Captain Clifford C. Sims' Medal of Honor Charge at the Iron Triangle

Dec 20 , 2025

Captain Clifford C. Sims' Medal of Honor Charge at the Iron Triangle

Clifford C. Sims bled through every step he took that day—wounded twice, eyes burning, yet moving forward with teeth clenched and heart steady. His unit wasn’t just pinned down; they were crumbling under a hailstorm of enemy fire from the Iron Triangle in Korea, winter biting like a wolf. He refused to quit. Not then. Not ever.

The Roots of a Warrior

Sims was raised amidst the hard soil of Alabama, a place where a handshake meant your word, and faith gave you backbone. The son of a farmer, he learned early that sacrifice doesn’t come dressed up—it’s raw, and it’s relentless. He carried a quiet belief that there was a higher mission beyond survival: to protect your brothers and honor your cause.

His Christian faith wasn’t a token. It was a shield and a sword. One he clung to in the crucible of war. The Scriptures were his guidepost, especially Romans 5:3-4—“tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” As bullets tore the hillside, those words lit a fire he couldn’t extinguish.

The Battle That Defined Him

March 15, 1951. The Korean War was grinding into its second year, but the fighting never softened. Captain Clifford C. Sims commanded Company C, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Their mission: wrest control of a fiercely contested hilltop in the Iron Triangle—a vital corridor north of Seoul.

Enemy fire came like a thunderclap. Mortars, machine guns, and rifle fire hammered the American line. Sims' men began to falter, some forced to take cover or retreat. Then a grenade explosion caught Sims in the chest and shoulder—wounded, staggering, but still alive.

Most would have called it quits. Sims gritted through the pain. The enemy was closing in, the gap in the lines a death sentence for his men. Against the odds, he rallied the fractured unit. Blood spilling through his fingers, he grabbed a rifle from a fallen comrade and led a charge directly into the teeth of the enemy.

With each step, his wounds screamed. Still, he pushed forward. The hill was theirs, but only because he refused to let it be lost. Sims' voice carried over the noise—commands, encouragements, prayers. The charge shattered the enemy’s assault, saved countless lives.

Medal of Honor: Recognition Etched in Valor

For that fierce act of leadership under fire and sustaining severe wounds without faltering, Cliff Sims was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The official citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While severely wounded, Capt. Sims personally led an assault against a strongly defended hostile position, inspiring his men by his heroic example and aggressive determination.”

His battalion commander, Colonel John W. Fox, said of Sims:

“He was the kind of leader every man wished to follow—fearless, self-sacrificing, burdened with responsibility but never bowed by it.”

Sims never sought glory; his eyes held something far heavier: the weight of every life saved, every brother carried off the field. He was a warrior who bore his scars like badges—each one a story of survival and sacrifice.

Enduring Legacy: Beyond the Battlefield

Clifford Sims’ story isn’t locked in dusty archives or medals in glass cases. It lives in the marrow of every soldier who has faced impossible odds and made the desperate choice to persevere.

True courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to advance through it. Sims embodied that truth.

His legacy teaches this: Victory isn’t measured by ground gained or flags raised, but by the lives preserved and the souls strengthened. The battlefield revealed his character, and that character, forged in fire and faith, continues to burn for those who walk the long road home.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Sims’ charge wasn’t just against enemy troops—it was a battle for the spirit of his unit, a testament to what it means to lead with unyielding resolve. The scars he carried were more than wounds—they were witness to a faith that never failed, even when his body almost did.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. William E. Colby, Korea: The Unknown War 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Clifford C. Sims Citation and Biography