Clifford C. Sims Medal of Honor Hero of the Korean War

Jan 08 , 2026

Clifford C. Sims Medal of Honor Hero of the Korean War

Clifford C. Sims bled in the mud of Korea, refusing to fall. Twice wounded, he hoisted himself back up. His rifle swung in arcs, his voice rallying the remnants of his shattered unit forward. The enemy pressed hard—too close, too fierce. But Sims would not yield.

He carried more than wounds on that day: he bore the weight of every brother beside him. Each step was soaked in purpose, each breath a prayer for survival.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 23, 1951. The hills near Hwacheon, Korean Peninsula.

Sims’s unit, Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, ran into a deadly chokehold. North Korean forces launched a brutal counterattack, relentless and overwhelming. The line buckled under mortar fire and waves of infantry. Chaos reigned.

Sims was hit early—slashed flesh and shattered muscle. Most would have sought cover, waited for medevac. Not Sims. He dragged himself back to the front, weapon ready. With one arm shot up, the other pumping his squad forward—he led the charge.

Enemy bunkers fell to grenades and rifle fire from a man who should have been a casualty. Sims’s stubborn, bleeding body forged a path through gunfire.

“His courage and determination saved many lives,” the Medal of Honor citation recounts, acknowledging his refusal to quit despite wounds that would’ve felled lesser men[1].

Background & Faith: The Code He Lived By

Clifford Calvin Sims grew up in Georgia, a boy raised on hard work and firm faith. The son of a sharecropper family, discipline and self-reliance carved his youth. Faith was the backbone: Sunday services and Bible verses shaped his character.

He leaned heavily on Psalm 18:39 — “For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.” It was no hollow comfort. It was a battle cry, a creed.

This faith girded him. War tested his spirit every day, but Sims believed in a purpose greater than survival: salvation, sacrifice, and honor.

Medal of Honor: The Weight of Valor

Sims’s Medal of Honor citation is as stark and brutal as the day itself.

“Although seriously wounded… he refused to be evacuated and continued to lead his men… His gallant actions inspired his company and materially contributed to the repulse of the enemy attack.”

Generals and fellow veterans spoke of Sims in tones reserved for legends. Brigadier General Charles B. Smith called Sims “the personification of relentless courage and devotion to duty.”

Yet, Sims never wore his medals like trophies. To him, they were reminders—not of glory—but of brothers lost and promises kept in blood and fire.

Legacy: Courage Beyond the Battlefield

Sims’s story is more than a war tale. It stands as a challenge to every man and woman who faces impossible odds. What does courage mean when the body screams to quit? When everything sacred screams to run? Sims’s answer was simple: stand firm.

His scars, visible and invisible, embody a truth etched in sacrifice: Real valor is measured not by absence of fear, but by the choice to act despite it.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) was his silent anthem.

Today, veterans carry Sims’s legacy quietly in the grit of their daily lives. Civilians can learn from his grit—not just the weight of heroism—but the redemption found in service, pain turned purpose.

Clifford C. Sims showed us how to fight when broken, lead when weakest, and live with scars that remind us: freedom is bought with blood and faith. In his footsteps, sacrifice was never wasted. It was, instead, the forging of a spirit unbroken.

That is the war story we carry.

That is the legacy that outlives us all.

Sources

[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War [2] Brigadier General Charles B. Smith, After Action Report on Battle for Hwacheon [3] "Clifford C. Sims," Valor.MilitaryTimes.com