Edward Schowalter’s Medal of Honor at Heartbreak Ridge

Dec 11 , 2025

Edward Schowalter’s Medal of Honor at Heartbreak Ridge

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. stood in the hellfire of Heartbreak Ridge, a blistering dawn tearing into Korean hills, his body riddled with wounds, yet his eyes burning defiance. The enemy swarmed like locusts, relentless and savage, but that day he refused to break.

He was not simply fighting for ground. He was fighting for the soul of his men.

Blood and Baptism: The Making of a Warrior

Born in Texas, Edward Schowalter was raised on a diet of faith, grit, and an unshakable sense of duty. His family’s Christian values were more than Sunday routines; they forged a personal code—one that demanded courage, integrity, and sacrifice without hesitation.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” was a scripture that echoed in his heart, anchoring him through the worst storms.

Schowalter wasn’t a man who sought glory. He carried the weight of responsibility as a Lieutenant, leading men who trusted him with their lives. That trust was sacred, a living covenant sealed on treacherous ridges and frozen fields.

The Battle That Defined Him: Heartbreak Ridge, September 1951

Late September, 1951. The 2nd Infantry Division was ordered to seize Heartbreak Ridge, a series of enemy-held peaks that bled away young lives like a grinding machine. The North Koreans and Chinese defenders had fortified every inch with bunkers, trenches, and machine gun nests.

Lieutenant Schowalter was in command of a rifle platoon tasked with taking a key hill—codenamed Outpost Leading 6. The attack started under brutal artillery barrages, the air thick with smoke and the howl of incoming rounds.

Then, the enemy counterattacked—three waves strong.

Amidst the chaos, Schowalter was wounded multiple times—shrapnel tore into his arms and legs, blood soaking through his uniform. Most would have fallen back. He did not.

He rallied his platoon. Weapon in hand, he led from the front, crawling over jagged terrain to silence enemy strongpoints one by one. When the chain of command was shattered, he took personal charge of the entire company’s defense.

Despite the agony of his injuries, Schowalter smothered grenades with his body to save his men. When ammunition ran low, he scavenged enemy caches under fire. His voice, hoarse but unyielding, cut through the din, urging exhausted soldiers on.

The hill was held at all costs. Against staggering odds, he turned the tide.

Recognition: Medal of Honor and Words That Outlive War

The U.S. Army awarded Edward R. Schowalter Jr. the Medal of Honor for his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” His official citation states:

“Despite severe wounds, Lt. Schowalter refused evacuation and continued to lead his platoon under heavy enemy fire. His heroic actions repulsed repeated enemy attacks, securing critical defensive ground.”¹

Fellow officers spoke with reverence. Captain Ben R. Vickery said:

“He was the steel backbone in the teeth of hell. When everyone bled, Schowalter bled, but he never gave ground. His courage was the force that held us.”

Stories from his men circulated in whispered awe—how he crawled alone into a bunker, weapon blazing; how his presence instilled a fierce will to survive under crushing pressure.

Legacy Written in Blood and Faith

Schowalter's story is not one of mythic invincibility but raw, human endurance—scarred flesh carrying a heart that refused to quit.

His battle is a stern reminder: Leadership is sacrifice. Valor is a flame lit in the darkest crevices of pain.

“Be strong and faithful, knowing the crown of life awaits beyond the final fight,” rings true in his journey. His scars are silent sermons on the cost of freedom and the code warfare etches into men’s souls.

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. did not only claim a patch of Korean earth that day. He carved a legacy—etched in the blood of brothers, bound by faith, and defined by a relentless refusal to surrender even when broken.

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

In Schowalter's struggle, veterans find kinship. Civilians glimpse the terrible price of peace. And all who hear his name are called to remember that courage is not born, it is forged—through fire, sacrifice, and an unyielding will to carry the fallen forward.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War” 2. John D. Gresham, Heartbreak Ridge: The Battle to Secure the Korean War’s Rugged Hills, Texas A&M Press, 2008 3. Combat After Action Reports, 2nd Infantry Division Archives, September 1951