William Carl Kuttler Jr.
Class of 1987
2014 Hall of Fame
William (Bill) Carl Kuttler, Jr.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel William (Bill) Carl Kuttler was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 27, 1968. He grew up loving the game of tennis, and by his junior year of high school was selected to play for the USA Junior Tennis Program in 1986 in Europe, representing the Beechmont Racquet Ball Club. After years on the court, he was one of the top tennis players for Goshen High School in 1987, his senior year.
Bill enlisted in the United States Army on April 11, 1987, through the Delayed Entry Program and entered active duty on September 22, 1987. Following basic training, initial entry military occupation skill training, and Airborne School, he was relocated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he completed Air Assault School. During his time at Fort Campbell he was the runner up in the base’s annual tennis tournament, earning him a chance to play for the All Army Tennis Team at Fort Eustis, Virginia. During these tryouts, he met Major Dan Hammond (Assistant Coach for the West Point Men’s Tennis Team) who was instrumental in recruiting Bill into the West Point Prep School. Bill attended the West Point Military Academy Prep School in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and was the captain of the Tennis Team in 1989. After completion of the prep school, Bill was one of 180 selected candidates from a pool of 320 to receive an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Bill attended the academy majoring in Mechanical Engineering and earning Dean’s List recognition his last two semesters. He graduated from West Point in the Spring of 1994.
Following a commission as an Infantry Second Lieutenant, Bill completed the Basic Officers Infantry Course and Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1994-1995. From there Bill served in a variety of leadership positions: Mechanized Infantry Platoon Leader, Long Range Surveillance Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Long Surveillance Company Commander, Division Operations Officer, Battalion Adjutant, Mechanized Infantry Company Commander, Brigade Planning Officer, Battalion Operations Officer, Battalion Executive Officer, and Division Chief of Operations.
In Bill’s 24 years of service (Sept. 1987 to Sept. 2011), he served in many of the Army’s most decorated units including the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One), 2nd Infantry Division (Warrior Division, Second to None), and the 101
st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles). His service has included counter narcotics missions on the Rio Grande, as well as tours to Macedonia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He and his family have moved sixteen times over his career, residing in Georgia, New York, New Jersey, Washington State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Indiana, and Germany.His Awards and Decorations include:
Bronze Star
Air Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (3)
Iraq Campaign Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal (2)
Combat Infantry Infantryman’s Badge
Expert Infantryman’s Badge
Airborne Wings
Air Assault Wings
Ranger Tab
Valorous Unit Award (2)
Meritorious Unit Award
Army Superior Unit Award
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Overseas Service Ribbon (2)
NATO Medal
Bill and his wife Debra have a nine year old son named Billy. Bill still works for the Army as a Department of the Army Civilian at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Additionally, Bill and Debra run a horse farm in Brandenburg, Kentucky, where they take pride in working with their own hands while embodying honesty and respect for others.