Gate Dedication Recipients

COL LEWIS L. MILLETT SR., US ARMY

COL Lewis Lee Millett Sr. (December 15, 1920 – November 14, 2009) was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor during the Korean War for leading the last major American bayonet charge.

Millett was serving in Korea as a captain and commander of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. On that day, near Soam-Ni, he led his company in an assault on an enemy position atop Hill 180 near Anyang. When one platoon became pinned down by heavy fire, Millett took another platoon forward, joined the two groups, and led them up the hill. Wielding his bayonet and throwing hand grenades, Millett yelled encouragement to his soldiers throughout the hand to hand fight. Upon reaching the top of the hill, his men stormed the enemy position and forced the opposing soldiers to withdraw. Although wounded in the shin by grenade fragments, Millett refused to be evacuated until the position was secured. Historian S.L.A. Marshall described the attack as "the most complete bayonet charge by American troops since [the Battle of Cold Harbor]". Out of about 50 enemy dead, roughly 20 were found to have been killed by bayonets, and the location subsequently became known as Bayonet Hill.

For his leadership during the assault, Millett was awarded the Medal of Honor. The medal was formally presented to him by President Harry S Truman in July 1951.

Millett's military decorations include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, three Bronze Star Medals, four Purple Hearts, and three Air Medals.

His other awards: Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger Tab, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal.

His international military awards include the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the Croix de Guerre, the United Nations Korea Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

 

MG SEUNG-KOOK YOON, ROK ARMY/UN COMMAND

MG Seung-Kook Yoon was a Korean Army officer who was assigned by special order to be the liaison officer for Task Force Smith, 52nd Artillery Battalion.

On 4 July, Task Force Smith was joined at Pyeongtaek by part of the 52nd Artillery Battalion: Half headquarters and service batteries and all of A Battery with six 105mm Howitzers, 73 vehicles, and 108 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Miller O. Perry.  In the late afternoon on 4 July, LTC Smith, LTC Perry, and others made a final reconnaissance of the position that Smith had selected.  The combined infantry and artillery moved out of Pyeongtaek by truck, arriving at the position about 0300 in the morning.  In cold, rainy weather, the men dug foxholes.  The American position extended about a mile on both sides of the Suwon-Osan road.  The troops laid telephone lines to four of the Howitzers, placed in a concealed position some 2000 meters to the south.  One 105mm Howitzer was positioned halfway between the battery and the infantry positions to the north.  The infantry vehicles were located just to the south of their position; the artillerymen had concealed their trucks just north of Osan.  The Americans were vulnerable to enemy flanking attacks, lacked the means to stop enemy tanks and were without reserves.

At dawn on 5 July, LTC Smith ordered his artillery, mortars and machine guns to conduct registration fire.  Steady rain precluded air support; further, because of earlier, disastrous cases of U.N. Aircraft hitting friendly ground forces, all air support that day was confined to north of Suwon.  Shortly after 0700 in the morning, movement was detected to the north.  Within a half, an hour, a column of eight North Korean T-34 tanks, part of the 107th Tank Regiment of the 105th Armored Division, approached the open plain from Suwon.  At 0800 in morning as part of the artillery unit, CPT Yoon received a request for a fire mission and at 0816 the first American ground fire of the Korean War opened against the tanks, about 2,000 yards in front of the infantry position.  The high explosive (HE) rounds had no effect on the tanks, which had their hatches closed.  The battery had six armor-piercing high-explosive antitank HEAT rounds available (one-third of the total on-hand when the 52nd was loading at Sasebo, Japan), all of which were given to the single howitzer forward.  Antitank mines would have stopped the enemy advance, but there were none in Korea.  LTC Smith ordered 75mm recoilless rifle fire withheld until the column of tanks reached the 700-yard range.  The recoilless rifle crews scored direct hits, again without apparent effect.  The tanks stopped and opened fire with their 85mm main guns and 7.62mm machine guns. 

As they approached the lone 105mm gun forward, the two lead tanks were hit and damaged by heat rounds.  One caught fire and two of its crewmembers came out of the turret with their hands up; a third came out with a burp gun and fired it against an American machine gun position beside the road, killing an assistant gunner, the first American ground fatality of the Korean War.  The third tank through the pass however, knocked out the forward 105mm howitzer with its cannon fire.  The other tanks swept on south past the artillery battery, which fired HE rounds against them, one tank was disabled and ultimately abandoned.

