William Thompson ( Medal of Honor , 1950 ) William Henry Thompson ( 16 August 1927 – 6 August 1950 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration , the Medal of Honor , for his actions in the Korean War . Born to a single mother in an impoverished neighborhood in New York City , Thompson entered the Army in 1945 and served tours in Alaska and Japan . At the outbreak of the Korean War , Thompson was a machine gunner of the U . S . 24th Infantry Regiment , a " de facto " segregated unit . During the Battle of Masan in August 1950 , Thompson was part of a unit conducting an offensive along the Pusan Perimeter . When North Korean troops attacked his company and caused many men to panic and scatter , Thompson stood his ground , refusing orders to evacuate despite being wounded , and covering the retreat of his platoon until he was killed by a grenade . For his actions , Thompson was awarded the Medal of Honor , one of only two African Americans to be so honored in the war . Biography . William Thompson was born on 16 August 1927 in Brooklyn , New York to an unmarried mother . Little is known of Thompson ' s early life , but he grew up in an impoverished tenement house neighborhood . He dropped out of school at a young age , and spent his teen years wandering the streets . A local minister noticed Thompson sleeping in a park one evening and took him to a homeless shelter , the New York Home for Homeless Boys . Thompson remained a resident there until he turned 18 in 1945 . Some sources alternatively state Thompson decided to join the United States Army as an opportunity to escape poverty , or that he was drafted . Military career . Thompson enlisted in the army in October 1945 , and after basic combat training was assigned to a post in Adak , Alaska . After 18 months , he was honorably discharged from the military , but found adjustment to civilian life difficult and opted to return to the military . In January 1948 , Thompson reenlisted and was assigned to the U . S . 6th Infantry Division , which was on occupation duty in South Korea . When the 6th Infantry Division returned to the United States , he was reassigned to the U . S . 24th Infantry Regiment , U . S . 25th Infantry Division which was assigned to the post - World War II occupation of Japan . His Military Occupational Specialty was 4812 , that of a heavy weapons infantryman who operated automatic weapons . The 24th Infantry was a " de facto " segregated unit , but Thompson nonetheless enjoyed his time in the military . Described as " thin , hollow - eyed and quiet , " he had enjoyed military life , viewing it as one of few places where an African American could enjoy some degree of comfort . He was a very effective soldier , consistently maintaining his uniform and equipment and keeping his firearms extremely clean . Thompson was also a skilled marksman and rarely had behavioral problems . He was content in the lower ranks of the military , preferring to follow orders instead of giving them . At the outbreak of the Korean War , Thompson was a private first class , part of M Company of 3rd Battalion , 24th Infantry , the heavy weapons support company for the battalion . The 24th Infantry first came into heavy contact with North Korean People ' s Army troops on 22 July during the battle of Sangju . North Korean rifle fire came in on the dispersed regiment , and its troops almost immediately began retreating from the front , ignoring officers ' commands to stay in position . Historians blame the retreat as much on officers ' ineptitude as on the panicking of individual soldiers . The tendency to panic continued in nearly all the 24th Infantry operations west of Sangju . Men left their positions and straggled to the rear , abandoning weapons on positions . On many occasions units lost most of their equipment while on the move , even when not under fire , causing logistical shortages . In other cases the majority of a unit deserted its position at the first sign of North Korean fire . The situation became so dire that the regiment ' s senior officers set up a check point west of the town and stopped every vehicle coming from the west , removing stragglers attempting to retreat . Many jeeps were filled with six or seven men claiming they were retreating after their position was overrun . The 24th quickly gained a poor reputation as a " bug out " unit , blasted for its poor performance during combat . Historians contend its accomplishments , particularly at the battle of Yechon , were ignored while shortcomings were seized upon to depict the 24th as a sub - par unit and African - Americans as inferior soldiers to whites . Medal of Honor action . On 6 August 1950 , as the Battle of Pusan Perimeter was beginning , the 25th Infantry Division was locked in a counteroffensive near Masan , during the Battle of Masan . That night , M Company was supporting the division advance near the city of Haman , South Korea , in a mountain valley south of Sobuk - san . As Thompson ' s platoon approached the town , it was ambushed by a large force of North Korean People ' s Army troops . Automatic weapons fire caused several men in the company to panic and flee . Those remaining were ordered into a tight perimeter by Second Lieutenant Herbert H . Wilson . After a North Korean grenade knocked out the only other remaining heavy weapons specialist , Thompson and his . 30 caliber M1917 Browning machine gun were left as the last heavy weapon in the platoon . Thompson soon became the North Koreans ' focus of fire . During this period , Thompson was wounded several times by North Korean small arms and grenade fragments , but did not react to the injuries or inform the rest of his unit . After the platoon was ordered to withdraw from the heavy resistance , Wilson ordered a withdrawal to higher ground . Crawling to Thompson ' s position , Wilson discovered Thompson ' s injuries . Wilson attempted to order Thompson to withdraw twice , but the latter refused , and continued to fire on advancing North Koreans . Thompson told Wilson he was dying and was not going to move back . Wilson then called forward two non - commissioned officers who unsuccessfully attempted to remove Thompson from the gun physically . Continuing to refuse to move , Thompson ' s last words to the other soldiers were " Get out of here , I ' ll cover you ! " Wilson reluctantly ordered the remaining men to pull back . As the platoon departed , they heard grenade blasts around Thompson ' s position , followed by a larger blast , at which point Thompson ' s gun fell silent . He had continued to fire his machine gun until he was killed . A few days later , after M Company retook the area , they discovered Thompson had made a last stand , and killed a large number of North Koreans before dying himself . Thompson ' s actions had prevented higher casualties in his unit as it withdrew . Subsequent recognition . Thompson ' s actions were initially overlooked by division commanders , who instead focused on the poor performance of the 24th Infantry Regiment , whose soldiers panicked and fled from combat . Thompson ' s battalion commander , Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Blair , initially refused to submit a recommendation , until 4 January 1951 , five months after the action . Thompson initially received a Silver Star Medal for the action , but after Blair changed his mind he began pushing the paperwork through , personally locating the witnesses who could attest to Thompson ' s valor . Blair hoped Thompson ' s recognition would improve other commanders ' views on the 24th Infantry Regiment . Eventually , though , that unit was disbanded and its personnel integrated into other units . On 21 June 1951 , General of the Army Omar Bradley presented Thompson ' s mother with the Medal of Honor , posthumously recognizing Thompson ' s actions . Awards and decorations . Thompson ' s awards and decorations include : Medal of Honor citation . Thompson was the first of two African Americans to be awarded the Medal of Honor in Korea , the other being Cornelius H . Charlton in June 1951 . Charlton was also a member of the 24th Infantry who was recognized posthumously . Other African Americans who fought in Korea are known to have been nominated for the medal but did not receive it . They were the first two African Americans to be nominated for the Medal of Honor since the Spanish - American War , though several World War II veterans were later nominated . The two nominations had seen delays because unit commanders refused to submit their nominations . In all , 131 people were awarded the medal during and in the immediate aftermath of the war . References . Sources . Online sources