Carl Leonard Sitter

He held a frozen ridge through thirty-six hours of fighting.

Carl Leonard Sitter was born in Syracuse, Missouri, on 2 December 1922 and grew up in Pueblo, Colorado. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1940. After service in Iceland, he went to the Pacific and received a field commission in 1942. Sitter fought at Eniwetok and Guam during the Second World War, was wounded, and earned the Silver Star on Guam for staying with his platoon and leading its attack after he was wounded.

In August 1950, Sitter joined the 1st Marine Division in Korea. He took part in the Inchon landing and later commanded Company G, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines. On 29 November, near Hagaru-ri during the Chosin Reservoir campaign, he led his company through enemy-held ground to reinforce its battalion. Despite losing a quarter of his men, the company reached its objective. The next morning, Sitter reorganized his depleted force and led an assault up a steep, snow-covered ridge held by a much larger enemy force. The height overlooked the valley and the route used by United Nations forces withdrawing south.

During the night, Chinese troops launched repeated counterattacks with mortars, machine guns, and automatic weapons. Sitter moved among the foxholes and gun positions, joined arriving service personnel into a coordinated defense, and directed his Marines through close fighting, including attacks that reached the command post. Hand grenades wounded him in the face, arms, and chest. He refused evacuation and continued leading until the ridge was secure. After roughly 36 hours of combat, the U.S. citation credited his defense with more than half of the attacking enemy force killed, wounded, or captured.

President Harry S. Truman presented Sitter the Medal of Honor at the White House on 29 October 1951. He remained in the Marine Corps, serving in Korea and later in command and staff assignments in the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He retired as a colonel on 30 June 1970. Sitter died in Richmond, Virginia, on 4 April 2000 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Citation: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of Company G, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Ordered to break through enemy-infested territory to reinforce his battalion the morning of 29 November, Capt. Sitter continuously exposed himself to enemy fire as he led his company forward and, despite 25 percent casualties suffered in the furious action, succeeded in driving through to his objective. Assuming the responsibility of attempting to seize and occupy a strategic area occupied by a hostile force of regiment strength deeply entrenched on a snow-covered hill commanding the entire valley southeast of the town, as well as the line of march of friendly troops withdrawing to the south, he reorganized his depleted units the following morning and boldly led them up the steep, frozen hillside under blistering fire, encouraging and redeploying his troops as casualties occurred and directing forward platoons as they continued the drive to the top of the ridge. During the night when a vastly outnumbering enemy launched a sudden, vicious counterattack, setting the hill ablaze with mortar, machine-gun, and automatic-weapons fire and taking a heavy toll in troops, Capt. Sitter visited each foxhole and gun position, coolly deploying and integrating reinforcing units consisting of service personnel unfamiliar with infantry tactics into a coordinated combat team and instilling in every man the will and determination to hold his position at all costs. With the enemy penetrating his lines in repeated counterattacks which often required hand-to-hand combat, and, on one occasion infiltrating to the command post with hand grenades, he fought gallantly with his men in repulsing and killing the fanatic attackers in each encounter. Painfully wounded in the face, arms, and chest by bursting grenades, he staunchly refused to be evacuated and continued to fight on until a successful defense of the area was assured with a loss to the enemy of more than 50 percent dead, wounded, and captured. His valiant leadership, superb tactics, and great personal valor throughout 36 hours of bitter combat reflect the highest credit upon Capt. Sitter and the U.S. Naval Service.”