Based on the exemplary actions as part of Task Force Smith and the 52nd Artillery Battalion we request to dedication of the Dong Chang Ri Gate to MG (RET) Yoon, Seung-Kook.

 

BG ROBERT E. GALER, US MARINE CORPS

Brigadier General Robert Edward Galer, a combat aviator and holder of the Nation's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for heroism in aerial combat during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II, was promoted to his present rank on retirement, July 31, 1957. At the time of his retirement, he was serving in Washington, D.C., as Assistant Director, Guided Missiles Division, Bureau of Aeronautics, Department of the Navy.

In May 1942, he assumed command of Marine Fighting Squadron-224. It was while in command of this unit that he received the Nation's highest award, shortly after his promotion to the rank of major. He also received the British Distinguished Flying Cross for the same act of heroism.

 Following the presentation of the Medal of Honor by the President at the White House, Major Galer was ordered to Marine Forces, Air, West Coast, Miramar, California, where he served as Assistant Operations Officer. Shortly after advancement to the rank of lieutenant colonel in November 1943, he was ordered to return to the Hawaiian Islands, where he became Chief of Staff, Marine Air, Hawaiian Area.

Colonel Galer sailed in March 1952 for Korea, where he saw duty as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4 (Supply), of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing until the following May. He was then named Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 12 and for extraordinary achievement on July 11, was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Flying Cross. According to the citation accompanying this medal, he "led a maximum effort strike of Marine attack aircraft against a heavily defended industrial area in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang."

Colonel Galer was also awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for his service in Korea from May 24 to August 5, 1952, when he was shot down behind enemy lines by antiaircraft fire and later rescued by helicopter.

 

SGT CORNELIUS H. CHARLTON, US ARMY

SGT Cornelius H. Charlton (July 24, 1929-June 2, 1951) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. Sergeant Charlton posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions near Chipo-ri, South Korea on June 2, 1951.

 SGT Charlton, a member of Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. His platoon was attacking heavily defended hostile positions on commanding ground when the leader was wounded and evacuated. SGT Charlton assumed command, rallied the men, and spearheaded the assault against the hill personally eliminating 2 hostile positions and killing 6 of the enemy with his rifle fire and grenades. He continued up the slope until the unit suffered heavy casualties and became pinned down. Regrouping the men he led them forward only to be again hurled back by a shower of grenades. Despite a severe chest wound, SGT Charlton refused medical attention and led a third daring charge which carried to the crest of the ridge. ObseNing that the remaining emplacement which had retarded the advance was situated on the reverse slope, he charged it alone, was again hit by a grenade but raked the position with a devastating fire which eliminated it and routed the defenders. The wounds received during his daring exploits resulted in his death but his indomitable courage, superb leadership, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself the infantry, and the military.

 

LTC STANLEY T. ADAMS, US ARMY

LTC Stanley "Stan" Taylor Adams (May 9, 1922 - April 19, 1999) was a United States Army officer who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A native of Kansas, Adams fought in World War II as an enlisted soldier. He was sent to Korea as a sergeant soon after the outbreak of the war and was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading a bayonet charge against a numerically superior force in early 1951. Commissioned as an officer shortly after receiving the medal, Adams continued to serve into the Vietnam War, eventually retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

 After World War II, he served in Japan as part of the Allied occupation force. In July 1950, shortly after the onset of the Korean War, he was sent to South Korea as a sergeant first class with Company A of the 1st Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division. In late January 1951, the Eighth Army, of which Adams' unit was a part, launched a counteroffensive against Chinese forces. Company A established a position south of Seoul near Sesim-ni on February 3 and Adams' platoon set up an outpost on a ridge 200 yards (180 m) forward of the rest of the company. At about 11 p.m., enemy troops assaulted and pushed back the companies to either side of Company A, leaving the unit surrounded on three sides. Two hours later, in the early morning of February 4, Adams' forward platoon was attacked by about 250 Soldiers. After 45 minutes under intense machine gun and mortar fire, the platoon withdrew to the main company position.

 Seeing that the opposing force could only be routed by close quarters fighting, Adams led 13 men from his platoon in a bayonet charge against approximately 150 enemy soldiers. He continued to fight in hand-to-hand combat for nearly an hour, despite being shot in the leg and knocked off his feet four times by grenades, until the hostile force began to retreat. When orders came for his battalion to withdraw, he stayed behind to provide covering fire. Adams was subsequently promoted to master sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. The medal was formally presented to him by President Harry S. Truman in a July 5, 1951, ceremony at the White House.