Five Korean War Veterans Receive Posthumous Medals of Honor from President Biden
These five personnel had their combat decorations they received for heroism during the Korean War upgraded to Medals of Honor this past week:
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Juanita Mendez gave President Joe Biden a kiss as she sat on stage Friday to accept the nation’s highest military honor for combat valor on behalf of her brother, Pfc. Charles Johnson. It drew a laugh from the crowd gathered in the East Room at the White House.
Biden didn’t seem to mind the moment but moved forward with presenting the Medal of Honor to five Korean War soldiers. “These are genuine to their core heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions and even different generations,” he said during the ceremony. “But heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty, heroes who all deserve our nation’s highest and oldest military recognition.”
You can read more about each of the veteran’s combat heroics during the Korean War at the link.
Pvt. Bruno R. Orig distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, in the vicinity of Chipyong-ni, Korea, on Feb. 15, 1951.
While returning from a wire-laying mission, Orig saw several of his comrades wounded during a fierce enemy attack. With complete disregard for his own safety, Orig went to them and remained in an exposed position to administer first aid. With the assistance of several comrades from the company command post, Orig began removing the wounded to a place of safety.
While returning from one of these trips, Orig noticed that all except one man of a machine-gun crew had been wounded. Without hesitation, he volunteered to man the weapon. Remaining in this position, Orig placed effective fire on the enemy, allowing a friendly platoon to withdraw without a single casualty. Orig continued to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy until the company positions were overrun.
Later that day, when the lost ground was recaptured, Orig was found dead beside his weapon, and the area in front of his gun was littered with several dead enemy soldiers.
Then-1st Lt. Richard E. Cavazos distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, while serving as the commander of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, on June 14-15, 1953, in the vicinity of Sagimak, Korea. On the night of June 14, Cavazos led his company during a raid on an entrenched enemy outpost with the mission of destroying the personnel and installation.
During the initial attack, Cavazos led his men through intense enemy mortar and artillery fire. Upon entering the trenches, fierce close combat ensued, and Cavazos directed heavy fire on the enemy and their positions. When an extremely intense enemy mortar and artillery barrage hit his position, Cavazos withdrew the company and regrouped his men. Twice more he led his men through intense enemy fire during assaults on the enemy position, destroying vital fortifications and personnel. During the entire assault, Cavazos gave effective commands and words of encouragement to his men and inspired them to heroic heights of achievement through his personal example and leadership.
When ordered to withdraw his company, Cavazos complied but remained alone on the enemy outpost to search for missing men. While exposed to enemy fire, he located five casualties and evacuated them, one by one, to a point on the reverse slope of a nearby hill where they could be safely recovered by friendly forces.
Returning to the battlefield, he found a small group of men who had become separated from the main assaulting force and personally led them to safety. When informed that men were still missing, Cavazos again returned to the scene of the battle and led another small group of men to safety.
Cavazos then made two more unassisted trips to the battlefield, searching for missing soldiers. When he was satisfied that the battlefield was cleared on the morning of June 15, he finally allowed his own combat wounds to be treated.
Cavazos later became the first Hispanic brigadier general in 1976, and was promoted to four-star general in 1982.
Then-1st Lt. Cavazos’ conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Pfc. Charles R. Johnson distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity beyond the call of duty while defending Outpost Harry against overwhelming odds, and making the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of his comrades in the Republic of Korea, June 11-12, 1953.
Johnson was serving as a Browning automatic rifleman with Company B, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, when Chinese forces attacked his unit during a massive nighttime assault. During the ensuing battle, overwhelming numbers of Chinese troops assaulted the trenches and bunkers defended by Johnson and his squad.
Johnson, wounded from a direct artillery hit on his bunker and subsequently from a hand grenade, administered first aid to those more seriously injured. Understanding the seriousness of the situation and being under direct fire from the enemy, Johnson dragged a wounded Soldier to a secure bunker, stopping intermittently to aid injured Soldiers and kill several enemy troops in hand-to-hand combat.
Departing the safety of the second bunker, he conducted a search for weapons and ammunition, then returned to rearm the others. After recognizing their situation as untenable, and with disregard for his personal safety, he exited the bunker, placing himself between the enemy and his injured comrades, and told them he would hold off the enemy forces as best as he could.
His brave and selfless efforts saved the lives of as many as 10 Soldiers. Johnson’s extraordinary actions in close combat with the enemy, his unyielding courage and bravery, and his profound concern for his fellow Soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Cpl. Fred B. McGee distinguished himself by gallantry in action near Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea, on June 16, 1952, during an assault on enemy fortified positions. As gunner on a light machine gun in a weapons squad, McGee delivered a heavy volume of supporting fire from an exposed position despite intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire directly on his location.
Though forced to move his gun several times, he continued to support the assault and provide covering fire to the assault elements of his platoon. When his leader and several other members of his squad were wounded, he assumed command and moved the squad forward to a more exposed position to deliver neutralizing fire on an enemy machine gun.
When his machine gunner was mortally wounded, he again took over the gun. He then ordered his squad to withdraw and voluntarily remained behind to help evacuate the wounded and dead. Though wounded in the face, he heroically exposed himself by standing straight up under intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire and attempted to evacuate the body of the company runner. Forced to abandon the body, he aided a wounded man and moved him to safety through a huge volume of enemy mortar and artillery fire.
McGee displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His unyielding courage and bravery, and his profound concern for his fellow Soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Pfc. Wataru Nakamura distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Company I, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, in the vicinity of P’ungch’on-ni, Korea on May 18, 1951. Around daybreak, Nakamura volunteered to check and repair a communications line between his platoon and the command post. As he made his way along the line, he was brought under fire from an enemy force that had surrounded friendly positions and were threatening to break the company defense lines.
Immediately, without regard for his own safety and without waiting for help, Nakamura rushed the enemy with a fixed bayonet and single-handedly destroyed a hostile machine gun nest and drove the enemy from several bunkers they had captured. When his ammunition was depleted, he withdrew under intense enemy fire. He then met an ammunition party ascending the hill. After quickly briefing the officer in charge, Nakamura rearmed himself and returned to the fight.
In a fierce charge, he killed three of the enemy in one bunker, then killed and seriously wounded another in the last enemy-held bunker. Continuing to press the attack, he was mortally wounded by an enemy grenade.
Nakamura’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
All of these men — and many others whose deeds were not recorded — were men who loved freedom for others more than they loved their own lives.
Let’s live lives worthy of their sacrifice.