First Lt. Edward R. Schowalter Jr.'s Medal of Honor Action in Korea

Mar 12 , 2026

First Lt. Edward R. Schowalter Jr.'s Medal of Honor Action in Korea

Bullets tore through the night. Blood slicked my vision, but I kept moving.

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. wasn’t just a soldier. He was a living testament to grit carved from fire. In the frozen hell of Korea, with mortar fire pounding deafening rhythms, this man stood alone against an enemy tide that threatened to wash his platoon away. Where others fell, he stood. Where others broke, he broke through.

Background & Faith: Steel Tempered by Honor

Born in 1927, Schowalter’s path was forged by the hard realities of the American heartland and the call of duty ringing louder than any voice at home. The echoes of faith and honor ran through his veins. As the eldest son, he carried the weight of responsibility, a mantle he never dropped. The Christian principles he held rooted him in purpose: protect your brothers, fight with conviction, and never surrender—not just to the enemy but to fear itself.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress…” — Psalm 18:2. This wasn’t just scripture for Edward. It was survival.

The Battle That Defined Him

February 1, 1951. Near Hoengsong, Korea. The night was bitter cold; the enemy, relentless. Schowalter was a First Lieutenant, commanding a platoon in Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. What happened next engraved his name into the annals of valor.

His platoon came under fierce attack, enemy forces overwhelming the perimeter with a wave of grenades and small-arms fire. Wounded twice early on, the pain should have buried him—but it didn’t. Instead, Schowalter did the unthinkable.

He rallied his remaining men, reorganizing despite heavy losses. With bullets ripping past, he grabbed a submachine gun and charged into the open, slashing through enemy lines to retake lost ground. When his equipment was destroyed, he fought hand-to-hand. When his radio was shot out, he relayed orders with voice and gesture. He exposed himself repeatedly to knock out enemy machine-gun nests—each time drawing fire meant for his men.

Despite severe wounds, he refused evacuation, positioning himself on the front lines to inspire and direct others until the attack was finally repulsed.

This was no reckless bravado. It was deliberate, sacrificial leadership under fire—the rare kind that separates a soldier from a hero.

Recognition: Medal of Honor in the Cold Rain

For these actions, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman on October 12, 1951. His citation reads in part:

“First Lieutenant Schowalter distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company I… Although painfully wounded, First Lieutenant Schowalter displayed unsurpassed valor and effective leadership and succeeded in repulsing the enemy attack.” [^1]

A fellow officer later reflected, “He was the kind of leader you’d lay down your life beside. You knew he’d face the hell ahead head-on—and draw the fire so you wouldn’t have to.”

Medal or not, the raw scars etched in his body and the memories burned in his mind were the real testament.

Legacy & Lessons: The Cost and Eternity of Courage

Edward Schowalter’s story is a hard truth about war: heroism isn’t clean. It’s bloody. It’s pain. It’s loss. But it’s also hope—the refusal to surrender to that loss.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid...” Joshua 1:9 echoes the spirit he carried. No greater battle rages than the one fought inside a soldier’s heart when torn between duty and survival, fear and faith.

Schowalter’s legacy whispers across decades—reminding us all that courage is a deliberate choice. Sacrifice is not an abstraction but lived in every step through hell. And redemption finds those who fight not for glory but for their brothers in arms.

Today, his story isn’t just history. It’s a call to live with vision beyond the scars, to carry honor forward in a world that often forgets the cost of freedom.

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

Edward R. Schowalter Jr. lived that truth, stained in mud and valor, forever.

Sources

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: Korean War. [^2]: Harry S. Truman Library, Medal of Honor Presentation Records. [^3]: 7th Infantry Division Archives, Official After-Action Report, Hoengsong, Feb 1951.