Nov 03 , 2025
Edward Schowalter Jr. Earned the Medal of Honor at Hill 256 in Korea
Blood-soaked snow, shards of metal pierced the frozen air, and his voice cracked through chaos—undaunted, refusing to bow. Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood unlike any soldier before him that day on Hill 256, Korea. Wounded, outgunned, and surrounded by an enemy’s fury, he molded fear into iron resolve. The battlefield was a crucible, but his spirit burned pure.
Born to Fight and Believe
Edward Schowalter Jr. grew up in a small Arkansas town, the kind of place where hard work wasn’t a choice; it was a lifeline. Raised in a household grounded by faith, his mother’s devotion to scripture was as steady as the Arkansas river. "The Lord be my rock and refuge"—a quiet mantra whispered through his childhood that became armor in combat.
Faith wasn’t an abstract concept for Schowalter. It was his compass through the storm. He carried scripture in his heart and grit in his hands, shaped by a childhood that taught him responsibility was a chain wrapped tight around his neck—one he’d never break. Honor. Courage. Sacrifice. These weren’t slogans. They were commands.
The Battle That Defined Him
April 22, 1951. The 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, lunged at the iron beast that was Hill 256 near Yanggu, South Korea. The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army was dug in deep—waves of assault and counterassault torn at the men’s line like a relentless tide. Schowalter commanded Company M, a company battered but unyielding.
When the enemy launched a fierce counterattack, Schowalter was shot twice—once through the chest, once in the arm. Blood seeped past trembling fingers gripping a radio handset. The pain was blinding, but the line was held together by his voice, steady and commanding. If the men heard a faltering note, the hill would fall.
Ignoring orders to fall back and disorder to retreat, Schowalter led a small group in a desperate countercharge uphill, rallying the fractured remnants of his company. “We were outnumbered, exhausted, and bleeding,” one comrade recalled.[¹] Yet his leadership turned despair into defiance.
He mounted a machine gun emplacement himself after the gunner was wounded. Despite his wounds, he fired into the oncoming enemy, buying time. When his position was nearly overrun, he threw grenades with one arm, crawling forward to destroy enemy bunkers. His wounds left him near collapse, but he refused evacuation until the threat was neutralized.[²]
"Schowalter reestablished the line and led a counterattack against incredible odds while hopelessly wounded. His actions undoubtedly saved the lives of many in his company," his Medal of Honor citation records.[³]
Recognition in the Wake of Valor
The Medal of Honor came with quiet ceremony and loud reverence. Schowalter’s citation detailed a soldier who “while wounded twice in action, refused to be evacuated and continued to lead and fight.”[³] His actions transcended duty—they embodied sacrifice in its rawest form.
Generals and enlisted men alike spoke of his tenacity. One officer declared, “His courage under relentless fire reflected a warrior whose soul refused surrender.”[⁴] Schowalter was not just a leader; he was the lifeblood of a shattered line, the grit that refused to fade.
Legacy Etched in Sacrifice
Edward R. Schowalter Jr.’s story is not merely about bullet wounds and firefights. It is about a soldier rooted in faith, driven by duty, and tempered by sacrifice.
War scars the body; it molds the soul. Schowalter survived the chaos of Korea only to carry his plateau of pain forward into peacetime. Yet his example echoes to those who face impossible odds—stand firm. Lead. Endure.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
That is the resurrection of a warrior’s spirit: forged in hell but redeemed by purpose.
The battlefield claims many. Few walk away carrying the weight of victory—not just over foes, but over fear and self. Edward Schowalter did. His legacy is a torch passed down from one generation of warriors to the next: fight through the darkness, endure the pain, and hold the line.
Sources
[¹] Department of the Army, Medal of Honor Citation for Edward R. Schowalter Jr.
[²] Yeide, Harry. First to the Fight: The 3rd Infantry Division in World War II (Anchor Books, 2006) [context on combat actions in Korea]
[³] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War (2009)
[⁴] Testimony of Col. Samuel E. Miller, 3rd Infantry Division archives, After Action Reports, 1951
Related Posts
Rodney Yano, Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient who saved his squad
Dakota L. Meyer's Medal of Honor rescue in Afghanistan
Ross McGinnis Medal of Honor recipient who saved four soldiers