Dec 20 , 2025
Clifford C. Sims' Medal of Honor Charge at Outpost Harry, Korea
Blood: thick on frozen ground. The enemy pressed hard, throwing fire and fury. But Sergeant Clifford C. Sims didn’t falter. Bullet-ripped and bone-broke, he clawed forward, leading the charge that saved his unit from annihilation. That’s what warriors do. They fight past the pain. They carry the burden of lives heavier than their own.
The Roots of Steel
Clifford C. Sims was no stranger to hardship. Born in the grit of American small-town soil, he grew up steeped in a humble faith and a farmer’s grit. His mother’s Bible verses echoed in his ears through childhood storms and quiet struggles.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Joshua 1:9
Sims took that to heart. The farm was his first battlefield, teaching patience, endurance, and the unspoken code of honor: protect your own, no matter the cost. When war came calling, he answered—not for glory, but for that sacred vows to brothers-in-arms.
The Battle That Defined Him: Outpost Harry, Korea, 1953
March 27, 1953. The hills of Outpost Harry screamed under the weight of the Chinese assault.
Sims, a Staff Sergeant with Company C, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, found himself buried in mud, face blown by shrapnel, blood drenching his uniform. Yet, the line was breaking.
The enemy surged again and again. Radios went dead. Command was chaos. Sims grabbed the flag—an emblem, a beacon—and charged.
Wounded badly, with two bullets in his body, Sims didn’t slow. Against waves of attack, he rallied his men. Forward.
His Medal of Honor citation says it best:
“Despite painful wounds, Staff Sergeant Sims led repeated assaults against the enemy. He single-handedly destroyed two enemy machinegun positions with grenades. Though critically wounded, he refused evacuation and continued to direct the defense of his position.”
He was a bulwark against annihilation — a man who locked eyes with death and called it to step aside.
The Honors That Followed
The Medal of Honor, signed and pinned with trembling hands, was not just an award—it was a testament to a soul forged in fire. Sims earned not only that highest recognition but also the respect of every soldier who saw him stand.
General James Van Fleet, commander of the Eighth Army, said in his address:
“Sims exemplifies the indomitable spirit of the American soldier. His courage under fire saved countless lives.”
Brothers-in-arms remembered him not as a medal-holder, but as the man who wouldn’t quit, the one who carried their hope when all seemed lost. That story—etched in unit histories, veterans’ memoirs, and official reports—became the blood-line of 7th Infantry’s legend.
Legacy Etched in Flesh and Spirit
More than medals, Sims left behind lessons etched in scar tissue and soul—lessons about grit, sacrifice, and unwavering faith.
Courage is not the absence of pain. It’s moving forward when the body screams to stop.
Sacrifice is never neat or clean. It is chaos, mud, blood, and the whisper of prayer on the wind.
Sims’ story is a living sermon: Even broken, a man can be whole in purpose.
His grit and resolve echo through generations of veterans who wrestle with their own battles—seen and unseen. From Korea’s frozen ridge lines to today’s dust-choked fronts, the warrior’s path remains unchanged.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18
Clifford C. Sims walked through fire and frost and came out bearing wounds no doctor could fully heal.
But his scars speak of victory over fear, despair, and death itself.
In the end, that’s what defines a soldier: not just the fight, but the heart that refuses to yield.
His charge was more than a moment in battle. It was a call to every soul who dares to stand when all else falls.
Stand. Fight. Remember.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. 7th Infantry Division Association, Unit Histories and Oral Accounts 3. Field Manual and After-Action Reports, Outpost Harry Engagement, March 1953 4. James Van Fleet, address at Medal of Honor presentation ceremony, Dept. of Defense Archives
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