On September 17, 1950, during the Korean War, Marine Corps Private First Class Walter Monegan served as a rocket gunner with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, when enemy armor threatened to break through his battalion’s defensive line on the road to Seoul.

Dug in on a hillside, Monegan moved forward under heavy enemy fire as six North Korean tanks approached in a predawn assault. At just 50 yards, he fired his bazooka into the lead tank, scoring a direct hit. When a surviving crew member tried to flee, Monegan killed him with his carbine. He then struck two more tanks, delaying the attack long enough for friendly armor to arrive and engage.

Three days later, in the early morning darkness of September 20, another tank-infantry force bypassed the lines and closed in on the battalion command post. PFC Monegan grabbed his rocket launcher and ran into the darkness, alone.

When a flare lit the battlefield, Monegan destroyed a tank with a direct shot—then exposed himself again and destroyed a second one. As the last tank began to withdraw, Monegan stood upright to fire again. A second flare illuminated his position, and he was fatally struck by enemy machine-gun fire.

His heroic actions halted the armored assault and saved countless American lives. For his gallantry and sacrifice, PFC Walter Monegan was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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