Page 11 - Aerotech News and Review – March 2024

Medal of Honor recipient: Army Sgt. Charles R. Long
By Katie Lange
DOD News
When Army Sgt. Charles Richard Long offered to stay behind and cover his fellow soldiers’ backs as they es- caped a massive enemy onslaught in Korea, he likely knew it would be his last stand. He stayed put anyway, serv- ing with dignity until he couldn’t any- more. That sacrifice and valor earned him the Medal of Honor.
Long was born Dec. 10, 1923, in Kansas City, Mo., to parents Fritz and Lois Long. He, his older brother, Rob- ert, and his younger sister, E dith, all grew up nearby in Independence. Long went by his middle name, but immedi-
ate family called him Buddy.
Growing up, Long did what he could
to help his family make ends meet. He worked as a paperboy for the Kansas City Star newspaper and sold soda at a bus station. After graduating from Northeast High School in 19􏰀1, he went to work for the F airmount I nter- City N ews before being drafted into the Army in 19􏰀3.
Long served in 􏰁urope during the winter of 19􏰀􏰀􏰂19􏰀5, including during the bloody Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. He was an infantryman with the 7􏰀5th Tank Battalion, 1 st Infantry Division, and received a Bronze Star for valor for helping the division cross the Rhine River in Germany.
After World War II, Long was dis- charged. He wanted to rejoin on ac- tive duty as an escort for fallen service members, but he was told he couldn’t because he had high blood pressure. Instead, he remained in the Army as a reservist.
At some point, he married his girl- friend, E velyn Tipton, and helped her raise her two daughters, Patricia and Sondra. Long returned to work at the I nter-City N ews and was also involved in church groups, the Boy Scouts and the YMCA in his free time.
About three months after war broke out in 􏰃orea in 1950, Long was called back to active duty and sent to the em-
National Archives
U.S. Army soldiers of the 48 th I nfantry Armored Battalion in St. V ith, Belgium, move through snow-covered ruined buildings during the Battle of the Bulge, Jan. 24, 1945.
27􏰂year􏰂old knowingly gave his life to allow as many of his fellow soldiers to get clear of the chaos as possible.
The lopsided battle at Hoeng-Song was one of the largest concentrations of American deaths during the Korean War. However, Long’s actions halted the onslaught and enabled his company to withdraw, reorganize and counterat- tack, eventually regaining Hill 003.
For his sacrifice, Long’s widow ac- cepted the Medal of Honor on his be- half from Defense Secretary Robert Lovett during a Pentagon ceremony on Jan. 1􏰅, 1952. Nine other soldiers also received posthumous honors that day.
Long is buried in Mount Washington Cemetery in his hometown, Indepen- dence, which also happens to be the home of President Harry S. Truman and the Truman Presidential Library, which is where Long’s medal is on display in a permanent exhibit.
The young Missourian’s sacrifice has not been forgotten. The state’s Army Reserve center and a bridge in Independence are named in his honor, as is a display at the Truman Memo- rial Building, not far from the Truman Library.
Camp Long in Won􏰆u, South 􏰃orea, honored him before it closed in 2 0 1 0 . Long Road on Camp Humphreys in South Korea also bears his name.
Army Photo Army Sgt. Charles Richard Long,
battled peninsula to serve with Com- pany M of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd I nfantry Division.
􏰄y Feb. 12, 1951, his unit was in the area of Hoeng-Song when six enemy divisions launched an unexpected of- fensive, overwhelming South Korean forces and U.S. support troops. Compa- ny M had set up a defensive perimeter on Hill 3 0 0 when the attack came at about 3 a.m. E nemy forces greatly out- numbered them, so they were ordered to withdraw.
Long, who was a forward observer
for the mortar platoon, volunteered to stay behind to cover his fleeing com- rades. While maintaining radio contact with his platoon, he calmly directed mortar fire on the enemy while using his carbine and grenades to push the attackers back.
􏰁ventually, Long was wounded and surrounded. According to a Department of Veterans Affairs account, when Long ran out of ammo, he made one final call to his platoon, asking them to fire 􏰀0 pounds of explosives on the enemy, including on his own position. The
Medal of H
onor recipient
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