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advance. During this phase 1 his men moved into a well-camouflaged emplacement, which was thought to be unoccupied, and was wounded by the enemy who were hidden within the emplacement. Seeing the soldier in difficulty he rushed to the man's aid and, without regard for his personal safety, engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to protect his wounded comrade until he himself was killed. When his body was recovered after the battle 7 enemy dead were found in the emplacement. As the result of 1st Lt. Coursen's violent struggle several of the enemies' heads had been crushed with his rifle. His aggressive and intrepid actions saved the life of the wounded man, eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock, and greatly inspired the men in his command. 1st Lt. Coursen's extraordinary heroism and intrepidity reflect the highest credit on himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service.
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protect the wounded soldier until he himself was killed. When his body was recovered after the battle, seven KPA dead were found within the emplacement. Coursen's actions saved the wounded soldier's life and eliminated the main position of the enemy roadblock. For his actions, Lieutenant
Coursen was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
365:, in the center, was to attack frontally from Kaesong to Kumch'on, 15 miles (24 km) north and along the main highway axis. The 5th Cavalry Regiment, Coursen's regiment, on the right, was to move east and then swing west in a circular flanking movement, designed to trap KPA forces south of Kumch'on. In the meantime, the
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struck out across the 38th
Parallel. Initially, the advance was slow. Along the main highway the 8th Cavalry stopped repeatedly and waited for engineer troops to clear mines from the road. Halfway to Kumch'on the twelfth the regiment was halted by a KPA strongpoint, defended by tanks, self-propelled
404:
In the battle for Hill 174, Coursen observed that one of the men of his platoon had entered a well-hidden gun emplacement, thought to be unoccupied, and had been shot. Coursen ran to his aid and without regard for his personal safety, Coursen engaged the KPA in hand-to-hand combat in an effort to
300:, Kansas. By January 1950, Coursen was going through the Infantry Officer's Basic and Basic Airborne courses at Fort Benning, Georgia. In July 1950, he was en route to Far East Command. Promoted to first lieutenant in the Army of the United States, Coursen took command of a platoon of Company C,
483:
1st Lt. Coursen distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While
Company C was attacking Hill 174 under heavy enemy small-arms fire, his platoon received enemy fire from close range. The platoon returned the fire and continued to
400:
The 5th
Cavalry Regiment, which also ran into trouble at the start, failed to cross the parallel until October 10, 1950. The next day the regiment's 1st Battalion encountered a KPA force holding a long ridge with several knobs—Hills 179, 175, and 174—that dominated a pass 15 miles (24 km)
412:
soldiers moving through the KPA's principal fortified positions between the 38th
Parallel and Pyongyang, the North Korean capital city, KPA front lines as such ceased to exist. On October 19, Company F, 5th Cavalry, entered Pyongyang, followed shortly thereafter by the
445:
that
Coursen would be awarded the Medal of Honor. On June 21, 1951, Coursen's 14-month-old son, Samuel, Jr., of Morristown, New Jersey, was presented the award in a Pentagon ceremony by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman and General of the Army
429:
Coursen's West Point class of 1949 was greatly affected by the Korean War. Many of them were newly commissioned lieutenants serving as platoon commanders. Thirty of them would die in combat during the war.
424:. The next morning, October 20, 1950, the 1st Division reached the heart of the city and took the strongly fortified administrative center without difficulty. The entire city was secured by 10:00 that day.
793:, June 16, 1950. Accessed March 11, 2011. "Lieut. Samuel S. Coursen of Madison, N. J., gave his life to save one of his wounded men in a savage battle in Korea. He has been awarded the Medal of Honor."
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on
October 6, 1950. The 5th Cavalry fought in the Pacific theater during World War II and in the post-war years posted in Japan. The regiment was transferred to Korea in July 1950, weeks after the
296:
Coursen was commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry in the
Regular Army upon graduation from West Point. In August 1949, he attended the Officer's Basic Course of the Ground General School at
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After graduation, Coursen married
Evangeline Joy Sprague of Virginia Beach, Virginia and the daughter of U.S. Navy Captain Albert Sprague, then commander of the Navy Ammunition Depot at
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renamed its athletic ground the
Coursen Memorial Field (at its former Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ, campus). The name was kept for the new field when the school moved to
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on December 7, 1988. When the Army departed from Governors Island in 1966, the ferry continued in service as the island became a headquarters base for the
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northeast of Kaesong. The infantrymen drove the defenders from the ridge during the afternoon of October 12, but the fight was fierce.
