Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.

Warning his company, he kept firing despite grievous wounds.

Mitchell Red Cloud Jr., a member of the Ho-Chunk nation, was born in Wisconsin on 2 July 1925. He enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Second World War and fought in the Pacific, including Guadalcanal and Okinawa. He left the Marines as a sergeant in 1946. After civilian life proved unsatisfying, he enlisted in the Army in 1948, serving in Japan before the Korean War.

When the 24th Infantry Division deployed to Korea in 1950, Red Cloud served with Company E, 19th Infantry Regiment. On the night of 5 November, his company occupied Hill 123 near Chonghyon. He was at an exposed listening post ahead of its main position, armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle, when Chinese troops approached through the brush.

Red Cloud gave the alarm and opened rapid, accurate fire at close range. His stand disrupted the attack and gave the company time to organise a defence. Seriously wounded, he refused assistance that would have taken him away from his position. He pulled himself upright, supported himself against a tree and continued firing until he was killed. His resistance helped prevent the company's position from being overrun and allowed wounded men to be evacuated.

The Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously. General Omar Bradley presented it to Red Cloud's mother, Lillian, at the Pentagon in April 1951. Initially buried in Korea, his remains returned to Wisconsin in 1955 and were reinterred at the Decorah Cemetery at Winnebago Mission. His name was subsequently given to an Army installation in Korea and to the naval cargo ship USNS Red Cloud, christened by his daughter Annita. The Ho-Chunk community continues to commemorate his service.