On August 1, 1952, during the Korean War, Corporal Victor Espinoza of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division led a one-man assault on Old Baldy.
With his unit pinned down by devastating enemy fire, Espinoza charged forward alone—destroying a machine-gun position, knocking out a mortar, and eliminating multiple bunkers with rifle fire and grenades.
Reaching the crest and running low on ammunition, he used captured Chinese grenades—pulling the pins as he caught them and throwing them back into enemy trenches.
By the end of the assault, he had secured the hill and inflicted heavy enemy casualties.
Originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, his heroism was posthumously upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2014.
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