Earl R. Campbell

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Earl R. Campbell (RA34936577), Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company G, 2d Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Corporal Campbell distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Anju, Korea, 5 November 1950. At approximately 0600 hours on that date, Chinese Communist forces launched an attack in strength against positions which were occupied by the 2d Battalion. Because of the overwhelming strength and fierceness of the enemy attack, the battalion commander issued orders for the battalion to withdraw to more favorable positions approximately 1,500 yards to the rear in order to regroup units and launch a coordinated counterattack against the enemy. The platoon of Corporal Campbell was designated to serve as the covering force for Company G’s withdrawal. Although subjected to a vicious enemy attack and in positions that threatened to be overrun at any moment, the platoon stood its ground and successfully covered the withdrawal of the remainder of the company. By the time that the covering force received orders to withdraw, Corporal Campbell was the sole surviving member of his squad. Voluntarily ignoring the order to withdraw, he remained alone in his position placing devastating fire upon the enemy with his automatic rifle while the remainder of his platoon withdrew. When his weapon suddenly failed to function, he secured a rifle and several grenades from a fallen comrade and continued his fire upon the enemy. Not until he was completely surrounded, and faced with the probability of being either captured or killed, did he finally crawl a distance of four hundred yards down a small ravine under a hail of enemy fire and rejoin his platoon. Based upon an examination of the position after it was retaken by counterattack, Corporal Campbell is believed to have killed seventeen enemy during the course of his heroic stand.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 97 (February 25, 1951)