By Becky Coffield, HUSC Historian 2021-2022
Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Adams (DoDu Ri) Gate
Lieutenant Colonel Stanley "Stan" Taylor Adams was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor on July 5, 1951, for his actions in the Korean War for leading a bayonet charge against a numerically superior force in early 1951.
In late January 1951, Adams' unit launched a counteroffensive against Chinese forces. In the early morning of February 4, Adams' forward platoon was attacked by about 250 enemy soldiers. After intense machine gun and mortar fire, the platoon withdrew to the main company position. Seeing that the opposing force could only be routed by close quarters fighting, Adams led 13 men from his platoon in a bayonet charge against approximately 150 enemy soldiers. He fought in hand-to-hand combat for nearly an hour, despite being shot in the leg and knocked off his feet four times by grenades, until the hostile force began to retreat. When orders came for his battalion to withdraw, he stayed behind to provide covering fire.
Adams was subsequently promoted to master sergeant and awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during the battle. The medal was formally presented to him by President Harry S. Truman in a ceremony at the White House. Commissioned as an officer shortly after receiving the medal, Adams continued to serve into the Vietnam War, eventually retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1970.
Sergeant Cornelius Charlton (HamJeong Ri) Gate
Sergeant Cornelius H. Charlton was a United States Army soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor on June 2, 1951 for his actions in the Korean War.
Charlton’s platoon attacked a heavily defended hostile position on commanding ground when their leader was wounded and evacuated. Charlton assumed command, rallied the men, and spearheaded the assault against the hill personally eliminating two hostile positions and killing six of the enemy with his rifle fire and grenades. Charlton continued up the slope until the unit suffered heavy casualties and became pinned down. Regrouping the men, he led them forward only to be again hurled back by a shower of grenades. Despite a severe chest wound, Charlton refused medical attention and led a third daring charge, which carried to the crest of the ridge. Observing that the remaining emplacement which had retarded the advance was situated on the reverse slope, he charged it alone, and was again hit by a grenade. Charlton raked the position with a devastating fire, which eliminated it and routed the defenders.
The wounds received during his daring exploits resulted in his death, but his indomitable courage, superb leadership, and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself the infantry, and the military.
Brigadier General Robert E. Galer, USMC (CPX) Gate
Brigadier General Robert Edward Galer was a United States Marine officer who received the Medal of Honor for heroism in aerial combat during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II.
Galer led a maximum effort strike of Marine attack aircraft against a heavily defended industrial area in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang. In May 1942, Galer assumed command of Marine Fighting Squadron-224. It was while in command of this it that he received the Nation's highest award, shortly after his promotion to the rank of major. He also received the British Distinguished Flying Cross for the same act of heroism. Following the presentation of the Medal of Honor by the President at the White House, Galer was ordered to Marine Forces, Air, West Coast, Miramar, California, where he served as Assistant Operations Officer. Shortly after advancement to the rank of lieutenant colonel in November 1943, he was ordered to return to the Hawaiian Islands, where he became Chief of Staff, Marine Air, Hawaiian Area. Galer sailed in March 1952 for Korea, where he saw duty as Assistant Chief of Staff, G-4 (Supply), of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing until the following May. He was then named Commanding Officer of Marine Aircraft Group 12 and for extraordinary achievement on July 11, 1952, was awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Flying Cross.
Colonel Lewis Lee Millett Sr. (Anjeong Ri) Gate
Colonel Lewis Lee Millett Sr. was a United States Army officer who received the Medal of Honor in July 1951 for his actions in the Korean War.
Millett was serving in Korea as a captain and commander of Company E of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. Millett led his company in an assault on an enemy position atop Hill 180 near Anyang. When one platoon became pinned down by heavy fire, Millett took another platoon forward, joined the two groups, and led them up the hill. Wielding his bayonet and throwing hand grenades, Millett yelled encouragement to his soldiers throughout the hand-to-hand fight. Upon reaching the top of the hill, his men stormed the enemy position and forced the opposing soldiers to withdraw. Although wounded in the shin by grenade fragments, Millett refused to be evacuated until the position was secured. Historian S.L.A. Marshall described the attack as "the most complete bayonet charge by American troops since [the Battle of Cold Harbor]". Out of about 50 enemy dead, roughly 20 were found to have been killed by bayonets, and the location subsequently became known as Bayonet Hill.
Major General Seung-Kook Yoon (Dongchang Ri) Gate
Major General Seung-Kook Yoon was a Korean Army officer who was assigned by special order to be the liaison officer for Task Force Smith, 52nd Artillery Battalion.
Yoon was the only Korean who participated in the UN forces' first battle against North Korea during the Korean War at Jukmiryeong, a hill in Osan in Gyeonggi Province.
On July 4, 1950, Task Force Smith was joined at Pyeongtaek by part of the 52nd Artillery Battalion: Half headquarters and service batteries and all of A Battery with six 105mm Howitzers, 73 vehicles, and 108 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Miller O. Perry.
In the late afternoon on July 4, LTC Smith, LTC Perry, and others made a final reconnaissance of the position that Smith had selected. The combined infantry and artillery moved out of Pyeongtaek by truck. The American position extended about a mile on both sides of the Suwon-Osan road. The Americans were vulnerable to enemy flanking attacks. They lacked the means to stop enemy tanks and were without reserves.
At dawn on July 5, LTC Smith ordered his artillery, mortars, and machine guns to conduct registration fire. At 0800 in morning as part of the artillery unit, CPT Yoon received a request for a fire mission and at 0816 the first American ground fire of the Korean War opened against the tanks, about 2,000 yards in front of the infantry position. Antitank mines would have stopped the enemy advance, but there were none in Korea. Smith ordered 75mm recoilless rifle fire withheld until the column of tanks reached the 700-yard range. The recoilless rifle crews scored direct hits, again without apparent effect. The tanks stopped and opened fire with their 85mm main guns and 7.62mm machine guns.
As they approached the lone 105mm gun forward, the two lead tanks were hit and damaged by heat rods. One caught fire and two of its crewmembers came out of the turret with their hands up; a third came out with a burp gun and fired it against an American machine gun position beside the road killing an assistant gunner, the first American ground fatality of the Korean War. The third tank through the pass however, knocked out the forward 105mm howitzer with its cannon fire. The other tanks swept on south past the artillery battery, which fired rods against them, one tank was disabled and ultimately abandoned.
Based on the exemplary actions as part of Task Force Smith and the 52nd Artillery Battalion, the Dongchang-Ri Gate was dedicated to MG (RET) Yoon, Seung-Kook.
For more information, please visit the US Army Garrison Humphreys website at: https://home.army.mil/humphreys/index.php/about/Garrison/DES/physical-security/access-control/gate-name-history
Bibliography
“Gate Name History.” (https://home.army.mil/humphreys/index.php/about/Garrison/DES/physical-security/access-control/gate-name-history). October 12, 2021.