b. 04/03/1929 Oroville, California. d. 05/11/1950 Korea.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 09/10/1950 Kaesong, Korea.
Robert H Young MOH
Young was born on March 4, 1929, in Oroville, California, to parents Melvin and Dorothy Young. When he was still a child, Young’s family moved him and his siblings to Chico and then Vallejo, California.
According to a June 2000 article in the Sacramento Bee, Young’s relatives described him as “military crazy,” and said he grew a mustache and lied about his age so he could join the Army in 1946. They said he spent part of his first tour of duty guarding famed Army Gen. George C. Marshall during a trip to Moscow.
Young re-enlisted in 1949, according to the Bee, and was eventually sent to Korea to serve with Company E of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. By October 1950, the 1st Cavalry Division had begun to close in on North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang. On Oct. 9, Young’s company spearheaded a battalion drive north of the North Korean city of Kaesong when they were suddenly attacked by a devastating barrage of enemy mortar and automatic weapons fire. The assault wounded Young in the face and shoulder, and it quickly inflicted heavy causalities on his comrades. Young, however, refused to be evacuated. He stayed in position and continued to fire at the enemy until he was hit again. While he waited to get first aid near the company’s command post, the enemy tried to envelop their team. So, Young gave up on getting medical treatment and went back to an exposed position, where he managed to kill five enemy soldiers. During the firefight, he was hit a third time by a bullet that knocked him to the ground and destroyed his helmet.
Later, when tanks moved forward to support the company, Young remained in place to direct tank fire, which destroyed three enemy gun positions and helped the company advance.
Young was wounded a fourth time, this time by a mortar burst. However, he offered first aid to other injured comrades instead of himself and refused to be evacuated until everyone else was. Young’s leadership and valiant actions inspired his comrades and helped his company get out of the situation. Unfortunately, according to a 1956 Enterprise-Record newspaper article out of Chico, California, every man in Young’s platoon was either killed, wounded or captured.
Young himself died from wounds he suffered during the battle on Nov. 5, 1950. He was posthumously upgraded to the rank of corporal. On June 21, 1951, Young’s father received the Medal of Honor on his son’s behalf from Army Gen. Omar N. Bradley at a Pentagon ceremony. His entire family had been flown to Washington for the occasion, the Enterprise-Record said.
Young is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.
MOH CITATION:
Pfc. Young distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. His company, spearheading a battalion drive deep in enemy territory, suddenly came under a devastating barrage of enemy mortar and automatic-weapons crossfire which inflicted heavy casualties among his comrades and wounded him in the face and shoulder. Refusing to be evacuated, Pfc. Young remained in position and continued to fire at the enemy until wounded a second time. As he awaited first aid near the company command post, the enemy attempted an enveloping movement. Disregarding medical treatment he took an exposed position and firing with deadly accuracy killed five of the enemy. During this action he was again hit by hostile fire which knocked him to the ground and destroyed his helmet. Later when supporting tanks moved forward, Pfc. Young, his wounds still unattended, directed tank fire which destroyed three enemy gun positions and enabled the company to advance. Wounded again by an enemy mortar burst, and while aiding several of his injured comrades, he demanded that all others be evacuated first. Throughout the course of this action the leadership and combative instinct displayed by Pfc. Young exerted a profound influence on the conduct of the company. His aggressive example affected the whole course of the action and was responsible for its success. Pfc. Young’s dauntless courage and intrepidity reflect the highest credit upon himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.
BURIAL LOCATION: GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL CEMETERY, SAN BRUNO, CALIFORNIA.
SECTION O, GRAVE 8.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
