Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. refused to fall down.
Before dawn on November 5, 1950, Chinese troops silently crossed a weak gap in the UN lines near the Chongchon River and moved straight toward Hill 123 in North Korea. American soldiers were still waking up when the attack began. Some were caught in their tents. Others scrambled through the darkness trying to understand where the enemy was coming from. At the forward listening post, one man had already seen them first.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. opened fire with a Browning Automatic Rifle from less than 100 feet away.
The Korean War was already collapsing into chaos. UN forces had pushed too far north, supply lines were stretched, and large Chinese formations were now infiltrating gaps between isolated units at night. On Hill 123, nearly a thousand soldiers from the Chinese 355th Regiment were moving toward E Company’s position while most of the Americans were still disoriented from sleep. Red Cloud’s gunfire became the warning that gave the company time to form a defense.
Then he was shot in the chest.
Medic Perry Woodley reached the foxhole and tried to evacuate him, but Red Cloud refused to leave. Even after repeated wounds killed his assistant gunner and weakened his body, he stayed behind the BAR, firing burst after burst into the advancing Chinese troops while the company reorganized behind him. Every second he held the line bought more time for wounded soldiers to be dragged back and firing positions to be established in the dark.
Eventually, Red Cloud realized he could no longer stand on his own.
So he ordered another soldier to tie him upright to a tree using a web belt so he could keep firing after his legs gave out.
He had already survived one war before Korea ever began.
As a teenager, Red Cloud joined the Marines before Pearl Harbor and fought with Carlson’s Raiders on Guadalcanal during brutal jungle operations against Japanese forces. Disease nearly killed him afterward, and military doctors later offered him a medical discharge. He refused it. After World War II, he reenlisted, this time in the Army, and returned to combat once again when Korea erupted in 1950. Veterans in his unit looked to him because he already understood how quickly men could die in close combat.
On Hill 123, that experience may have saved the company.
Red Cloud continued firing until he was hit multiple times and killed at his post. When his body was recovered the next day, he was still tied to the tree with the weapon near his hands. In 1951, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
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As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. refused to fall down.
Before dawn on November 5, 1950, Chinese troops silently crossed a weak gap in the UN lines near the Chongchon River and moved straight toward Hill 123 in North Korea. American soldiers were still waking up when the attack began. Some were caught in their tents. Others scrambled through the darkness trying to understand where the enemy was coming from. At the forward listening post, one man had already seen them first.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. opened fire with a Browning Automatic Rifle from less than 100 feet away.
The Korean War was already collapsing into chaos. UN forces had pushed too far north, supply lines were stretched, and large Chinese formations were now infiltrating gaps between isolated units at night. On Hill 123, nearly a thousand soldiers from the Chinese 355th Regiment were moving toward E Company’s position while most of the Americans were still disoriented from sleep. Red Cloud’s gunfire became the warning that gave the company time to form a defense.
Then he was shot in the chest.
Medic Perry Woodley reached the foxhole and tried to evacuate him, but Red Cloud refused to leave. Even after repeated wounds killed his assistant gunner and weakened his body, he stayed behind the BAR, firing burst after burst into the advancing Chinese troops while the company reorganized behind him. Every second he held the line bought more time for wounded soldiers to be dragged back and firing positions to be established in the dark.
Eventually, Red Cloud realized he could no longer stand on his own.
So he ordered another soldier to tie him upright to a tree using a web belt so he could keep firing after his legs gave out.
He had already survived one war before Korea ever began.
As a teenager, Red Cloud joined the Marines before Pearl Harbor and fought with Carlson’s Raiders on Guadalcanal during brutal jungle operations against Japanese forces. Disease nearly killed him afterward, and military doctors later offered him a medical discharge. He refused it. After World War II, he reenlisted, this time in the Army, and returned to combat once again when Korea erupted in 1950. Veterans in his unit looked to him because he already understood how quickly men could die in close combat.
On Hill 123, that experience may have saved the company.
Red Cloud continued firing until he was hit multiple times and killed at his post. When his body was recovered the next day, he was still tied to the tree with the weapon near his hands. In 1951, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
-
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
