Born: 1921
Died:
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima (wounded)
Highest Rank Attained: Corporal
Decorations:
Silver Star, Purple Heart
With Dog Company:
Private First Class Jack Coutts was one of the original members of Dog Company, 24th Marines. He served as a gunner in the Third Machine Gun Platoon during the battle of Namur.
In March, 1944, Coutts was transferred to Charlie Company.
With Charlie Company
PFC Coutts became a rifleman with Charlie Company, and served with one of the rifle platoons in the battles of Saipan and Tinian. He was promoted to corporal in the fall of 1944, and rejoined the machine gun platoon as a gunner.
On March 1, 1945, Coutts joined in the company's attack on the Meat Grinder. He was hit in the legs and stranded in the open; the ground was being swept by heavy fire, and the Japanese were using the wounded Marine as bait. His fellow gunners called encouragement and knotted together some canvas ammunition belts, which they threw to Coutts, intending to pull him into the safety of their crater. Fortunately, they did not succeed - the Japanese had seen their efforts and dropped a mortar shell directly into the hole, killing and wounding everyone there. In the hubbub following the disaster, Coutts managed to reach safety. He was evacuted, and later received both the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions on March 1.
After the war, Coutts returned to New York's Capital Region. He died in Albany.