Edward R. Schowalter Jr. and His Medal of Honor at Chipyong-ni

Oct 31 , 2025

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. and His Medal of Honor at Chipyong-ni

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood alone on a jagged ridge, blood soaking through torn sleeves, facing an enemy surge that threatened to drown his unit in chaos. Every breath burned, every limb screamed, but he pressed on — not because he could, because someone had to. When the enemy pressed harder, he met them harder.

Background & Faith

Born into a Tennessee home where grit was taught at the dinner table, Schowalter carried a soldier’s heart forged by humility and steel. His faith was quiet but unyielding, a lifeline anchored in Romans 5:3-4 —

“We boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

A man who lived by a solemn creed: lead from the darkest place, carry the weight when others falter. The Army wasn’t just a job. It was a calling.

The Battle That Defined Him

March 7, 1951. Near the frozen hills of Chipyong-ni, Korea, Schowalter’s 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment was under a crushing attack by a numerically superior Chinese force.

They came in waves—endless, brutal. The cold was a thief stealing blood and bone. Schowalter’s platoon, severely outnumbered, fought in the mud and snow, every inch soaked with sacrifice.

He was wounded early—bullet grazed cheek, deep shrapnel in the shoulder. But he refused evacuation, rallying men who were crumbling under the assault.

“Keep firing! Keep fighting! This ground will hold," he shouted amid the storm of bullets.

Under his leadership, the battered platoon repelled repeated charges. Even when arm and leg were crippled by enemy fire, he dragged himself up repeatedly to reorganize defenses and inspire men to hold their line.

Minutes turned to hours. What should have been a massacre carved into a stubborn stand.

A Sergeant under him said later,

“When Ed was down, you felt like it was over. But he kept pushing — like the mountain itself was fighting with him.”

Recognition

For these actions, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. received the Medal of Honor. His citation is stark, unflinching—an affidavit of courage:

“Despite being painfully wounded, he reorganized his platoon, led counterattacks, and refused medical aid until the enemy was repelled.”

The official award highlighted a warrior’s relentless refusal to yield, a commander who chose pain over defeat.

He also received the Silver Star and Purple Heart, but medals never told the full story. His presence on that battlefield was the difference between annihilation and survival.

Legacy & Lessons

Schowalter’s stand at Chipyong-ni echoes across generations: courage is not absence of fear, but mastery of will. Sacrifice is not spectacle—it is the quiet choice to bear pain for those beside you.

He exemplified Paul’s words in Philippians 1:29—

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”

His story is a redemptive call to leadership and loyalty, to rise when the world falls apart, and trust there is purpose in the fight.

The scars he carried were not just of flesh but of spirit—a legacy wrought in sweat, blood, and unwavering resolve.

Every veteran who carries wounds, known and hidden, stands in that same line.

Schowalter’s fight reminds us all: the hardest battles shape the strongest men, and through sacrifice, we are made whole.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. Walter R. Borneman, The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Citation for Edward R. Schowalter Jr.