Medal of Honor: Lee R. Hartell, Korean War, August 27, 1951

Name: Lee R. Hartell
War: Korean War
Date of Action: August 27, 1951

Summary of Action

In the predawn darkness of August 27, 1951, near Kobangsan-ni, Korea, First Lieutenant Lee R. Hartell, serving as a forward artillery observer with the 2nd Infantry Division, faced overwhelming enemy assault. A sudden banzai charge surged up the slope toward Company B’s perimeter, threatening to shatter the line.

Hartell moved his radio to an exposed ridgeline, fully visible to the advancing enemy, and began directing defensive artillery. Even after sustaining a grievous hand wound, he clutched his microphone in his other hand, summoning flare illumination and calling down precision fire that tore into the attacking force at point-blank range.

As hostile troops swarmed within ten yards of his position and an outpost fell, Hartell refused to abandon his post. Mortally wounded, he transmitted one final, desperate call: both batteries were to fire continuously on his position to halt the enemy. His actions broke the momentum of the assault, bought precious time, and allowed his company to hold the strongpoint against overwhelming odds. Hartell’s sacrifice embodied courage in its purest form—choosing certain death so that others might live and fight on.

Medal of Honor Citation

1st. Lt. Hartell, a member of Battery A, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. During the darkness of early morning, the enemy launched a ruthless attack against friendly positions on a rugged mountainous ridge. 1st Lt. Hartell, attached to Company B, 9th Infantry Regiment, as forward observer, quickly moved his radio to an exposed vantage on the ridge line to adjust defensive fires. Realizing the tactical advantage of illuminating the area of approach, he called for flares and then directed crippling fire into the onrushing assailants. At this juncture a large force of hostile troops swarmed up the slope in banzai charge and came within 10 yards of 1st Lt. Hartell’s position. 1st Lt. Hartell sustained a severe hand wound in the ensuing encounter but grasped the microphone with his other hand and maintained his magnificent stand until the front and left flank of the company were protected by a close-in wall of withering fire, causing the fanatical foe to disperse and fall back momentarily. After the numerically superior enemy overran an outpost and was closing on his position, 1st Lt. Hartell, in a final radio call, urged the friendly elements to fire both batteries continuously. Although mortally wounded, 1st Lt. Hartell’s intrepid actions contributed significantly to stemming the onslaught and enabled his company to maintain the strategic strongpoint. His consummate valor and unwavering devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.