LTC Don Faith Jr. (1-32IN, 7th ID) Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, 27NOV-01DEC1950

27NOV-01DEC1950: Serving as the battalion commander for 1-32 Infantry, LTC Don Faith and his mean were spearheading the advanced through North Korea when Chinese troops entered the fight. As they prepared for further advanced, they were hit by a sizeable enemy force, in what would come to be some of the deadliest fighting during the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir.

Set up on the east side of the reservoir, LTC Faith and his battalion fought hard for two days before being ordered back to tie in with the rest of Regimental Combat Team 31 to strengthen their defenses. From the start, Faith continued to place himself in the most dangerous positions in order to best lead and motivate his men. Just after linking up, the regimental commander was killed and LTC Faith took command of the 2,500 man force facing extermination in the brutal winter conditions.

Recognizing they were surrounded, Faith organized a breakout in hopes of reaching the Marine lines west and south of their position. The going was slow and deadly. In order to push the advance, Faith's men had to clear the hillsides ahead of the element so as to not walk into an ambush. Time and again, Faith led the charge up these hills into enemy fire to clear them out and make way for his men. Rather than sitting in the relative comfort of his jeep, set back from the rear, LTC Faith refused to be anywhere but on the front lines, taking the same risks he was asking of his men.

During one of these charges up a steep hillside, Faith was seriously wounded by an enemy grenade. Refusing evacuation ahead of his men, Faith sat in a truck cab and maintained command as his unit continued their breakout. As fighting continued, Faith was struck and killed when the vehicle approached an enemy roadblock. Unable to recover his body, Faith was listed as missing in action and his family was awarded the Medal of Honor on his behalf in 1951. In 2004 a US Army recovery team identified and repatriated the remains of LTC Don Faith and laid him to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.