Henry R. Walls, Jr.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Henry R. Walls, Jr. (0-1882259), Second Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with an Infantry Company of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Walls distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Ujang-ni, Korea, on 16 April 1953. On that date, Lieutenant Walls led a support element through an artillery and mortar barrage to a point where a friendly patrol was involved in a fire-fight with a numerically superior hostile force. Upon reaching the scene, Lieutenant Walls immediately set up an effective base of fire and moved among his men, directing their fire and shouting words of encouragement. When a grenade wounded him so that it was impossible for him to walk, Lieutenant Walls crawled forward to a position from which he could exercise better control of his men; but he was again wounded by burp gun fire and was rendered incapable of movement. When the hostile forces overran the area, Lieutenant Walls was assumed to be dead and enemy soldiers removed his pistol and personal possessions. When the battle turned and friendly reinforcements arrived, Lieutenant Walls was still unconscious, but as medical aidmen placed him on a stretcher he regained consciousness and ordered the men to leave him until all other wounded had been evacuated.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 561 (June 11, 1953)