Charles Richard Long

When Sergeant Charles Richard Long was ordered to withdraw from Hill 300 in Korea, he made a different choice. He stayed behind. Surrounded by an overwhelming enemy force, the 27-year-old forward observer continued directing mortar fire so that the soldiers of Company M could escape. It was a decision that cost Long his life, saved others, and earned him the Medal of Honor.

Charles Richard Long was born on 10 December 1923 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Fritz and Lois Long. He grew up nearby in Independence with his older brother Robert and younger sister Edith. Although he went by his middle name, members of his immediate family called him “Buddy.” Money was limited in the Long household, and from an early age he helped support the family. He delivered newspapers for the Kansas City Star, sold soda at a bus station, and later worked for the Fairmount Inter-City News. After graduating from Northeast High School in 1941, Long continued working until he was drafted into the United States Army in 1943.

Long's first war took him to Europe. During the winter of 1944 and 1945, he served with the 745th Tank Battalion, which fought in support of the 1st Infantry Division, and experienced some of the hardest combat of the final months of the Second World War. His service included the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes. The Department of Defense also records that Long received the Bronze Star Medal for valor for helping the division cross the Rhine River in Germany. That distinction is important to his story because Korea was not the first time Long had demonstrated courage under fire.

With the war over, Long was discharged from active duty and returned home. He wanted to return to active service as an escort for fallen American servicemen whose remains were being brought back to the United States, but he was prevented from doing so because of high blood pressure. Rather than sever his connection with the Army, he remained in the Army Reserve. He married Evelyn Tipton and helped raise her two daughters, Patricia and Sondra. Back in Independence, he again worked for the Inter-City News and devoted some of his free time to church groups, the Boy Scouts and the YMCA.

Peace did not last. About three months after the Korean War began in 1950, Long was recalled to active duty and sent to Korea. He joined Company M, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, serving as a Sergeant and forward observer for the company's mortar platoon. By February 1951, the 2nd Infantry Division was fighting around Hoeng-song as Chinese forces launched a powerful offensive against United Nations positions.

Then came the night that defined his legacy.

In the early hours of 12 February 1951, Company M occupied a defensive perimeter on Hill 300 near Hoengsong, Korea. At approximately 3:00 a.m., a numerically superior enemy force attacked the position. The pressure became so great that Company M was ordered to withdraw. Long, positioned forward of the main body as a mortar observer, understood what that withdrawal required. Somebody had to remain behind long enough to keep the enemy from overrunning the retreating soldiers.

Long volunteered to be that man.

Remaining at his exposed position, he maintained radio contact with the mortar platoon and calmly adjusted its fire onto the advancing enemy. At the same time, he defended himself with his carbine and hand grenades as hostile troops closed around him. He could have attempted to follow the withdrawing company. Instead, Long continued directing supporting fire while the distance between himself and his comrades grew and the enemy tightened around his position.

His official Medal of Honor citation recorded that Long displayed “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty.” Even after he became surrounded, he continued fighting and directing mortar fire until he was mortally wounded. His stand checked the enemy assault, inflicted heavy casualties, and gave Company M the time it needed to withdraw, reorganize and counterattack. The company ultimately regained the Hill 300 strongpoint. The citation concluded that Long's “unflinching courage and noble self-sacrifice” upheld the highest traditions of military service.

Sergeant Charles Richard Long was killed in action that morning. He was 27 years old.

For his actions on Hill 300, Long was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. On 16 January 1952, Secretary of Defense Robert Lovett presented the medal to Long's widow during a ceremony at the Pentagon. The award was formally published by the Department of the Army in General Orders No. 18, dated 1 February 1952, identifying Long by service number ER37504082 and recounting his final action near Hoengsong.

Long's military record ultimately connected two generations of American combat service. His reconstructed honours reflect his service in both the Second World War and the Korean War, including the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal for Korea, and Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal. His Korean Service Medal reflects participation in four recognized Korean War campaigns, represented by four bronze service stars. His service with the 38th Infantry Regiment also brought entitlement to the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, worn separately as a unit award. The Institute of Heraldry confirms that one bronze service star on the Korean Service Medal represents participation in each designated campaign, while Army lineage records document the 38th Infantry Regiment's Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.

Some of these honours are retrospective and therefore should not be interpreted as a literal reconstruction of what Long physically wore before his death in February 1951. The Republic of Korea Korean War Service Medal, for example, was not approved for acceptance and wear by American Korean War veterans until 1999. It nevertheless forms part of his later authorized historical entitlement.

Long was laid to rest at Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence, Missouri. His Medal of Honor is preserved at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence. His name also remained connected to the Army far beyond his lifetime. Camp Long at Wonju, South Korea, carried his name until the installation closed in 2010, and Long Road at Camp Humphreys continues to commemorate him. An Army Reserve center and a memorial bridge in Independence have also borne his name.

Charles Richard Long survived the Battle of the Bulge and returned home from one war, only to be called back into uniform for another. On Hill 300, with his company withdrawing and an enemy force closing around him, he chose to remain at his radio and keep the mortars firing. His Medal of Honor was not awarded simply because he died at his post. It recognized what he accomplished by staying there: he bought time for other soldiers to escape, reorganize and fight back. More than seven decades later, that decision remains the defining measure of Sergeant Charles Richard Long's courage.