Samuel Koster
Samuel William Koster (December 29, 1919 – January 23, 2006) was a Major General in the United States army who was punished for his involvement in the My Lai Massacre.
Biography edit
Koster was born in West Liberty, Iowa on December 29, 1919, and graduated from West Liberty High School in 1937. He graduated from West Point in 1942, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry. He fought in four campaigns during World War II and rose through the ranks until he reached the rank of regimental executive officer. He later served in the Korean War and then the Vietnam War, by which point he had become a Major General.
During the Vietnam War, a company of Americal Division troops led by Captain Ernest Medina and Lieutenant William Calley slaughtered hundreds of civilians in a South Vietnamese hamlet known as My Lai (referred to as "Pinkville" by the troops). While Koster did not take part in the massacre, he flew over in a helicopter and monitored the radio communications. He later said that he knew the massacre was taking place, but thought only 20 civilians had been killed. Koster did order subordinates to file a report, but it was never sent to headquarters until the investigation had begun.
Early in 1970, Koster and 13 other officers were charged with trying to cover up the massacre. While all of them were acquitted, Koster was stripped of his Distinguished Service Medal and demoted to Brigadier General for failing to investigate adequately. He died in Annapolis on January 23, 2006.