Word: kosters
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Captains Ernest L. Medina and Thomas K. Willingham, who were both already accused of murdering civilians at My Lai. A key man in the new proceedings is Colonel Oran K. Henderson, commander of the brigade to which Medina's company and the task force belonged. He reported to Koster that nothing out of the way had happened...
...cast a wide net was demonstrated by the fact that only four of the 14 officers were primary links in the company-to-division command chain or were alleged participants in the massacre. The others, who might be considered peripheral figures, include: Brigadier General George H. Young Jr., Koster's assistant commander in the Americal Division; Colonel Robert B. Luper, an artillery commander; Colonel Nels A. Parson Jr., Americal chief of staff; Lieut. Colonels David C. Gavin and William D. Guinn, American advisers serving with the South Vietnamese; Major Charles C. Calhoun, executive and operations officer of the task...
...central figure is General Koster himself, commander of the division in March of 1968. Regulations stipulate that a possible war crime be reported immediately up the chain of command. In this instance, says the Defense Department, citing the Peers report, there were division-level "failures to render required reports, conduct adequate investigations and otherwise discharge duties" appropriate to the situation. Such field investigations as there were resulted in no disciplinary action. Word of My Lai simply never got past Americal headquarters...
Firm Jaw. In June of 1968, Koster became head of the Military Academy. One gray day last week he stood on the stone balcony in the academy mess hall. He bore himself impeccably-back straight, jaw firm, every graying hair in place. Below him waited the 3,700-man Corps of Cadets, including his son, Samuel W. Koster Jr. General Koster told them that "action has been initiated against me" arising from his Viet Nam tour and that he was resigning as superintendent "to separate the academy and you of the corps from the continuing flow" of adverse publicity...
...solid majority of cadets was behind Koster all the way. "He can't win, no matter what," said Senior Tom O'Meara. "His career simply wouldn't have the same potential." Said Bob Wagner, another first classman: "He's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but he's being punished regardless of the outcome...