Edward Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor Recipient at Kumsong River

Oct 27 , 2025

Edward Schowalter Jr. Medal of Honor Recipient at Kumsong River

Flames licked the frozen Korean night. Men fell beside him, blood soaking through frost, enemy shadows tightening like death’s noose. Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood his ground with shattered ribs and a mangled shoulder, commanding hell itself to back down. No corner for surrender. No whisper of retreat.

The Boy From Oklahoma, Hardened by Faith and Duty

Born 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Edward was raised among hard soil and harder men. Discipline came like the morning sun—unavoidable, certain. His mother’s prayers wove into his childhood, a quiet engine pushing him toward something greater than himself.

Faith was no abstraction. Scripture was armor:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified...” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

That promise etched itself into his bones.

He enlisted in the Army after World War II, a calling beyond adventure—a code bound by loyalty, sacrifice, and steel resolve. Schowalter carried honor like a torch, ready to light the darkest corner of the battlefield.

The Battle That Defined Him: Outnumbered, Outgunned, Unbroken

November 29, 1951. Near the Kumsong River, Korea. Company C, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division steadied against waves of Chinese forces. The enemy surged like a flood, relentless, merciless.

Schowalter’s command post took a hit. Shrapnel tore through his body, breaking ribs and wounding him again and again. But he refused evacuation. His men needed him too badly.

Amid the blood and chaos, he rallied scattered squads. Countered encirclement with tactical brilliance—throwing grenades, ordering precise mortar fire, and directing movements when radios died. Every move bled grit. Every breath screamed survival.

When his radio operator died, Schowalter grabbed the handset himself, calling artillery strikes mere meters from his own position—a final gamble to break the Chinese assault.

The Medal of Honor citation lays it out cold:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Leading his company against overwhelming odds despite severe wounds... inflicting heavy casualties, repelling the enemy, refusing aid until all wounded were evacuated.[¹]

His defiance was not just presence—it was purpose incarnate.

Recognition Etched in Steel and Ink

The Medal of Honor arrived as a scar and a charge. President Harry S. Truman pinned it on — a symbol for a soldier whose fight transcended himself.[²]

Fellow commanders praised Schowalter’s unyielding spirit. Colonel Charles E. Beals said:

“In the crucible of combat, Schowalter was a man forged unbreakable. His leadership was the vacuum that pulled the enemy’s fury and gave his men a fighting chance.”[³]

His story entered the annals not as legend but as proof—that courage isn’t absence of fear, but mastery over it. Pain is not surrender, but the hammer shaping will.

Legacy: A Testament of Courage, Sacrifice, and Redemption

Edward Schowalter’s battlefield scars speak in a silent tongue: resolve, sacrifice, faith. He reminds veterans and civilians alike that freedom is paid in full only by those who walk into hell and don’t flinch.

His life’s work extends beyond medals. It’s a call—to lead with conviction, to carry your brothers when they falter, to stand when the night threatens to swallow you whole.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

His story testifies to this truth: when you grasp the light inside, darkness loses its grip.

Schowalter’s name is carved not just on a ribbon or a citation. It is etched into the soil soaked by courage and faith—a compass for anyone facing a battle, inside or out.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History – Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. Truman Library – Medal of Honor Ceremony Records 3. Beals, C. E. – Command Reports, 2nd Infantry Division Archives