Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor for Courage in Korea

Dec 03 , 2025

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor for Courage in Korea

Blood and resolve. A lieutenant pinned down by a merciless enemy wave, bullets carving the air like knives. Wounded, but unbowed, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood in the frozen hell of Korea. Every breath a battle, every heartbeat a shout of defiance.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in New Orleans in 1927, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. carried a Southern grit that was part creed, part bloodline. A West Point graduate in ’49, he bore the weight of honor and duty long before Korea flared into war. His faith ran deep—quiet but unmistakable—and it reinforced a warrior’s code that refused to yield.

Faith wasn’t incidental. It was the backbone. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) wasn’t just scripture; it was a lifeline when the cold and enemy fire closed in.

Schowalter’s battlefield was more than terrain. It was a crucible of character forged by discipline, prayer, and unshakeable principles. A man shaped for the hardest fight.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 22, 1951. Near Munsan-Ni, Korea—a bloody stage set by the Communist Chinese onslaught. Schowalter commanded the 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.

The enemy surged. Fifty times the size of his force. They poured into the valley like a tidal wave, relentless and merciless.

Despite being shot in the shoulder and seriously wounded, Schowalter refused to yield an inch. He moved among his men, dodging bullets, shouting orders, and personally leading counterattacks. A bullet shattered his right elbow, mangling bone and sinew. But he never faltered.

He refused evacuation. No man left behind wasn’t a slogan—it was a moral imperative. Even as his command post was wiped out and his radio destroyed, he improvised communication, coordinated artillery, and redistributed ammunition.

Each assault he led drained him, tore at flesh and spirit. But to fall back was unthinkable. He dragged his broken body uphill through knee-deep mud, rallying the remains of his battalion, inspiring frantic bursts of resistance that held until reinforcements arrived.

“The enemy was close enough to touch. But we stood like saints in a nightmare,” one comrade recalled years later.

Recognition Born of Sacrifice

For sheer grit and indomitable leadership under fire, Schowalter received the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

“Lieutenant Schowalter’s conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty reflect the finest traditions of the United States Army.”

His selfless dedication saved countless lives, holding a key position against overwhelming odds. Commanders praised his “unbreakable will and inspiring example.”

He didn’t wear his medal loudly—his scars told that story. But few carry wounds like his, visible and unseen, that testify to the price paid on brutal battlefields far from home[1].

Legacy Etched in Courage

Edward Schowalter Jr.’s legacy isn’t just in bronze or ink. It’s in the endurance of those who face impossible odds. A man who embodied sacrifice and faith when everything screamed to quit.

His story echoes in every battlefield silence, in the prayers whispered by soldiers who carry scars—physical and spiritual.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Schowalter lived it, not only in sacrifice but in the refusal to abandon his men when the night closed in.

What remains is a powerful truth: heroism is not born in glory but forged in hellfire, faith, and sweat. It’s a legacy that commands reverence, humility, and a renewed sense of purpose for all who remember.

In a world quick to forget the cost of freedom, Edward R. Schowalter Jr.’s stand in a Korean valley reminds us: true courage never dies. It lives in every scar, every whispered prayer, every heartbeat that pushes back the darkness.

Sources

[1] Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation - Edward R. Schowalter Jr., U.S. Army Archives [2] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War [3] Assembly of the 31st Infantry Regiment, Combat Memoirs and Soldier Testimonies