William Howard Adams

William Howard Adams was born in Spokane, Washington on March 13, 1924. His parents were Clarence, a World War I veteran, and Mary Adams. William had an older sister, Vivian. The family moved to Moscow, Idaho where Clarence worked as a lineman. By 1940, the family had moved further west, settling in Davenport, some forty miles west of Spokane. William was a well-known high school athlete in Davenport, playing football, basketball, and tennis. He attended both Davenport High School and John Rogers High School in Spokane. Adams attended Washington State College (WSC) from 1942 to 1943 as a pharmacology major. He returned to Spokane in 1943 and joined the United States Army. Assigned the rank of private, Adams joined the 414th Infantry Regiment of the 104th Infantry Division, better known as "The Timberwolf Division," whose motto was "Nothing in Hell Can Stop the Timberwolves." The 104th was positioned to hold a sector containing the German cities of Duren and Murken. It saw numerous German assaults attempting to dislodge the defenders and use them as anchors for their continued offensives. Between December 15 and February 22, the 104th held its ground against the Germans. William performed so well in the face of the enemy that he received a battlefield promotion from Private to Staff Sergeant. Though the 104th was successful in holding its position, in no small part due to the bravery of men like William Adams, they suffered grievous casualties in performing their duties. William was killed defending his sector and stonewalling the last German attempt to turn the tide of the war on January 28, 1945. He was laid to rest and memorialized at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands. He is also memorialized at the WSU World War II memorial.