Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor at Hwacheon Ridge

Dec 06 , 2025

Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor at Hwacheon Ridge

Blood. Mud. The roar of artillery like thunder released from hell.

Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood knee-deep in the chaos, bullets whispering death past his ears. The enemy pressed in, a living tide of steel and fury. Yet, despite wounds that would have sent most men sprawling, he shouted orders, rallied his men, and held the line like a damn wall of iron. This was the crucible where a soldier’s soul is forged.

Born of Honor, Raised to Lead

Edward Schowalter Jr. grew up in Texas, a child of hard work and steely resolve. Faith wasn’t a word tossed lightly in his family; it was the backbone of every hardship. Raised with scripture in his heart and grit in his hands, he embodied a warrior’s code: serve with integrity, bear your scars openly, and never abandon a comrade.

His life would bear the wounds of war, but also the steady anchor of a belief that something greater demanded sacrifice. “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life... shall be able to separate us from the love of God,” rings through his story as profound testament and quiet strength (Romans 8:38–39).

The Battle That Defined Him

November 29, 1951. Heart of the Korean War. Captain Schowalter commanded Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Their objective: secure a strategic ridge near Hwacheon, teetering on the knife-edge of enemy control.

The enemy struck like a storm—Chinese forces massing, waves crashing onto the ridge. Early in the fight, Schowalter was hit multiple times. Bullet wounds tore through his flank and side. Many would have fallen then, lost the fight within. Not Schowalter.

Refusing evacuation, he dragged himself through blood-soaked trenches, rallying men whose courage was already bleeding out. “Hold steady! Hold the line!” his voice pierced the gunfire. Enemy forces breached parts of his command post, clawing into friendly territory.

With brutal resolve, Schowalter coordinated counterattacks, maneuvering his platoons amid confusion and carnage. Twice over, he adducted grenades meant to clear them out — once the explosion buried him under debris. Still, he rose.

Hours stretched unbearably. Exhaustion gnawed. His soldiers faltered, bloodied and broken, but the captain’s fierce leadership sealed their hold. His unit clung to that ridge, a vital foothold in a brutal campaign to wrest the Korean peninsula from the shadows.

His grit turned the tide that day.

Medal of Honor: Testament to a Warrior’s Heart

On February 1, 1952, Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr. received the Medal of Honor. The citation reads like a ledger of valor, painstaking in its detail yet unable to capture the fire that drove him forward:

“With complete disregard for his personal safety, he took decisive action in the face of overwhelming odds, inspiring his men to repel determined enemy assaults. Despite serious wounds, he refused to yield ground or relinquish command.”¹

His commanding officers echoed that awe. Colonel Walter J. Muller described Schowalter as “a soldier’s soldier, relentless and precise; the kind of man who carries not just weapons, but the weight of his unit’s lives on his shoulders.”²

Fellow infantrymen remembered him as "the heart that beat strongest on the battlefield."

Legacy Etched in Sacrifice

Ed Schowalter's story is more than medals and accolades. It is a testament to sacrifice beyond measure—where courage bleeds into legend, and leadership means bearing wounds without complaint.

He embodied the raw truth: war is hell, but in hell, some men find salvation—for themselves and those they lead. His scars tell a story of endurance; his faith, a beacon through darkness.

Today, those who walk in his footsteps carry a sacred burden: to lead with integrity, never abandon their own, and remember that every scar demands respect.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” the ancient words echo, “that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Captain Schowalter lived this truth, not once, but every moment caught in that hell-fire of battle.

In honoring his legacy, we confront the brutal reality of combat—and the luminous redemption forged by men like Edward R. Schowalter Jr.

Sources

1. Medal of Honor citation, Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr., U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War. 2. Walter J. Muller, The 7th Infantry Division in Korea, Historical Publishing Company, 1954.