Robert BENJAMIN Walker

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Robert Benjamin Walker (0-39384), Captain (Cavalry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Commanding Officer of Company L, 3d Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment (Infantry), 1st Cavalry Division. Captain Walker distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Taegu, Korea, on 12 September 1950. Cavalry Regiment, First Cavalry Division, on 12 September 1950. When his company was pinned down by heavy enemy fire during an attack on stubbornly held Hill 314, it was viciously counterattacked by North Korean troops who inflicted heavy casualties. With utter disregard for his safety, Captain Walker charged forward into a veritable hail of enemy fire, shooting his carbine and exhorting his men to follow him. His company, inspired by their commander’s courage, moved forward, aggressively following him in the vicious and bloody assault, engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat, and pursued the foes down the mountain until halted by Captain Walker. On 24 September 1950, while leading a reinforced platoon on patrol through enemy-infested territory in the vicinity of Sangju, his patrol suddenly receive heavy automatic fire from enemy entrenched in a rice paddy. While the troops were deploying to return the fire, they were fired on from the rear by an enemy group that had been by-passed in the aggressive advance. Captain Walker was seriously wounded, but he voluntarily exposed himself to draw fire in his direct, thus enabling his men to take cover, locate the enemy and annihilate the. During this fierce fight he was fatally wounded.