Ronald Eugene Rosser (October 24, 1929 – August 26, 2020) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

soldier who received the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

, for thrice attacking a hill alone, killing 13 enemies while wounded and carrying wounded comrades to safety one winter day in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Military service

Born on October 24, 1929, in Columbus, Ohio, Rosser was the oldest of 17 children. He joined the

in 1946 at age 17 shortly after World War II for a three-year term of service. After one of his brothers was killed in the early stages of the Korean War, he re-enlisted from

Crooksville, Ohio Crooksville is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States, along Moxahala Creek. The population was 2,534 at the 2010 census. It was the home of Hull pottery, one of the best known Ohio potteries. Notable people *Rollo Walter Brown (1880-19 ...

, in 1951 as a way of getting revenge. Initially stationed in Japan, Rosser requested to be sent into combat and was then deployed to Korea with the heavy mortar company of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Ron Rosser 2012

On January 12, 1952, Rosser, by then a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

, was acting as a

forward observer An artillery observer, artillery spotter or forward observer (FO) is responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire onto a target. It may be a ''forward air controller'' (FAC) for close air support (CAS) and spotter for naval gunfire sup ...

with Company L's lead platoon during an assault on a heavily fortified hill near Ponggilli. When the unit came under heavy fire, Rosser went forward three times and attacked the hostile positions alone, each time returning to friendly lines to gather more ammunition before charging the hill again. Although wounded himself, he helped carry injured soldiers to safety once withdrawal became necessary. For these actions, Rosser was awarded the Medal of Honor. During his service, he also earned a Combat Infantry Badge, Glider Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder badge, Parachute Rigger and Army Recruiter Badge. Rosser returned to the United States in May 1952 and was formally presented with the Medal of Honor by President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

a month later, on June 27, 1952. On September 20, 1966, another of Rosser's brothers, PFC Gary Edward Rosser, USMC, was killed in action, this time in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. He requested a combat assignment in Vietnam but was rejected and retired from the army soon after.

Awards and decorations

Medal of Honor citation

Rosser's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Personal life

Rosser resided in West Palm Beach, Florida, for thirty years. While he lived in Florida he was a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. He lived in

Roseville, Ohio Roseville is a village in Muskingum and Perry counties in the U.S. state of Ohio, along Moxahala Creek. The population was 1,746 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Zanesville micropolitan area. Roseville is served by a branch of the Muskingum ...

. He was the father of Pamela ee RosserLovell. Rosser served on the advisory board of the Motts Military Museum in

Groveport, Ohio Groveport is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 6,009 at the 2020 census. Groveport was the hometown of John Solomon Rarey, a 19th-century horse whisperer, and developer of the Rare ...

. Rosser died on August 26, 2020, in Bumpus Mills, Tennessee.

References

External links