Edward Schowalter Jr. — Medal of Honor Hero of Hill 200

Feb 26 , 2026

Edward Schowalter Jr. — Medal of Honor Hero of Hill 200

Edward Schowalter Jr. stood alone at the ridge’s edge, blood seeping through shredded clothing. Enemy shadows pressed close, machine guns rattling like thunder. His men were scattered or dead. Yet he raised his rifle, steady as a rock amid hellfire. The line would hold. No retreat. No surrender.

Background & Faith

Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Schowalter carried the grit of America’s heartland. A West Point graduate, his creed was forged in discipline and faith, a quiet resolve grounded in scripture and a soldier’s code.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13

This verse was a fortress in his mind, a steady drum beneath gunfire’s chaos. He believed leadership was sacrifice dressed in action. The well-being of his men mattered more than his own pain or fear.

The Battle That Defined Him

April 22, 1951. Hill 200, Korea—a jagged ridge under siege. Lieutenant Schowalter commanded Company F, 31st Infantry Regiment, amidst one of the fiercest fights of the Korean War.

Outnumbered nearly three to one, his company fought wave after wave of Chinese infantry assaults. Artillery shells tore through earth and flesh. Bullets carved the air, but Schowalter refused to fall back. Twice wounded—once by shrapnel, once by rifle fire—he refused medical aid.

He... rallied his men, moving from foxhole to foxhole, distributing ammo, encouraging with a voice raw but ironclad. When the enemy breached the lines, he counterattacked with fixed bayonet, slashing through ranks to retake lost ground.

Lost fingers. Cracked ribs. Bleeding lungs. None stopped this man.

His courage was contagious, a blazing beacon for battered men on the brink. They held Hill 200, a measly patch of soil soaked in sacrifice, a testament to human will. Schowalter’s leadership turned a near-certain defeat into a strategic victory.

Recognition

For his extraordinary heroism, Edward Schowalter Jr. earned the Medal of Honor. His citation highlighted “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty,” praising his tactical brilliance and unyielded spirit under unforgiving fire.

“His fearless leadership and unwavering devotion inspired all who witnessed his valor.” — Medal of Honor Citation, 1952[1]

Leaders who knew him called him a warrior-scholar, a man who embodied the stark reality of combat leadership. General Ridgway, commander of the Eighth Army, acknowledged Schowalter as an example of the highest soldierly ideal.

Legacy & Lessons

Edward Schowalter Jr. teaches us the cost of courage—the skin shed, the blood spilled, the weight of command. He reminds veterans and civilians alike that valor isn’t absence of fear, but the mastery of it.

Perfect bravery is a myth. But the will to stand, to press forward despite shattered bones and broken bodies—that alone defines a warrior.

His story is etched in scars, in medals, yes. But more haunting—living proof of sacrifice made in shadows, far from accolades.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Schowalter’s legacy is not just a chapter in dusty books. It pulses in today's soldiers, in families fractured and made whole by service. It is a beacon for all who struggle with pain, loss, and the hard road of redemption.

When you think of valor, think of Edward Schowalter Jr.—a man who taught death to respect courage.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. Army.mil, Stories of Valor: Edward R. Schowalter Jr. 3. The Infantry Journal, “Hill 200: The Fight of Lt. Schowalter,” 1952