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Coursen's name is on a bronze plaque in the U.S. Military Academy Museum listing graduates who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
526:, New York. In continuous service since, the ferry has carried heads of state visiting Governors Island and New York City including
373:; advanced north on the road from Paekch'on to the small town of Hanp'o-ri, 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Kumch'on, where the main
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road crossed the Ryesong River; and established a blocking position. Defending the Kumch'on area north of Kaesong were the KPA
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guns, and antiaircraft weapons. In spite of a sixteen-plane air strike and a 155-mm. howitzer barrage, the strongpoint held.
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elements from the northeast. One of Company F's platoon commanders was one of Coursen's West Point roommates, Lieutenant
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in her first visit as queen on October 21, 1957, and the King of Norway in a visit in the early 1990s. It also brought
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play in the Lieutenant "Chick" Coursen Memorial Golf Tournament, the winner of which is awarded the Coursen Trophy.
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550:, now owned by the Trust for Governors Island, continues to provide passenger ferry service to Governors Island.
689:"Military History of Samuel S. Coursen" Major General John A. Klein, Adjutant General, U.S. Army. June 4, 1956.
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He was awarded an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in 1945 and graduated with the class of 1949.
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641:"First Army Gets Two Ferryboats; But Cannot Use Them Until the Slip Is Renovated at Governors Island"
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forced the KPA to retreat. It was during this offensive that Coursen took his first combat command.
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In early 1956, the U.S. Army christened a new 172 foot, 860 ton passenger and vehicle ferry the
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After much fighting, the 1st Cavalry Division captured Kumch'on on October 14, 1950. With US
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270:. His father, Wallace Melville Coursen, was a principal in the New York accounting firm of
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389:, to the west, defended the Ryesong River crossing and the coastal area beyond the river.
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694:"Miss Sprague Affianced; Daughter of Navy Officer to be Wed to Cadet S. S. Coursen"
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785:"OFFICER WINS TOP MEDAL; New Jersey Lieutenant Gave Life in Korea to Save G. I."
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274:; his mother was the former Kathleen Howell. Coursen graduated in 1945 from the
746:"Officer Wins Top Medal; New Jersey Lieutenant Gave Life in Korea to Save G.I."
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A rifle range at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning) is named Coursen Range.
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Coursen was buried at the U.S. Military Academy Cemetery at West Point.
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UN offensive into North Korea § The Kumch'on Pocket (9-14 October)
81:
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Entered service at: Madison, N.J. Born: August 4, 1926, Madison, N.J.
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At 09:00 on October 9, 1950, the 1st Cavalry Division as part of the
236:(August 4, 1926 – October 12, 1950) was a 1949 graduate of the
850:. Army Center of Military History. January 27, 2009. Archived from
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330:(UN) forces deployed to South Korea, they slowed the North Korean
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Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company C
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Place and date: Near Kaesong, Korea, October 12, 1950
35:
Samuel S. Coursen, U.S. Military Academy class of 1949
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The Lt. Samuel S. Coursen ferry near Governors Island
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American military personnel killed in the Korean War
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357:the 1st Cavalry Division was ready to cross the
342:on 15 September followed the next day by the UN
334:(KPA) advance, holding out and maintaining the
915:United States Army personnel of the Korean War
812:, September 13, 1951. Accessed March 11, 2011.
266:Samuel S. Coursen was born August 4, 1926, in
671:United States Army Center of Military History
632:United States Army Center of Military History
349:At the beginning of October the UN began its
8:
930:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
610:List of Korean War Medal of Honor recipients
925:Korean War recipients of the Medal of Honor
532:Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
29:
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667:"Medal of Honor Recipients - Korean War"
369:, on the division's left, traversed the
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312:invasion that prompted the Korean War.
873:"The Coursen Heads Home from Dry Dock"
848:"Medal of Honor recipients Korean War"
441:On June 15, 1951, it was announced by
278:where he was an accomplished athlete.
