Jan 28 , 2026
Edward R. Schowalter Jr.'s Heroism on Hill 200 in Korea
Blood on the Steps of Hill 200
The enemy surged like a tidal wave—relentless, brutal, choking out the light. Against odds that swallowed men whole, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood alone in the storm. Wounded, exhausted, bleeding on that frozen ridge, he refused to fall back. No plan B. Just cold iron resolve.
Roots of Valor and Resolve
Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, Schowalter carried the soldier’s blood in his veins. The son of a career Army officer, discipline and duty shaped his every breath. Faith was a quiet tenant in the chaos—the kind that steadies your hands when everything screams to let go.
His creed: serve with honor, no matter the cost. The war didn't create the man but peeled back who he was at the core. “Blessed be the Lord my strength,” ran quietly in his heart during the hell of Korea. (Psalm 28:7)
The Inferno on Hill 200
March 24, 1951. The outskirts of Yangpyeong. Schowalter, a First Lieutenant with the 8th Cavalry Regiment, faced a monstrous enemy force—Chinese troops pushing in waves to crush his battalion’s flank.
His orders were simple: hold the ridge at all costs. But simple commands meet twisted realities on the mountain.
As Chinese fighters swarmed, his men faltered under the weight of sheer numbers and deadly grenade barrages. Schowalter wasn’t just a leader; he became a bulwark. Twice, seriously wounded, he refused evacuation. Twice, he ripped grenades from the hands of dead Chinese soldiers–his hands bleeding raw–and hurled them back.
Every breath won was a gasp stolen from death. When ammunition thinned, Schowalter tore magazine from magazine and redistributed until every soldier was armed. He tore through enemy lines to gather reinforcements and destroyed enemy machine gun nests with cold determination.
“Lieutenant Schowalter's extraordinary heroism and leadership under extreme conditions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.” — Medal of Honor citation, 1951[1]
His fierce stand bought time for the battalion to regroup. The hill held.
Honors Washed in Blood
Schowalter’s Medal of Honor citation tells a story carved in guts and grit. President Harry Truman himself awarded him the medal on October 12, 1951. The ceremony wasn’t about glory—it was about a price paid in rivers of sweat, blood, and loss.
Comrades called him fierce yet compassionate—hardened by combat but never hardened to the cost. One fellow soldier said, “Schowalter led like a man who understood death was only the beginning of a legacy.”[2]
More than the medal, he carried scars unseen—reminders that heroism often rides the line between salvation and sacrifice.
The Echo of a Soldier’s Soul
Edward Schowalter’s fight on Hill 200 wasn’t just for a patch of frozen ground. It was a testament to the unyielding bond between warriors and the unshakable faith that carried them through hell.
Strength in the darkest moments is forged by sacrifice, not by chance. He reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear but the will to stand when fear has knocked every breath out of you.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
His story is a mirror for every veteran—redemption found not in battle’s end, but in the struggle to rise again.
His scars tell a story no medal ever can: the story of a man who stood firm when the world sought to break him.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, "Medal of Honor Recipients – Korean War" 2. Department of Defense, “Schowalter's Heroism on the Korean Battleground,” official unit histories
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