwhelming desire to express sincere gratitude, can become a weight that needs to be lifted. Because of the dogged work of Tony Santiago of Phoenix, an 85-year-old Georgia man will be able to lift that burden before he dies. He has been carrying it around for more than 60 years."
On April 25, 1945, U.S. Army Pfc. David M. Gonzales walked directly into heavy sniper fire in an attempt to save the lives of three men on the Villa Verde trail in the Philippines. He dug out three soldiers, all buried by a massive bomb blast before a sniper finally got him. Gonzales died and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
"It was a dramatic story of a World War II hero but Santiago, 57, decided it was so compelling that more people needed to know it. So he wrote about Gonzales for Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. What Santiago did not know was that the last man Gonzales saved, a buck sergeant named William W. Kouts, was getting old and sick in Georgia and had spent a lifetime trying to find the Gonzales family so he could try to express his gratitude.
""When I found out about Kouts, I was so touched about how thankful he was. His whole life he just wanted to say thank you," Santiago said from his west Phoenix home. Kouts was never able to locate the family of the man who saved his life because this uncommon man had the most common of names: David Gonzales. As Kouts grew older and his mental acuity diminished, his children resumed the search. When Maribeth Kouts, 49, saw the Wikipedia entry about Gonzales, she contacted Santiago right away.
"Santiago, a New York native with a thick Bronx accent, served in the Marines and saw combat in Vietnam. As he grew older and moved to Phoenix, he learned he loved history and writing. He was energized by the Kouts' family pleas to help them find the Gonzales family. Working with the Pentagon and using every resource available to him on the Internet, he set to work.
"He knew Gonzales was from an area just north of Los Angeles and started calling every person with the name David Gonzales. But no luck. Then he entered the story on a Web site called Somos Primos, which is dedicated to Hispanic history and heritage. A niece of David Gonzales saw it and eventually Santiago was able to bring the two families together. This weekend, they are all meeting in Georgia.
""We owe so much to Mr. Santiago," said Maribeth Kouts, 49. Her family insisted on flying Santiago and his wife out to Georgia. She said it was the least she could do because she always knew about the sacrifice Gonzales had made.
"According to Kouts' father, the last moments of Gonzales' life were even more dramatic than the official Medal of Honor citation. "He told us many times the story about how in the middle of heavy sniper fire, this man with his Army-issue shovel was able to get two men out. "And then, as he was digging out my father, he stood up so he could finish. He knew it was dangerous but he stood up anyway. "Then he got hit, and before he died, he handed my father the shovel."
"Gonzales' son, David M. Gonzales Jr., was a baby when his father died. All he had to remember his father by was the Medal of Honor and stories. "My mother always told me what a good man he was," the junior Gonzales said by phone last week. He and his wife were already in Georgia and had met Kouts' children. "They are very, very nice," he said. "I can already tell that the man my father saved was a good man." Finding out that Kouts has lived a good life helped, according to David Jr.'s wife, Beatrice Gonzales. "We feel so much peace because David's father died to save a very good man who lived a good life," she said.
Senate Resolution #3603
On November 28, 2007, The Senate of Puerto Rico paid me a tribute and I was honored by the Senate of Puerto Rico with a Resolution # 3603 in recognition of my work on behalf of Puerto Rico in Wikipedia. The President of the Puerto Rican Senate, Honorable Kenneth McClintock presented me with the resolution.[4]
Phoenix Republic
This article came out on January 30, 2008 in regard to the Senate Resolution.[5][6]
About five years ago, Tony Santiago being researching and writing about topics that interested him, such as history and the military.
Santiago, a Phoenix resident, said one subject he always wanted to know more about was Puerto Ricans and their contributions in America. The former Marine, who is of Puerto Rican descent, said he was curious about the commonwealth's impact on fields such as science, education and the military.
Santiago began his research and has since written dozens of articles about many Puerto Ricans who have made a difference in this country, including pieces on the military history of Puerto Ricans and Hispanic Americans in World War II. Much of his work can be found on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.
