Milton F. Uffman

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Milton F. Uffman (0-60383), Captain (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Headquarters, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Captain Uffman distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Kuram, Korea, on 19 February 1951. Captain Uffman, as the battalion S-2 on a reconnaissance mission, accompanied forward elements of his battalion on a mission to attack and take a heavily wooded mountain, well-defended by a stubbornly resisting enemy force. The plan for securing the objective was to make a frontal attack up the steep slopes and over the enemy-held ridge lines. During the attack, the leading assault company was met by devastating fire from a well-entrenched enemy machine-gun crew and was pinned down. Realizing that the company was in danger of annihilation, Captain Uffman, under intense grenade and automatic-weapons fire, charged the enemy stronghold and, firing his pistol, killed the machine-gunner and forced the four other crew members to flee. Then, picking up the abandoned machine gun and two belts of ammunition, Captain Uffman moved forward in the face of intense enemy fire, shooting the weapon from his hip and inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile troops. As he was expending the second belt of ammunition, the machine-gun jammed from overheating and simultaneously, he was seriously wounded by a burst of enemy fire; however, his absolute fearlessness against such great odds so disrupted and demoralized the enemy that the friendly troops were able to continue the assault, overrun the hostile positions, and complete their mission.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 457 (June 25, 1951)