Gordon Howard Coulson

Retired Lt. Col. Gordon Howard Coulson was born on April 11, 1948, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, the first son of Ross and Nora Coulson. He was raised in White Rock, British Columbia, and graduated from Semiahmoo Senior High School in 1966. In 1967, after a year of extended study with the University of British Columbia, he applied for and enlisted in the U.S. Army. After attaining his alien registration card he attended basic training at Fort Lewis, Wash., then shipped out to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for advanced individual training with the Corps of Engineers. Mr. Coulson is a Vietnam veteran, 1968-1969. He was stationed in Germany prior to ending his three-year enlistment with an honorable discharge at the rank of Specialist Five. He returned home to British Columbia but missed the Army and returned in February 1971. He was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood prior to another tour in Germany. While at Fort Leonard Wood he met his future wife, Dorothy Ann Kenski, on a trip to St. Louis. They were married in June 1972 and moved to Germany only to find out that after 40 days they were being sent to Fort Benning, Ga., as Staff Sgt. Coulson had been accepted to attend Officer's Candidate School. He graduated from the school a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers in May 1973. He then attended and graduated from the U.S. Army Parachute Jump Course before heading to Fort Belvoir, Va., for the Engineer Officer Basic Course. Upon completion of the course he was assigned as First Platoon Leader, Company C, 864th Engineer Battalion at Fort Lewis, Wash. He obtained the rank of captain and took over the Headquarters Company as its commanding officer before being sent back to Fort Belvoir for the Engineer Officer's Advanced Course. Following this course he was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood once again to the Department of Plans, Training and Evaluation. Prior to his departure, he was selected and served a year as the Secretary of the General Staff before receiving orders for one more tour of duty in Germany. While at Fort Leonard Wood, Mr. Coulson attended night school and completed his baccalaureate degree in business from Columbia College, Columbia, Mo. In this last assignment in Germany, he was the Director of Security, Plans, Operations and Training for the European Command Support Activity at Patch Barracks, Vaihingen, Germany. Upon completion of his three years and a promotion to Major, he was selected for and attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Prior to completion of the course, Mr. Coulson applied for and received his American citizenship. Following Command and General Staff College he was assigned to the office of the Assistant Chief of Engineers, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C., where he was a program manager for various projects in the buildup of Fort Drum, N.Y., before being selected for the position of Protocol Officer for the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Army. In November 1986 he was selected and assigned to the Military District of Washington as the Chief, Ceremonies Division. There he remained until his retirement in April 1996. During this assignment, he was privileged to be the key Army Officer responsible to the White House Military Office for training and readiness of the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard Honor Guards that provide support to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. He was directly involved in the inaugural ceremonies of President George H.W. Bush and President William J. Clinton and served these two administrations with honor in many ceremonies. In September 1993, he was also privileged to plan and to direct the retirement ceremony for Gen. Colin L. Powell, USA, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his tenure he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Following his tour in the military, Lt. Col. Coulson was selected for the position of Secretary for the Association of the U.S. Army in Arlington, Va., from which he retired in November 2004. Lt. Col. Coulson, U.S. Army (retired) lost his wife, Dorothy, of 31 years after a seven-year fight with renal failure in July 2003. He was a non-active Mason, Scottish Rite and Shrine member. He was an active member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Elks. He enjoyed all sports especially swimming, soccer and golf. He remarried on Aug. 18, 2006, and is survived by his wife, Juanita McLean Coulson of the home, her son, Luther S. McLean II (Jessica Anderson) of Marysville, Wash., and his brother, Richard S. Coulson of Ashcroft, British Columbia. His brother, Terry R. Coulson, passed away on Feb. 12, 2016. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Committee to Honor America's Veterans. Final rites were held Saturday, April 23, at the Worthington Funeral Home Chapel in Chadbourn with the Rev. Scott Tremaine and Kevin Johnson officiating. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., with full military honors at a later date.