Saul was born on his parent's 3rd wedding anniversary. He was the eldest son of Serbian parents who had 3 sons and 3 daughters. His given name was Savo, but that was changed to Saul when he started school.

Since he was a young boy, he loved music and took lessons in accordion and stringed instruments. He played at church picnics in the Serbian Tamboritza Band right up until the time he went into the service.

After graduating from Tolleston High School, Saul worked for the Gary Screw and Bolt Company. Eight months after graduation, Saul was inducted into the US Army and sent to Texas. At 19 years old, he was 5' 11" and a slender 156 pounds. Over the next year and nine months, he grew from a boy to a man, gaining 34 pounds and one whole shoe size.

After basic training with the 97th Infantry Division, he was accepted into the college-based ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program). He studied at McNeese Junior College in Lake Charles, Louisiana until the Army needed soldiers overseas and curtailed the ASTP program. The day after Saul and his ASTP buddies arrived at Camp Maxey, Texas, the 99th Division Commander, General Lauer, told them, "We're not training you men for maneuvers, but for combat. This is a fighting division."

The next day was one of the roughest days he ever spent in the army. During the rigorous training at Camp Maxey, Saul qualified for the newly designed Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) after passing a battery of tests consisting of the toughest physical skills and most demanding mental challenges an infantryman could face. Qualification for the EIB today requires the infantry soldier to be skilled in 63 different tasks at 22 sites.

Three months after arriving at Camp Maxey, Martha May Serbian, his fiancé and childhood sweetheart, came from Des Moines, Iowa to marry Saul. They were wed in the Army Chapel at Camp Maxey on 8 July 1944. They sent a Western Union Telegram to Saul's parents asking for $30.00. That was enough to pay for a two-week stay at 222 N. Main St., Paris, Texas. After being married only two weeks, Saul and Martha once again found themselves miles apart.

On September 29, 1944 the troopship SS Explorer transported the officers and the enlisted men of the 99th Infantry Division accros the North Atlantic, towards their destination in Gourouck, Scotland. From there they went by train to Dorchester, England ...

Saul spent his 20th birthday listening to bombs in the snow, rain, and ankle deep mud of a Belgian forest. He crossed the border into Germany every day, which was right in front of his tent.

Mike Gracenin wrote Saul's sister, Mary K. Maisel, about how strong Saul was. The soldiers were chopping down trees in the forest to build bunkers and shelters. Saul single-handedly chopped down a tree, trimmed it, and took hold of the wide end while two others lifted the smaller end. The whole platoon shook their heads and vowed never to tangle with him. Saul often joked in his letters about coming home a lumberjack instead of a musician.

On December 15, 1944 elements of the 99th Infantry Division were dugg in on Hill 627 near the German border. Saul belonged to Company C ... Close to midnight Saul's foxhole buddy went to the foxhole of Mike Gracenin, woke him up, and said, "Koke wants you, I think he's dying." Mike was much more than a Squad Sergeant. To Saul he was also a fellow Serbian. Mike crawled in Saul's foxhole and covered it with his poncho. He gathered Saul in one arm, lit his cigarette lighter, and saw that nothing could be done. Concussion from a shell burst had shattered his organs. Mike said the Lord's Prayer in Serbian which is what he promised Saul he would do should anything ever happen to him. He then crossed Saul's arms and made the sign of the cross over him three times.

Mike sadly returned to his foxhole and waited until morning to put Saul on a stretcher to be carried down the slope of Hill 627. When orders were given to retreat, Saul and three other casualties were quickly buried in four shallow "temporary" graves. It was the start of the largest land battle ever fought by the United States Army. The combined casualties of American, British, and German troops killed, wounded or captured during the Battle of the Bulge would average 4.449 per day for 41 days. The tragic news that Saul had been killed hit his family hard. His mother never got over it. She wore a watch pin, until the day she died. It was a gift from Saul.

Six years after the end of WWII, the military classified Saul Kokotovich as "unrecoverable". His name was engraved on the memorial wall of missing soldiers at the Netherlands American Cemetery.

The amazing journey to solve the 56-year-old mystery of the lost soldiers of 99th Infantry Division is told by Bill Warnock in his book, The Dead of Winter. This is the story of the remarkable men who gave up over ten years of weekends and vacations, and in some instances their honeymoon, to look for 32 needles in a haystack. Warnock accurately gives historical details of the war, battlefield experiences, and personal stories of the soldiers and their families.

Saul was recovered 17 April 2001 ... He was buried buried in Henri-Chapelle Cemetery on 22 June 2002 together with PFC Jack Beckwith and Sergeant Fred Zimmerman with full military honors.

Gerald Arseneault, the Superintendent of Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in 2002, was unaware that a group of German soldiers were coming to pay homage after the burial of three WWII soldiers on 22 June 2002. After their presentation, Kathy Winkle expressed gratitude to the German commanding officer who spoke English. He explained that he trained at the US Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. She removed her corsage, kissed it, and gave it to the officer while they watched his men silently and reverently walk among the 7.987 graves.

In 2004, the family attended the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Ardennes Cemetery at 10:00 AM and the same ceremony at Henri-Chapelle at 4:00 PM. It was unusually warm and sunny. Overwhelmed by the tribute paid to our soldiers, they cried through the entire first ceremony. They were so impressed by the huge number of people who came dressed in attire that seemed to say, "We are here to pay our respects." By the second ceremony, there were a few less tears, making it easier to appreciate every word said, plus all the formalities. If there were any reservations about choosing a cemetery so far away two years earlier, the family is now thoroughly convinced they chose the right resting place for their loved one.

These days Saul Kokotovich rests in the beautiful American Military Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle ... He is remembered and honored by entire family, by the members of the 99th Infantry Division association, by every visitor of the Henri-Chapelle cemetery and by each and every visitor of the In Honored Glory website.