On June 2, 1951, Sgt. Cornelius H. Charlton and the men of Company C, 24th IR, 25th ID were tasked with capturing hill 543 near the village of Chipo-ri, Korea.
The hill was protected by heavily entrenched Chinese infantry as well as mortars at the top of the hill. During their first attempt to advance, the company took heavy casualties, and the 3rd Platoon leader was mortally wounded. Charlton took command of the platoon and reorganized it for another attack.
Despite the heavy fire that eventually forced the company back, Charlton single-handedly rushed the hill and destroyed 2 Chinese positions and killed 6 Chinese soldiers with rifle fire and grenades. During one advance, he was wounded in the chest, but refused medical treatment and pushed the company forward.
Holding his chest wound with one hand and his M1 carbine with the other, Charlton continued to lead the attack from the front, clearing out the remaining enemy forces and made his was towards one last bunker.
As he prepared to rush the position, his last words to his men were "Let's Go!" In this final action, Charlton attacked the bunker, and despite being hit by a grenade, he continued firing until the position was destroyed before succumbing to his wounds.
For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. In the following years, Charlton was honored numerous times, but was controversially not given a spot in Arlington National Cemetery, which his family claimed was due to racial discrimination. The controversy attracted national attention before Charlton was finally reburied in Arlington in 2008. #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #badass #korea