With only 3 months in country and as a fresh West Point graduate, the 24 year old 1st Lt. Samuel S. Coursen would assume his first combat command as an infantry officer at the outbreak of the Korean War.
On Oct 12, 1950, the young Lt. was leading his men from the 1st Cav Div. as part of a massive offensive operation to break out of the Pusan Perimeter.
At the outskirts of Hill 174, Coursen, observed that one of the men of his platoon had entered a well-hidden gun emplacement, thought to be unoccupied, and had been shot.
Coursen ran to his aid without regard for his personal safety and entered the bunker; only to realize that he was outnumbered. Regardless, he engaged the enemy in vicious hand-to-hand combat in an effort to protect the wounded soldier until he was killed.
When the rest of his platoon arrived, they found Coursen's body surrounded by 7 dead communists.
His actions saved the life of his wounded soldier and cleared out an entire enemy emplacement.
Coursen's 14 month old son would be presented with the Medal of Honor a year later.
Coursen's West Point class of 1949 was greatly affected by the Korean War. Many of them were newly commissioned lieutenants serving as platoon commanders. Thirty of them would die in combat during the war. #hero #stayzero #zerofoxtrot