Stanley Reuben Christianson

Eleven days separated Private First Class Stanley Reuben Christianson's Bronze Star Medal from the action that cost him his life and earned him the Medal of Honor. A veteran of some of the hardest fighting of World War II in the Pacific, Christianson survived Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa, reenlisted after the war, and returned to combat with the United States Marine Corps in Korea. On 29 September 1950, at Hill 132 near Seoul, the 25-year-old Marine chose to remain at an exposed listening post while an enemy attack closed around him. His decision gave his platoon the time it needed to prepare its defense, but it left Christianson almost no chance of survival.

Stanley Reuben Christianson was born on 24 January 1925 in Mindoro, Wisconsin. He attended school in La Crosse County and worked on a farm before enlisting in the Marine Corps Reserve on 2 October 1942 at only 17 years of age. After completing recruit training at San Diego, California, he received advanced training with the 2d Marine Division and went overseas with the division during World War II.

His first war carried him across the Pacific. Christianson fought at Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa, placing him in four of the Marine Corps' major Pacific operations. After the fighting ended, he served with the American occupation forces in Japan. His wartime record also earned him a Letter of Commendation for meritorious service in the Pacific, an award specifically recorded in his official Marine Corps biography.

Christianson was discharged from the Marine Corps in December 1945, but civilian life did not keep him away for long. Approximately three months later, he reenlisted in the Regular Marine Corps. His postwar assignments took him to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida; Parris Island, South Carolina, where he served as a drill instructor; the Naval Ammunition Depot at Hastings, Nebraska; the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York; and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. By the time war erupted in Korea in June 1950, Christianson was an experienced Marine whose service stretched back to the middle of World War II.

In August 1950, Christianson deployed to Korea with the 1st Marine Division. He served as a Private First Class with Company E, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), the unit identified in his Medal of Honor citation. He participated in the Inchon landing and then fought in the drive toward Seoul as United Nations forces sought to recapture the South Korean capital. His rank and unit are independently recorded by both the Marine Corps and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Only days after the Inchon landing, Christianson demonstrated the courage that would soon define his final weeks. On 18 September 1950, while serving as an automatic rifleman during an assault, he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to locate hostile positions. The surviving official Marine Corps account quotes his Bronze Star citation as stating that he "fearlessly and courageously exposed himself to find the exact location of the enemy." For this action he received the Bronze Star Medal for valor. It came only eleven days before his death.

The Bronze Star might have been the defining decoration of another Marine's career. For Stanley Christianson, it became the prelude to an even greater act of sacrifice.

In the early morning hours of 29 September 1950, Christianson was manning one of several listening posts protecting the approaches to his platoon's position on Hill 132 near Seoul. North Korean forces suddenly launched a determined attack. Christianson immediately sent another Marine back to warn the platoon, but he did not follow him. According to the Medal of Honor citation, Christianson remained at his post "with full knowledge that he would have slight chance of escape."

Enemy troops advanced against the position with rifles, automatic weapons, and incendiary grenades. Christianson continued firing. He killed seven enemy soldiers in the immediate vicinity of his listening post before the position was overwhelmed and he was fatally struck. His stand was not an isolated act of defiance. It bought time. While Christianson held the enemy at the outer position, the rest of his platoon was able to man its defenses and reinforce the threatened flank.

The result recorded in his Medal of Honor citation was devastating for the attacking force. The Marines repelled the assault with 41 enemy troops killed, many more wounded, and three taken prisoner. Christianson's position had been overrun, but the platoon he had stayed behind to protect survived the attack. His Medal of Honor citation credited his courage, fighting spirit, and devotion to duty with giving his fellow Marines the time required to build a stronger defense.

For his actions on Hill 132, Private First Class Stanley Reuben Christianson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest United States military decoration for valor. The official citation recognized his conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty and concluded by recording that he had gallantly given his life for his country. Christianson was only 25 years old.

The Medal of Honor was presented to Christianson's parents at the Pentagon on 30 August 1951 by Secretary of the Navy Dan A. Kimball. The Marine Corps History Division describes the Medal of Honor as Christianson's second decoration in just sixteen days of fighting in Korea, following the Bronze Star Medal he had earned eleven days before his death.

Christianson's military record extended far beyond those final weeks. His officially documented service honors reflect combat in two wars, four major Pacific battlefields, occupation duty in Japan, and the Korean War. The Marine Corps History Division records his Purple Heart, Navy Presidential Unit Citation with two bronze stars, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia and Europe clasps, and Korean Service Medal with three bronze stars, in addition to his Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal, and wartime Letter of Commendation. His complete historically verified entitlement also reflects his Korean War service and later authorized recognition, as represented in the ribbon rack accompanying this biography.

Today, Stanley Reuben Christianson rests at Wet Coulee Cemetery in Mindoro, Wisconsin, the community where his life began. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society continues to record him as a Private First Class of the United States Marine Corps, a Korean War Medal of Honor recipient, and a Marine who gave his life at Hill 132 on 29 September 1950.

Christianson's story is powerful because Hill 132 was not his first encounter with combat. He had already fought his way through Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa, served in occupied Japan, returned voluntarily to the Marine Corps, and earned the Bronze Star in Korea. Yet when the decisive moment came near Seoul, his experience did not lead him away from danger. It told him what would happen if no one stayed behind. Christianson sent another Marine to warn the platoon, remained alone at the listening post, and fought until the position was overrun.

His final stand lasted only a small part of one morning, but the time he gained helped save his platoon. That sacrifice made Private First Class Stanley Reuben Christianson one of the United States Marine Corps' Medal of Honor recipients of the Korean War, and ensured that the young Marine from Mindoro, Wisconsin, would be remembered not simply for where he fought, but for the men he chose to protect.