935:United States Military Academy alumni
338:in the southeast of the country. The
258:for his actions on October 12, 1950.
7:
673:. December 14, 2007. Archived from
955:Military personnel from New Jersey
630:from websites or documents of the
14:
605:List of Medal of Honor recipients
344:breakout from the Pusan Perimeter
626: This article incorporates
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96:U.S. Military Academy Cemetery,
945:People from Madison, New Jersey
950:Burials at West Point Cemetery
804:"Newark Academy to Honor Dead"
720:"Newark Academy to Honor Dead"
474:G.O. No.: 57, August 2, 1951.
238:United States Military Academy
1:
240:and company commander in the
186:Battle of the Kumch'on Pocket
181:UN offensive into North Korea
16:U.S. Army officer (1926–1950)
534:to a meeting with President
226:United Nations Service Medal
276:Newark (New Jersey) Academy
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351:offensive into North Korea
319:
394:Eighth United States Army
174:Pusan Perimeter Offensive
169:Battle of Pusan Perimeter
28:
516:First United States Army
286:Lake Denmark, New Jersey
109:United States of America
454:Medal of Honor citation
316:Events leading to death
628:public domain material
514:and the army post and
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415:Republic of Korea Army
361:into North Korea. The
328:United Nations Command
940:Newark Academy alumni
504:Lt. Samuel S. Coursen
496:
481:
292:Early military career
234:Samuel Streit Coursen
127:Years of service
23:Samuel Streit Coursen
538:and President-elect
464:1st Cavalry Division
460:5th Cavalry Regiment
367:7th Cavalry Regiment
363:8th Cavalry Regiment
332:Korean People's Army
306:1st Cavalry Division
302:5th Cavalry Regiment
223:with 2 Bronze Stars
221:Korean Service Medal
154:1st Cavalry Division
150:5th Cavalry Regiment
98:West Point, New York
573:Baltusrol Golf Club
553:In September 1951,
272:Haskins & Sells
268:Madison, New Jersey
262:Youth and education
62:Madison, New Jersey
823:"The UN Offensive"
809:The New York Times
790:The New York Times
749:The New York Times
724:The New York Times
698:The New York Times
645:The New York Times
528:Queen Elizabeth II
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242:United States Army
121:United States Army
677:on March 10, 2009
540:George H. W. Bush
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251:He received the
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448:Omar N. Bradley
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340:Inchon landings
336:Pusan Perimeter
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92:Place of burial
78:Kumch'on Pocket
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751:. 1951-06-16.
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555:Newark Academy
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506:to operate in
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383:27th Divisions
320:Main article:
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253:Medal of Honor
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218:Victory Medal
208:Medal of Honor
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881:. Retrieved
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852:the original
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827:the original
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700:. May 1949.
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656:. Retrieved
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418:1st Division
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310:North Korean
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256:posthumously
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216:World War II
212:Purple Heart
191:
160:Battles/wars
73:(1950-10-12)
910:1950 deaths
905:1926 births
244:during the
130:1949 - 1950
41:Nickname(s)
899:Categories
858:2009-04-05
833:2010-07-06
762:2023-04-14
737:2023-04-14
711:2023-04-14
658:2023-04-14
616:References
559:Livingston
385:. The KPA
298:Fort Riley
246:Korean War
164:Korean War
148:Company C
105:Allegiance
55:1926-08-04
883:April 14,
757:0362-4331
732:0362-4331
706:0362-4331
681:April 14,
653:0362-4331
512:Manhattan
478:Citation:
375:Pyongyang
583:See also
561:in 1964.
520:Fort Jay
510:between
326:As more
115:Service/
802:Staff.
783:Staff.
548:Coursen
410:I Corps
355:Kaesong
192:†
82:Kaesong
80:, near
755:
730:
704:
651:
489:Honors
204:Awards
188:
117:branch
771:Notes
567:Each
437:Award
353:. At
86:Korea
885:2023
753:ISSN
728:ISSN
702:ISSN
683:2023
649:ISSN
381:and
379:19th
145:Unit
135:Rank
68:Died
49:Born
44:Sam
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53:(
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