Santiago's work caught the eye of the Puerto Rican government. At a recent convention at the Arizona Biltmore, Kenneth McClintock, president of the Puerto Rican Senate, presented Santiago with the Resolution #3603 on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico.
Santiago said he knew McClintock wanted to meet him, but had no idea he'd receive such an honor.
"Senator McClintock arrived and we hugged and shook hands and suddenly I was presented with the high honor. I could not believe it and I even said: 'Are you sure you're talking about me?' "
Primera Hora
On May 26, 2008, my work was publicly recognized by the Government of Puerto Rico and Congressman Luis Fortuno with the presence of former President Bill Clinton and his wife New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. I was also presented with the USAJFKSWCS Medal of Excellence by Brigadier General Hector E. Pagan[7]
Domingo, 25 de Mayo de 2008 Prensa Asociada ( 08:52 p.m. )
Junto a todo el clan de los Clinton, el Senado conmemorará el lunes el Día de la Recordación en el Capitolio.
El presidente senatorial, Kenneth McClintock, anunció el domingo que, como parte de la actividad, en el Monumento de la Recordación se develarán los nombres de ocho soldados puertorriqueños muertos el año pasado en el ejercicio de sus funciones.
El mensaje principal estará a cargo de la precandidata presidencial Hillary Clinton, quien se espera esté acompañada por su esposo, el ex presidente estadounidense Bill Clinton, y la hija de ambos, Chelsea.
"Este año, tenemos el privilegio (de) que la oradora principal de este acto solemne será la senadora del estado con mayor población de puertorriqueños", manifestó McClintock en referencia a Hillary, senadora por Nueva York.
"Esto es representativo del reconocimiento que se le otorga a nuestras Fuerzas Armadas por parte de importantes funcionarios federales", añadió.
La actividad, a la que está invitado el público en general, comenzará a las 4:00 de la tarde en el Monumento de la Recordación, en el lado sur de la Casa de las Leyes.
Durante los actos, también se reconocerá la labor del ex militar puertorriqueño Antonio Santiago, quien se dedica a escribir, para diversos medios de comunicación, la historia de algunos de los militares boricuas más prominentes.
_Speech.jpg)
Memorial Day (2008) Speech
During the Memorial Day celebration, I was surprised when my name was mentioned in a speech by the honorable Luis Fortuño.
Joint Task Force Commander's Coin for Excellence
The Joint Task Force Commander's Coin for Excellence and certificate presented to me by Brigadier General Rafael O'Ferrall on October 5, 2009.
-
Joint Task Force Commander's Coin for Excellence. -
Joint Task Force Certificate for Excellence.
Recognition by the Puerto Rican Government
-
Senate of Puerto Rico Resolution #3603 -
Speech by U.S. Congressman Luis Fortuño, page 1 -
Speech by U.S. Congressman Luis Fortuño, page 2
-
2008 Memorial Day Speech page 1 -
2008 Memorial Day Speech page 2 -
2008 Memorial Day Speech page 3
_Speech1.jpg)
_Speech2.jpg)
"On Two Fronts: Latinos and Vietnam" - PBS documentary
In September 22, 2015, PBS aired the documentary "On Two Fronts: Latinos n Vietnam" where I participated with other veterans. I also appeared in television when I was interviewed in PBS' "Horizonte" by Jose Cardenas and in Univision by Jorge Valenzuela.[8][9]
Notes:
- ^ [1]
- ^ A medal, a debt, both of honor
- ^ Crispy News - "A Day of Remembrance and Gratitude" By: Lynne LaMaster
- ^ Senado de Puerto Rico
- ^ Author details contributions of Puerto Ricans
- ^ "Author details contributions of Puerto Ricans"; by: Alison Stanton; The Phoenix Republic; Page 2; published January 30, 2008
- ^ Senado conmemora junto a los Clinton Día de la Recordación
- ^ Horizonte
- ^ Jorge Valenzuela