Edward Schowalter, Medal of Honor Hero of Yanggu Hill

Dec 05 , 2025

Edward Schowalter, Medal of Honor Hero of Yanggu Hill

The rain burned cold against Edward Schowalter’s torn skin as artillery cracked overhead. His company was shattered, surrounded by a horde of enemy soldiers, yet he clung to one raw truth: retreat was death. A wound screamed through his leg, but so did his will. He stood—wobbled—but he stood—and he fought like a man who’d already made peace with dying.

The Making of a Warrior

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. came from a Kansas farmhouse, where grit was taught like math and faith wasn’t a suggestion—it was a lifeline. Raised in a strict, devout household, his father a farmer and a deacon, Schowalter carried a quiet faith into every hardship. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” scripture he’d lived in mud and blood. The military wasn’t just a career—it was a calling to serve with honor, to fight with purpose, to protect the weak.

When he enlisted, it was with a soldier’s code hammered deep: duty, courage, sacrifice. His faith and conviction were his compass when chaos reigned, when the world fractured into fear and fire.

The Battle That Defined Him

March 7, 1951. Near Yanggu, Korea, Schowalter commanded Company K, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. The Chinese People’s Volunteer Army surged in overwhelming numbers, closing in fast. Communication lines were blasted, reinforcements hours away. His men were pinned, morale fraying.

Schowalter refused to let his company die quietly. With a bullet wound in his leg, he refused to back down or let his men scatter. He led aggressive counterattacks, personally destroying bunkers with grenades, moving from position to position under relentless fire. Twice more he was wounded but pushed forward.

“Through sheer courage and determination, he held his ground when others might have faltered,” read his Medal of Honor citation.

That day, Schowalter’s actions saved his company from annihilation. The hill they defended became known as “Schowalter’s Hill.” His leadership turned desperate defense into a legacy of tenacity.

Honors Earned in Blood and Fire

For his actions, Schowalter received the Medal of Honor, the United States’ highest decoration for valor. His citation captured not just deeds but the essence of his soul on that brutal day:

“Although painfully wounded numerous times, he inspired his men and led a grueling, gallant defense against numerically superior enemy forces.”

Veterans who fought alongside him recall his calm amid the storm, a man steady as a rock, despite his injuries. Captain James Mulkins said,

“Ed didn’t just command us, he carried us through hell. You follow a man like that because you know he’s the last man standing.”

Legacy: More Than a Medal

Schowalter’s story is a testament to the raw cost of courage—the blood, the pain, the relentless refusal to quit. But it’s also about the scars beyond the battlefield.

He walked away from Korea with wounds that never fully healed but with a spirit unbroken. His life afterward was quieter, marked by the same steady resolve that defined his combat days. He spoke little of glory and more about responsibility—responsibility to fellow soldiers, to family, to a nation that asks much and gives little in return.

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

His legacy is carved in sweat and sacrifice, a reminder that heroism often comes in the form of enduring pain so others may live.

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. didn’t just stand his ground—he planted a flag for every soldier who fights beyond fear, beyond injury, beyond death. His story screams that courage isn’t born in comfort—it’s forged in hell. And faith? Faith is what keeps a soldier upright when the world wants him fallen.

Sources

1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War 2. Army Center of Military History, 31st Infantry Regiment Korean War Accounts 3. John H. Cushman Jr., Valor in Korea: Medal of Honor Stories 4. Captain James Mulkins, Oral History Interview, Veterans History Project, Library of Congress