A Medal of Honor awardee, and the leader of the last bayonet charge in US military history has stepped into the clearing at the end of the path:
(Retired Army Col. Lewis L.) Millet received the Medal of Honor for his actions Feb. 7, 1951. He led the 25th Infantry Division’s Company E, 27th Infantry, in a bayonet charge up Hill 180 near Soam-Ni, Korea. A captain at the time, Millet was leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position when he noticed that a platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire.
Millett placed himself at the head of two other platoons, ordered fixed bayonets, and led an assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge, Millett bayoneted two enemy soldiers and continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement, according to his Medal of Honor citation.
“Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill,” the citation states. “His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder.”
Millett was wounded by grenade fragments during the attack, but he refused evacuation until the objective was firmly secured. He recovered, and attended Ranger School after the war.
A man of oak from the Pine Tree State.
Joshua Chamberlain would be proud.
My eyes are moist. Where do we get such men indeed. Types like Obama don’t even deserve to breath the same air that man did. What an eventful and fulfilled life. A tragedy about his son. We didn’t have any bayonet charges in Vietnam? I thought they fixed bayonets in the fight at Hamburger Hill, but maybe the action didn’t take the shape of a formal “charge.”
And what a great picture!
My Dad was in the Tropic Lightning as a fellow company commander, same battle. Saw the whole thing. He said he had never witnessed something so unbelievable, so “the guy has lost his mind” completely unexpected. Several days before this action, Lew, my father, a guy that won the Silver Star on Pork Chop Hill, and another company CO were sitting around a breakfast fire brewing coffee. Incoming! A Chicom mortar lands in the middle of the 4 and goes fizz. They all look at teach other and Earl says “not my time, God has other things to do today”. 3 of the 4 made it home. Dad said every time he saw the “Follow Me” at Ft Benning after that he thought of Lew.
Rest in peace, Sir.
A bayonet charge UPHILL???
Rest well, Sir, in the shade of the tree.
It’s the infantry. Everything is uphill.
COL Millet was the honorary Colonel of the Regiment for the Wolfhounds. During my time with the 1/27th in Hawaii, we made sure he visited us on a regular basis. I was please to make his acquaintance on several occasions. And it was one of the great things about that unit. We NEVER forgot our history and our heroes. As a (very) young soldier wondering if I had what it took to be a good soldier, having men like him, there in flesh and blood was a great inspiration and a wonderful way of teaching the fundamental values that we in the Army hold dear.
SN3 is marrying a Millet girl from Maine next month. I wonder….
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uphill… ungghhh
For those of you so inclined here’s a link to the Gettysburg charge from the movie. Great movie along with Gods and Generals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JQN_jlJtwk&feature=related
A side note, my Great, Great Grandfather was just a bit north with the 22nd North Carolina waiting their turn, which they got the next day as part of Picket’s Charge.
Joshua Chamberlain is one of my heroes. He became proficient in ten languages during his teaching career. Imagine that- a linguistics professor, yet he saved the union when the time came. From that view, the fate of the union came down to one battle, one skirmish, one decision, one moment.
Best regards, Peter Warner (not even a professor, just a language teacher).