Jerry K. Crump

Defending wounded comrades on Hill 284

Jerry Kirt Crump was born on February 18, 1933, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He served as a corporal in Company L, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, during the Korean War.

On September 6, 1951, near Chorwon, a larger enemy force overran positions on Hill 284. Crump repeatedly exposed himself to fire on the attackers. He recovered an American machine gun from two enemy soldiers and returned to an emplacement occupied by four wounded comrades. When a grenade was thrown into their position, he covered it with his body, protecting the injured men. He survived. His conduct helped inspire the counterattack that cleared the perimeter.

President Harry S. Truman presented his Medal of Honor in the White House Rose Garden on June 27, 1952. He remained in the Army and attained the rank of master sergeant. In 1958 he served as a pallbearer for the Korean War Unknown Soldier. Crump died in Lincolnton, North Carolina, on January 10, 1977, and was buried at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Cornelius. His award records his determination to defend fellow soldiers through a night of close combat.

Official Medal of Honor citation: Cpl. Crump, a member of Company L, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. During the night a numerically superior hostile force launched an assault against his platoon on Hill 284, overrunning friendly positions and swarming into the sector. Cpl. Crump repeatedly exposed himself to deliver effective fire into the ranks of the assailants, inflicting numerous casualties. Observing two enemy soldiers endeavoring to capture a friendly machine gun, he charged and killed both with his bayonet, regaining control of the weapon. Returning to his position, now occupied by four of his wounded comrades, he continued his accurate fire into enemy troops surrounding his emplacement. When a hostile soldier hurled a grenade into the position, Cpl. Crump immediately flung himself over the missile, absorbing the blast with his body and saving his comrades from death or serious injury. His aggressive actions had so inspired his comrades that a spirited counterattack drove the enemy from the perimeter. Cpl. Crump's heroic devotion to duty, imdomitable fighting spirit, and willingness to sacrifice himself to save his comrades reflect the highest credit upon himself, the infantry and the U.S. Army.