Cornelius H. Charlton

He led three assaults on Hill 543 despite a deep chest wound

Cornelius H. Charlton earned the Medal of Honor for his leadership near Chipo-ri, Korea, on 2 June 1951. A U.S. Army sergeant serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, he assumed command after his platoon leader was wounded and evacuated.

Born on 24 July 1929 in East Gulf, West Virginia, Charlton later lived in the Bronx, New York, where his award was accredited. He joined the Army in 1946, served with the occupation force in Germany, and was subsequently assigned to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He went to Okinawa in 1950 before volunteering for combat duty in Korea. In the segregated 24th Infantry Regiment, he proved an effective squad leader and became sergeant of Company C’s 3rd Platoon.

During the attack on Hill 543, Charlton rallied the platoon and personally eliminated two enemy positions. Despite a severe chest wound, he refused medical attention and led a third assault to the ridge crest. He then charged the remaining emplacement alone and silenced it. His wounds proved fatal that day.

Secretary of the Army Frank C. Pace presented his posthumous Medal of Honor to his parents at the Pentagon on 12 March 1952. Charlton was reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on 12 November 2008. His Medal of Honor is held by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Medal of Honor citation

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 two hostile positions and killing six 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. Observing 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 service.