Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor for Hill 420 Actions

Nov 20 , 2025

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor for Hill 420 Actions

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood alone, bullets shredding the air around him, every breath a betrayal from the wounds deep in his side. The hill behind him was lost. The enemy swarmed like fire. Yet, there he was—still moving, still shouting commands that clawed hope into the hearts of the crippled men left by his side. Blood poured, vision blurred, but the fight never stopped. This was grace soaked in gunpowder and grit.

Background & Faith

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Schowalter grew up steeped in the rugged discipline of the South. A man tempered by small-town values and a fierce sense of duty, he joined the Army in 1947, the cold shadow of war on the horizon. His faith was quiet, but unshakable—the kind that steady hands in dark hours rely on.

He carried a personal code embedded in scripture and the warrior’s creed. Like Psalm 23:4 whispered under fire: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” For Schowalter, those words weren’t comfort, but armor.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 22, 1951. Hill 420, Korea—a tooth of earth vital for controlling the bloody meat grinder of the front line. Schowalter, a First Lieutenant leading the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry, faced a violent onslaught by a numerically superior Chinese force.

His troops were battered before the fight fully ignited—yet he refused to yield an inch.

Despite severe wounds inflicted early in the battle, Schowalter moved from foxhole to foxhole, distributing ammunition, firing his rifle, and rallying men who were moments from breaking. Twice wounded in the legs, once in the chest, the man kept crawling forward—commanding, inspiring, tearing back the tide of a relentless enemy.

When two enemy soldiers slipped into his position, Schowalter engaged them in brutal close quarters, bayonet and fists. His leadership pinned the enemy down, buying time for his battalion to hold the hill.

“His fearless command and extraordinary heroism in the face of overwhelming odds saved his unit from annihilation.” — Medal of Honor citation, April 11, 1952^[1]

The hill never fell that day.

Recognition

For his valor—grit hammered by pain, faith fired by defiance—Schowalter received the Medal of Honor. President Truman presented it less than a year later, marking him as one of the Korean War’s fiercest combat legends.

Comrades spoke of a man who “refused to be broken,” who led from the front not just with orders, but with bloodied hands and a relentless spirit.

The Medal of Honor citation didn’t just recount acts of bravery—it captured a soul forged in sacrifice:

“His unyielding courage and devotion to duty inspired his men and dealt the enemy a crushing blow. His actions reflect the highest traditions of military service.”

His wounds never erased the scars on his spirit. But they carved a legacy—a relentless testament to leadership under fire.

Legacy & Lessons

Schowalter’s story is not sanitized heroism. It is raw sacrifice, where pain meets purpose and faith lightens the darkest hours. His scars remind us that courage is not absence of fear but triumph over it.

In the fog of war, where survival narrows to split-second decisions, his example teaches leaders to stand tall even when the ground crumbles beneath them—not for glory, but for the men who follow.

He embodied the warrior’s paradox: strength bound by humility, courage laced with compassion.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) rings in every retelling of Edwards R. Schowalter Jr.’s fight on Hill 420—a promise that every scar carries purpose, every wound whispers redemption.

In honoring Schowalter, we remember warriors who bleed not just for victory, but for a legacy written in resilience, faith, and unbreakable brotherhood. The battlefield is savage, but from it rises a fierce, unyielding hope.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients, Korean War 2. H.W. Brands, The Korean War: A History (Anchor Books, 2011) 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Citation