BY CHRIS GRAHAM
Vincent Gould III doesn’t know much about his grandfather’s brother, only that he is a hero.
“He volunteered like so many” did in World War I, said Gould, whose family’s insurance agency was founded in 1907.
A family with a history of service to this country, Harold E. Gould was one of 16 million Americans who fought in World War I, otherwise known at the time as the Great War or the war to end all wars. Harold Gould was also the first World War I soldier to be honored as part of the Hometown Heroes program.
However, as is true of many others who served during that time, very little is known about Harold Gould, only what has been pieced together using historical records.
Born Sept. 1, 1886, Gould served in the U.S. Army during World War I, attaining the rank of sergeant. His unit was the 28th Division, 109 Infantry Regiment, Company K.
Sadly, Sgt. Gould was killed in action on July 16, 1918, less than four months before an armistice went into effect ending military action.
He was the victim of a sniper’s bullet in the woods near the Marne River during the Second Battle of the Marne.
Gould is buried at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery near Fere-en-Tardenois, France. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the World War I Victory Medal.
