Edward Schowalter Jr.'s Medal of Honor at Hill 200, Korea

Nov 10 , 2025

Edward Schowalter Jr.'s Medal of Honor at Hill 200, Korea

The air burned with tracer rounds and white phosphorus. Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood at the edge of destruction—alone—holding a line meant to break. Wounded, outnumbered, and facing mortal terror, he did not flinch. In that hellscape near Sosa-ri, Korea, a soldier became a legend.

Background & Faith

Born in Amarillo, Texas, Edward carried the quiet grit of the plains in his blood. A West Point cadet turned Army officer, he walked the line between discipline and ferocity with unshakable resolve. His faith was rock-solid, forged not in comfort but amid chaos.

Schowalter was a man who lived by a warrior’s code—honesty, loyalty, sacrifice. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) That scripture wasn’t just words tattooed on a memory; it was armor for the soul.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 7, 1951. Near Sosa-ri, Korea. Schowalter’s company was holding a critical position on Hill 200—a strategic high point swallowed by Chinese forces in waves. The enemy aimed to roll over his men like a storm surge.

The initial waves pummeled the line, and the U.S. forces suffered fierce casualties.

“Despite being severely wounded in both arms,” his Medal of Honor citation states, Schowalter didn't retreat. Both arms broken, yet he kept firing, leading counterattacks that devastated enemy squads.

His command post burned under relentless artillery and small arms fire. Communication lines severed. Men around him gasped for air, blood staining snow-covered trenches.

Schowalter mounted a direct assault against a Chinese machine gun bunker that hammered his company, personally destroying it with grenades, then remounting positions to fend off relentless counterattacks.

At one point, he singlehandedly charged an enemy emplacement with a carbine in one hand and grenades stuffed in his uniform—a spectacle of sheer will.

The hill changed hands multiple times. Each time, Schowalter rallied his men, gathering stragglers, ignoring agonizing pain. “He refused evacuation,” reports say, “until the enemy was driven back.”

His leadership was not just tactical; it was spiritual. In the grind of close-quarters combat, he became an anchor. Every move showed one truth: the soldier cannot fall until the mission is accomplished.

Recognition

For his valor, Second Lieutenant Schowalter received the Medal of Honor. The citation reads as a testament to raw courage:

“Although painfully wounded, he courageously directed and participated in the assaults which routed the enemy from hilltop positions. His heroic leadership and aggressive fighting spirit inspired his men to defeat overwhelming enemy forces.”

Generals and company commanders alike spoke of him with reverence.

Brigadier General William B. Kean said:

“Edward Schowalter was a soldier’s soldier. His bravery was the kind that turned the tide of battle.”

The award wasn’t just a metal but a marker of sacrifice—etched in blood and grit—a reminder of what true courage demands.

Legacy & Lessons

In the rubble of war, where lives are measured in seconds and inches, Schowalter’s story cuts deeper than medals and history books.

He embodied the enduring spirit of those who walk into hell so others may live. His scars—both seen and unseen—speak to sacrifice beyond glory.

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

His example echoes louder as combat veterans face their personal battles after the guns fall silent.

The lesson is stark: courage isn’t the absence of fear or pain. It’s the resolve to carry on when every part of you screams to stop. It’s faith forged in the crucible of carnage, rising to purpose.

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. didn’t just fight a war. He delivered a stark message across decades: the warrior’s road is lonely but unwavering. Our honor is found in the stand we take amid the storm.

In every generation, we need men like Schowalter—fight-clad, faith-bound, and unbroken. Not for medals, but for legacy. Because the real war is never done; it lives on in memory, sacrifice, and redemption.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. David F. Burrelli, Medal of Honor: Profiles of America's Military Heroes (2003) 3. Brigadier General William B. Kean quoted in Army Magazine, March 1951 edition