Medal of Honor: Noah O. Knight – Korean War – November 23–24, 1951

Name: Noah O. Knight

Rank: Private First Class

Branch: United States Army

War: Korean War

Unit: Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division

Dates of Action: November 23–24, 1951

Location: Near Kowang-San, Korea

Summary of Action

By November 1951, the Korean War had changed dramatically from the sweeping advances and retreats that had characterized its first year. The battle lines had hardened across the Korean peninsula, and soldiers increasingly fought for hills, ridgelines, bunkers, and defensive positions where even small pieces of terrain could become the scene of extraordinarily violent combat.

Near Kowang-San on November 23 and 24, Company F of the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, came under a determined enemy assault.

Private First Class Noah O. Knight occupied a key position in the company's defensive perimeter when waves of enemy troops began advancing through their own artillery and mortar fire.

Knight remained in his bunker as the attack closed around him.

Then two direct hits smashed into his position.

The bunker was demolished and Knight was wounded, but instead of moving toward the rear, he crawled into a shallow depression and attempted to continue firing.

The position offered some protection, but it prevented him from effectively engaging the advancing enemy.

Knight made a decision.

He left the depression.

Moving through heavy fire and in full view of the attacking troops, Knight deliberately exposed himself so that he could obtain a clear field of fire. From the open position, he fired directly into the advancing enemy ranks, inflicting numerous casualties and temporarily stopping their assault.

The fighting continued.

During another powerful attack, Knight spotted an enemy squad that had succeeded in infiltrating the American position.

Rather than waiting for them to attack from inside the perimeter, Knight counterattacked.

He engaged the infiltrators and killed or wounded the entire group.

By then, however, he had fired his last ammunition.

Almost immediately, Knight saw three more enemy soldiers entering the American position. They were carrying demolition charges.

If they succeeded in placing their explosives, the breach in the defensive line could be widened and exploited by the attacking force.

Knight had an empty rifle.

He attacked anyway.

Charging directly at the three enemy soldiers, Knight swung his rifle as a club and struck down two of them with the butt of the weapon.

The third enemy soldier detonated his demolition charge.

The explosion killed all three attackers and mortally wounded Knight.

Private First Class Noah O. Knight had continued fighting after his bunker was destroyed and after he had been wounded. He had deliberately moved into enemy fire when remaining under cover prevented him from effectively defending his position. He had destroyed an enemy squad that penetrated the perimeter and, after exhausting his ammunition, attacked another group armed with explosives using his rifle as a club.

His final charge prevented those demolition charges from being used against his fellow soldiers.

For his extraordinary courage and sacrifice near Kowang-San, Private First Class Noah O. Knight was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation

NOAH O. KNIGHT

Rank and organization: Private First Class, United States Army, Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.

Place and date: Near Kowang-San, Korea, November 23 and November 24, 1951.

Entered service at: Jefferson, South Carolina.

Born: October 27, 1929, McBee, South Carolina.

General Orders No. 2, January 7, 1953.

Citation:

Private First Class Knight, a member of Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and indomitable courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy.

He occupied a key position in the defense perimeter when waves of enemy troops passed through their own artillery and mortar concentrations and charged the company position. Two direct hits from an enemy emplacement demolished his bunker and wounded him.

Disregarding personal safety, he moved to a shallow depression for a better firing vantage. Unable to deliver effective fire from his defilade position, he left his shelter, moved through heavy fire in full view of the enemy and, firing into the ranks of the relentless assailants, inflicted numerous casualties, momentarily stemming the attack.

Later during another vicious onslaught, he observed an enemy squad infiltrating the position and, counterattacking, killed or wounded the entire group.

Expending the last of his ammunition, he discovered three enemy soldiers entering the friendly position with demolition charges. Realizing the explosives would enable the enemy to exploit the breach, he fearlessly rushed forward and disabled two assailants with the butt of his rifle when the third exploded a demolition charge, killing the three enemy soldiers and mortally wounding Private First Class Knight.

Private First Class Knight's supreme sacrifice and consummate devotion to duty reflect lasting glory on himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.