Edward R. Schowalter Jr. and the Medal of Honor at Hill 308

Jan 21 , 2026

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. and the Medal of Honor at Hill 308

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood against the dark abyss of a Korean mountain, bloodied but unbroken. His unit rattled and fired upon by waves of enemy soldiers, pinned down with enemies pouring flame from every angle. Wounds tore through his flesh. Yet he would not yield. He was the iron backbone in a crumbling line, the man who’d carry others out alive or die trying.

This was no reckless bravery. It was a merciless forging of will and faith under fire. A combat veteran etched into the harsh truth of war — scars written in grit, sweat, and sacrifice.

From Ohio Roots to the Covenant of Combat

Edward Reilly Schowalter Jr. was born in Dayton, Ohio, 1927, raised in a household where duty was a pact, not a slogan. His early years shaped by hard Midwestern values and the church’s steady voice. A devout Christian, Schowalter carried Scripture like a shield — faith unwavering even in the cauldron of war.

Before Korea, he’d already proven himself in World War II, a seasoned officer who understood the cost of leadership. Sacrifice isn’t abstract, he once said to a comrade, it’s the cold weight in your hands when you see a friend fall.

His ethics weren’t a backdrop. They were the mission’s foundation.

The Battle That Defined Him: Hill 308, May 21–22, 1951

By May 1951, Schowalter was a First Lieutenant with the 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. The battlefield was Korea’s unforgiving terrain—a network of hills called out by code names, each fought over like pieces of cursed earth.

Hill 308 was the lynchpin that day. Enemy forces launched savage, repeated assaults to wrest control from the Americans. Schowalter’s platoon was cut off, surrounded.

Wounded twice in the chaos, he refused medical aid. Twice more, his men broke under enemy pressure. Twice more, he roared back into the breach, rallying them with pistol and rifle, his voice a lifeline.

“Despite severe wounds, Lt. Schowalter continued to lead his men through four separate enemy attacks, personally repulsing the enemy each time,” reads his Medal of Honor citation.[^1]

When ammunition ran thin, he scavenged from fallen foes, firing weapons not intended for him. Alone and outnumbered, he held the line for over twenty hours, his actions staving off annihilation.

One soldier later remembered:

“He was like a wall—you didn’t move without his say so. Even bleeding, he was everywhere.”

Schowalter was finally evacuated only after ensuring his men’s safety. His courage was relentless, his endurance beyond human measure.

Honors Forged in Fire

The Medal of Honor was presented to Schowalter on July 5, 1952. President Harry Truman personally awarded the nation’s highest military decoration for valor.

His citation is stark, uncompromising — describing leadership and “intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” He earned additional decorations, but it was this recognition that cemented his legacy.

Fellow officers saw in him the essence of command without arrogance. “He never asked a man to do what he wouldn’t do,” a battalion commander reflected years later.

Yet Schowalter remained a man grounded in humility, crediting God and his brothers in arms.

Blood, Faith, and the Battle Scars of Redemption

What does it mean to hold a line in the war's fever? For Schowalter, combat revealed more than personal valor. It exposed the raw soul of sacrifice — the silent gospel of service written on the bodies and spirits of warriors.

He lived to tell the tale. Not glorifying the fight, but preaching its solemn cost. His story is an enduring testimony:

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Schowalter’s legacy is carved in the granite of valor and faith. For veterans, it’s a reminder that courage isn’t absence of fear but refusing surrender. For civilians, a call to recognize the unspoken debts owed to those who’ve bled for freedom.

Every hill we fight is steeped in history and sacrifice. Some names echo louder. Edward R. Schowalter Jr. is one of them.

He showed us that even when the night is darkest, and the body fails, the soul — bound by faith and hardened by battle — can still hold ground for those who follow.

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients — Korean War