Army Sergeant As his fellow soldiers fled a fierce enemy onslaught in Korea, Charles Richard Long offered to stay behind and protect their backs. He probably knew this was his last chance. He continued to serve honorably until he was no longer able to do so. He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice.
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Fritz and Lois Long, Long’s parents, gave birth to Long on December 10, 1923, in Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up close to Independence, along with his younger sister Edith and older brother Robert. Although his immediate family called him Buddy, Long went by his middle name.  , ++
Long helped his family out financially as a child by doing what he could. He sold soda at a bus station while serving as the Kansas City Star newspaper’s paperboy. He started working for the Fairmount Inter-City News after graduating from Northeast High School in 1941 before being enlisted in the Army in 1943.  ,
Long served in Europe between 1944 and 1945, including the bloody Battle of the Bulge in Belgium’s Ardennes Forest. He served as an infantryman in Germany’s 745th Tank Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, and was awarded a Bronze Star for his bravery in assisting the division in crossing the Rhine.  ,
Long was released following World War II. He was informed that his high blood pressure prevented him from returning to active duty to serve as an escort for fallen service members. He remained a reservist in the Army instead.  ,
He eventually wed Evelyn Tipton, his girlfriend, and assisted in the upbringing of Patricia and Sondra, her two daughters. In his spare time, Long participated in church organizations, the Boy Scouts, and the YMCA before returning to work at the Inter-City News.  ,
Long was called back to active duty in 1950, about three months after the start of the war in Korea, and sent to the beleaguered peninsula to join Company M, 2nd Infantry Division.  , ++
When six enemy divisions launched an unexpected offensive on February 12, 1951, overwhelming South Korean forces and U.S. support troops, his unit was in the Hoeng- Song area. When the attack occurred at around 3 a.m., Company M had already established its defensive perimeter around Hill 300. The enemy forces had outnumbered them significantly, and they had been told to leave.  , ++
Long, a mortar platoon forward observer, offered to stay behind and protect his escaping teammates. He calmly directed mortar fire at the enemy while keeping radio contact with his platoon, pushing the attackers back with the help of his carbine and grenades.  , ++
Long eventually suffered injuries and was encircled. According to a Department of Veterans Affairs account, Long asked his platoon to fire 40 pounds of explosives at the enemy, including on his own position, when he ran out of ammo. The 27-year-oldwillingly sacrificed his life so that as many of his fellow soldiers could escape the chaos.  , ++
One of the highest concentrations of American casualties during the Korean War was the lopsided battle at Hoeng-Song. Long’s actions, however, put an end to the assault and allowed his business to retreat, regroup, and launch a counterattack, eventually retaking Hill300.  , ++
At a Pentagon ceremony on January 16, 1952, Defense Secretary Robert Lovett presented Long’s widow with the Medal of Honor in recognition of his sacrifice. On that day, nine additional soldiers also received posthumous honors.  , ++
The Truman Presidential Library, where Long’s medal is on display in a permanent exhibit, and the Mount Washington Cemetery in Independence, his hometown, are both home to Long.  , ++
The young Missourian’s offering is still remembered. In his honor, the state’s Army Reserve center, an Independence bridge, and a display at the Truman Memorial Building, which is close to the library, are all named after him.  ,
Before it shut down in 2010, Camp Long in Wonju, South Korea, gave him honors. His name is also on Long Road in South Korea’s Camp Humphreys.  , ++
The U.S. military’s highest medal for bravery has been awarded to more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients, and this article is a part of the weekly series” Medal of Honour Monday.”