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DAN D. SCHOONOVER
Born: October 8, 1933
War: Korean War
Rank: Corporal, U.S. Army
Location of Action: Near Sokkogae, Korea
Date of Action: July 8 - 10, 1953
Official Medal of Honor Citation: Cpl. Schoonover, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and
outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy.
He was in charge of an engineer demolition squad attached to an infantry company which
was committed to dislodge the enemy from a vital hill.
Realizing that the heavy fighting and intense enemy fire made it impossible to carry out
his mission, he voluntarily employed his unit as a rifle squad and, forging up the steep
barren slope, participated in the assault on hostile positions. When an artillery round
exploded on the roof of an enemy bunker, he courageously ran forward and leaped into
the position, killing one hostile infantryman and taking another prisoner.
Later in the action, when friendly forces were pinned down by vicious fire from another
enemy bunker, he dashed through the hail of fire, hurled grenades in the nearest aperture,
then ran to the doorway and emptied his pistol, killing the remainder of the enemy. His
brave action neutralized the position and enabled friendly troops to continue their advance
to the crest of the hill.
When the enemy counterattacked he constantly exposed himself to the heavy bombardment
to direct the fire of his men and to call in an effective artillery barrage on hostile
forces. Although the company was relieved early the following morning, he voluntarily
remained in the area, manned a machine gun for several hours, and subsequently joined
another assault on enemy emplacements.
When last seen he was operating an automatic rifle with devastating effect until
mortally wounded by artillery fire. Cpl. Schoonover's heroic leadership during 2 days of
heavy fighting, superb personal bravery, and willing self-sacrifice inspired his comrades
and saved many lives, reflecting lasting glory upon himself and upholding the honored
traditions of the military service.
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