John W. Jeal

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to John W. Jeal (RA19294705), Master Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 5th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Master Sergeant Jeal distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Waegwan, Korea, on 16 September 1950. While he was leading his platoon forward in an attack, Sergeant Jeal and his men encountered enemy machine-gun and automatic-weapons fire in such volume that they were pinned down in a position almost devoid of cover. Quickly sensing the critical nature of the situation, Sergeant Jeal arose to his feet and fearlessly charged the enemy, thereby drawing their fire entirely upon his own person, while simultaneously ordering his men forward into a defiladed position of relative safety from which they later were able to repulse three successive counterattacks. By his selfless and diversionary action, through which his platoon was able to escape heavy casualties, Sergeant Jeal himself was mortally wounded.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 37 (January 22, 1951)