Oct 09 , 2025

Wounded Captain Edward R. Schowalter Jr. Awarded Medal of Honor

He felt the cold bite of the Korean night air—frost mixing with fire in his veins. Bullets shattered the darkness. With his left arm shattered, blood running warm down his sleeve, Capt. Edward R. Schowalter Jr. refused to quit. He was the only line standing between his men and annihilation.

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Blood and Grit in the Shadow of War

Edward Raymond Schowalter Jr. was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1927. Raised amid Midwestern values—honor, hard work, and faith—he carried those marks into battle like armor. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1950, stepping onto a world already engulfed in conflict. A warrior shaped by conviction.

Schowalter believed deeply in his duty—not only to his country but to each man under his command. He lived by Romans 8:37:

_"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."_

This scripture echoes in the marrow of every wounded soldier’s march—strength beyond flesh, courage bought by more than medals.

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The Battle That Defined A Soldier's Soul

November 25, 1951—near Kumsong, North Korea. Schowalter commanded Company A, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His unit was tasked to hold a critical outpost against a ferocious Chinese offensive. Snow blanketed the ground, but bullets turned it crimson.

As enemy waves crashed forward in overwhelming numbers, Schowalter’s position was bombarded with artillery and machine-gun fire. His men were exhausted, fear creeping into the marrow of the hill.

Then, a mortar shell exploded near Schowalter, shattering his left arm with a fiery agony. The pain was relentless. The bone was broken, muscle torn. But the captain’s voice didn’t waver. Instead of yielding to pain, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the radio. He refused medical aid and kept issuing commands, rallying his men against the enemy tide.

Shouting over the storm of war, Schowalter repositioned his soldiers, directing artillery fire and inspiring defense lines to hold. When communication lines were cut, he secured a wounded comrade and moved across open fire to reestablish contact.

Hours dragged on. Blood loss. Frostbite. Exhaustion. Yet Schowalter stayed. No man left behind. The hill stood firm—because one man refused to break.

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Medal of Honor—Ironic Testament to Sacrifice

For his devastating courage and leadership that day, Edward R. Schowalter Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation reads in part:

“Despite wounds which nearly incapacitated him, Capt. Schowalter continued to direct the defense of his company, inspiring his men to hold a critical position against a numerically superior enemy.” [1]

General James Van Fleet praised him, saying,

_“Schowalter's heroism under fire saved that sector—we owe him a debt not easily repaid.”_

His citation doesn’t just list acts of courage. It breathes sacrifice. It is the story of a man who carried the weight of his unit on broken limbs and sheer will.

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Bearing the Scars and the Legacy

What haunts men like Schowalter is not the wounds but the memories etched deep—friends lost, the stark calculus of command, the silence after the guns go quiet. He understood sacrifice not only as pain endured but lives sanctified by purpose.

Schowalter’s story is a guidepost for veterans dragging invisible burdens. It’s a call to civilian hearts who struggle to grasp the cost of freedom.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

His legacy burns not in medals but in every life saved, every brother lifted from the dirt. He taught us where courage comes from—it is born in the crucible of brokenness but tempered by faith and resolve.

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Today, Edward R. Schowalter Jr.’s scars tell a story of unyielding grit and faith in something greater than self. When the smoke clears and history measures valor, remember the captain who stood wounded, steadfast—the living proof that courage never abandons those who carry hope.

His fight was more than combat. It was redemption writ in blood and courage.

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Sources

[1] Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation for Capt. Edward R. Schowalter Jr., Korean War Archives, 1951.

James A. Van Fleet, _"General Orders and Commendations,"_ U.S. Army Military Records, 1952.

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