MOH

Medal of Honor: Mack A. Jordan – Korean War – November 15, 1951

On a black Korean mountainside, one platoon began to fall back — but one man refused. Private First Class Mack A. Jordan stayed behind, fighting alone in the dark to save his brothers, even after both his legs were blown away.

November 15, 2025

Name: Mack Alford Jordan
Rank: Private First Class
Organization: U.S. Army
Unit: Company K, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division
Place and Date: Near Kumsong, Korea – 15 November 1951
Entered Service At: Collins, Mississippi
Born: December 8, 1928 – Collins, Mississippi
Departed: Killed in Action, November 15, 1951
Accredited to: Mississippi

Summary of Action

During a bitter night assault near Kumsong, Korea, Pfc. Mack A. Jordan and the men of Company K were fighting their way up a key ridgeline defended by a determined enemy force. The advance was suddenly shattered by concentrated machine-gun, automatic-weapons, and grenade fire that swept the slope, forcing the platoon to withdraw and regroup.

Jordan refused to fall back. Choosing to remain alone on the hillside to cover his platoon’s movement, he crawled forward under the darkness and intense fire toward a hostile machine-gun nest. With three perfectly placed grenades, he destroyed the gun and surged forward, killing several enemy soldiers and scattering the rest.

When another enemy gun opened up, Jordan moved to take it out as well. Before he could close the distance, the North Koreans rolled explosives down the hillside. The blast blew off both of his legs — but even then Jordan refused to give up. Propped on the ground, bleeding and alone, he kept firing, holding the enemy at bay until his platoon could return and the line was secured.

Pfc. Mack A. Jordan died where he fought, giving everything he had to protect the men beside him.

Medal of Honor Citation

JORDAN, MACK A.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company K, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Kumsong, Korea, 15 November 1951.
Entered service at: Collins, Miss.
Born: 8 December 1928, Collins, Miss.
G.O. No.: 3, 8 January 1953

Citation:
Pfc. Jordan, a member of Company K, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. As a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, he was participating in a night attack on key terrain against a fanatical hostile force when the advance was halted by intense small-arms and automatic-weapons fire and a vicious barrage of handgrenades. Upon orders for the platoon to withdraw and reorganize, Pfc. Jordan voluntarily remained behind to provide covering fire. Crawling toward an enemy machine gun emplacement, he threw 3 grenades and neutralized the gun. He then rushed the position, delivering a devastating hail of fire, killing several of the enemy and forcing the remainder to fall back to new positions. He courageously attempted to move forward to silence another machine gun but, before he could leave his position, the ruthless foe hurled explosives down the hill and, in the ensuing blast, both legs were severed. Despite mortal wounds, he continued to deliver deadly fire and held off the assailants until the platoon returned. Pfc. Jordan’s unflinching courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the infantry and the military service.