16-028 Garand Picture of the Day - November 3, 1950.
A 2/7 Corpsman at an aid station, November 3, 1950.
During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir Captain William Barber earned the Medal of Honor for his actions as commander of Fox 2/7. F/2/7 held a position known as "Fox Hill" against vastly superior numbers of Chinese infantry, holding the Toktong Pass open and keeping the 5th Marine Regiment and the 7th Marine Regiment from getting cut off at Yudam-ni. His company's actions to keep the pass open, allowed these two regiments to withdrawal from Yudam-ni and consolidate with the rest of the 1st Marine Division at Hagaru-ri. The mission to relieve F/2/7 on top of Fox Hill also led to LtCol Raymond Davis, then commanding officer of 1st Battalion 7th Marines, receiving the Medal of Honor. In addition to Chosin, the Battalion participated in the Inchon Landing, the recapture of Seoul and operations along both the Eastern and Western Fronts.
Great Story - Last stand of fox Company
LtCol Raymond Davis
In Korea, Lt. Col. Davis commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, from August to December 1950. During this time one of his men described him as, "...from Georgia and soft spoken. No gruff, no bluff. Never talked down to you and made you feel comfortable in his presence."[2]"
During the 1st Marine Division's fight to break out of the Chosin Reservoir area in North Korea during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir on December 1, 1950, Lt. Col. Davis led his battalion in and through fierce firefights with the Chinese army from Yudam-ni to Hagru-ri. Lt. Col. Davis led in front of his men all the way... marching his battalion at night over mountains in a driving snowstorm, he rescued and saved Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment from annihilation at the Toktong Pass. This action also opened the blocked mountain pass to Hagaru-ri allowing two trapped Marine regiments to escape and link up with the rest of the 1st division at Hagaru-ri.[3] He was recommended for the Medal of Honor. The medal was presented to Lt. Col. Davis by President Harry S. Truman in a White House ceremony on November 24, 1952.
Lt. Col. Davis was also awarded two Silver Star Medals for gallantry in action, exposing himself to heavy enemy fire while leading and encouraging his men in the face of strong enemy opposition. He received the Legion of Merit with Combat "V" for exceptionally meritorious conduct and professional skill in welding the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines into a highly effective combat team. Later, as Executive Officer of the 7th Marines, from December 1950 to June 1951, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for his part in rebuilding the 7th regiment in Korea after the Chosin Reservoir campaign. He returned to the United States in June 1951 and was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.
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Last edited by Mark in Rochester; 01-27-2016 at 01:01 PM.
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose
There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.
He was the one who relieved Fox... he said that as he approached the position, the ground was covered with Chinese dead. At first he tried to avoid stepping on the bodies, but as he got closer that became impossible and he walked the last 50 yards without ever touching the ground.
Another MOH was Hector Cafferata who killed at least 200 attackers with his M1 on the first night of the Fox Hill battle before being severely wounded and knocked out of the fight the next morning. We detailed his story in the GCA Journal and featured him on our video. Fox Hill and the Chosin campaign was one of the greatest feats of arms in American history.
Here's Hector having coffee Attachment 69170on my patio a few years ago. He was 19 when he was awarded the medal.
Here's a painting of Hector saving the Marine position on Fox Hill. He said the painting was inaccurate because he didn't have his boots on, he left them in the OP and fought in stocking feet (at 25 below zero). He also said he did not stand on top of the berm, he only popped up waist high to shoot. At lower left is his buddy Kenny Bensen, also from NJ, who was blinded by a grenade but continued to reload the M1s from two dead Marines and pass them up to Hector.
Over coffee I asked him if he was scared or ever had nightmares about the battle, he said he never did. At first he was too busy keeping up, then when it thinned out he "hunted them like deer... it was kind of fun." Attachment 69171Attachment 69172
The MOH citation said he killed "more than 15" of the enemy. The officer who put him in for it is quoted as saying he was personally convinced it was more than 100 but he was afraid it would not be believed so cut it to 35. The committee cut it further. But Marines from the other side of the perimeter came over the next day and tried to count the bodies in front of Hector's position... they lost count after 200 (they said at a reunion). Hector himself said, "If it was one it was more than 200." He said the range was close, 20 to 80 yards, he couldn't miss (he was an avid hunter and a crack shot before enlisting).
He never went to Boot Camp because his reserve unit in Dover, NJ was activated before he could go. What he remembers most about the MOH ceremony was that President Truman was short and stood on his boots to put the ribbon over his head, ruining his shine
in June 1951 and was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C.
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