Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Held Hill 175 and Earned Medal of Honor

Feb 06 , 2026

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Held Hill 175 and Earned Medal of Honor

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood alone on a Korean hillside, blood soaking through bandages. His platoon shattered, enemy forces pressing from every side, he refused to yield even an inch. Every step was agony; every order screamed defiance. Wounded, outnumbered, outgunned—and utterly unbreakable.

A Childhood Forged in Grit

Schowalter grew up outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, rooted in old-school values that never softened: duty, sacrifice, faith. Raised in a modest household, his father, a World War I veteran, hammered into him the weight of commitment. "Stand for what’s right, even if you stand alone," his dad said. That creed shaped Edward’s backbone.

He walked into the Army like he meant to carry that gravelly resolve to the front lines. A man of quiet faith, Schowalter carried a small Bible, scripture tucked beneath his dog tags. His compass wasn’t carved from bravado but from belief. Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” In war, that verse underscored every agonizing decision.

The Battle That Defined Him—Operation Earth Wind, September 1951

September 14th, 1951. The Korean War ground into a grinding stalemate—trenches frozen in the hills, the cold settling deep in bones. Schowalter was a First Lieutenant in Company G, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, tasked with holding Hill 175 against a relentless Chinese offensive.

Enemy waves crashed like storm tides. His platoon was sliced apart by fire. Schowalter’s left thigh took a bullet so deep pain went numb. But he stayed upright, rallying scorched men amidst the smoke and screams.

With comms down and officers lost, he seized command. Pushing through enemy lines, Schowalter attacked a key mortar position alone, wielding grenades and rifle fire. When ammunition ran low, he grabbed a carbine and charged. Twice wounded more—his bleeding body hammered by shrapnel—he refused to quit.

His voice cracked but his command held steady, feeding back wounded to safety, directing concentrated counterattacks that stopped the enemy’s advance in place.

"His example was a beacon," said Colonel William E. Hart, Schowalter’s battalion commander. "At the moment when men faltered, he pulled them back from the edge with sheer force of will."¹

Every inch of that hill cost a lifetime of pain and sacrifice. But Lt. Schowalter made it a testament to courage under fire.

Proof Carved in Medal and Words

For his relentless gallantry, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. earned the Medal of Honor. The citation reads, in part:

“Despite severe wounds, he refused evacuation and continuously directed the defense of his platoon, destroyed enemy positions with grenades, and inspired his men by his heroic example.”²

His award wasn’t just for the fight—it was for the spirit that never let darkness claim a single soul under his command.

Soldiers remember him as "a warrior who never left a man behind,” a leader who stood while others fell. Words from a private in that battle tell of Schowalter’s steady voice calling out, “Hold fast, boys. We’re not done here.”

A Legacy Written in Blood and Honor

Schowalter’s story survives as a raw, painful reminder. War drinks from all but demands more—wounds visible and invisible. His scars embody the cost of leadership in hell, the price of holding ground at all costs.

But behind the mud and steel remains a faith that carried him through the darkest hours. The Book of Isaiah whispered in his ear long after the guns fell silent: “He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:29)

His legacy isn’t polished laurels or speeches. It’s the brutal honesty of sacrifice and redemption—the unspoken pact between those who serve and those who remember.

Edward Schowalter walked away from that hill limping, broken, nearly spent. But his soul stood firm.

In the endless night of war, some men find their purpose—not in glory, but in bearing the burden for the men who cannot stand themselves. That is the enduring truth.

Fight on. Carry the fallen. Leave no one behind.

Sources

1. Department of the Army, Medal of Honor Citation, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. 2. United States Army Center of Military History, "Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War."