Sergeant First Class Junior Dean Edwards was a soldier in the U.S. Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions on January 2, 1951 in Changbong-ni, Korea during the Korean War. At the time he was serving with Company E, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. Edwards was 24 years old.
Edwards was killed in the action for which his medal was awarded. The medal was presented on January 16, 1952.
Edwards was born on October 7, 1926 in Indianola, Warren County, Iowa. He is buried at I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Indianola, Iowa.
Edwards is one of 153 Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War and one of 55 credited to Iowa.
Official Medal of Honor citation
Sfc. Edwards, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. When his platoon, while assisting in the defense of a strategic hill, was forced out of its position and came under vicious raking fire from an enemy machine gun set up on adjacent high ground, Sfc. Edwards individually charged the hostile emplacement, throwing grenades as he advanced. The enemy withdrew, but returned to deliver devastating fire when he had expended his ammunition. Securing a fresh supply of grenades, he again charged the emplacement, neutralized the weapon, and killed the crew, but was forced back by hostile small-arms fire. When the enemy emplaced another machine gun and resumed fire, Sfc. Edwards again renewed his supply of grenades, rushed a third time through a vicious hail of fire, silenced this second gun, and annihilated its crew. In this third daring assault he was mortally wounded, but his indomitable courage and successful action enabled his platoon to regain and hold the vital strongpoint. Sfc. Edwards' consummate valor and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the utmost glory upon himself and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the infantry and military service.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and death in action
What the citation records about his wounds:
In this third daring assault he was mortally wounded, but his indomitable courage and successful action enabled his platoon to regain and hold the vital strongpoint.
- Killed in action during the act for which the medal was awarded (January 2, 1951).
- Age at death: 24
- Resting place: I.O.O.F. Cemetery
Other decorations and honors
Besides the Medal of Honor, Junior Dean Edwards received:
Source: Wikidata. Gold chips link to our guide to that decoration.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: Korean War.
Places
- Born: Indianola — map
Timeline
- October 7, 1926Born in Indianola, Warren County, Iowa
- January 2, 1951Act of valor — Changbong-ni, KoreaAge 24. Company E, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division Killed in action.
- January 16, 1952Medal of Honor presented posthumously
- Resting placeI.O.O.F. CemeteryIndianola, Iowa
Biography
Junior Dean Edwards (October 7, 1926 – January 2, 1951) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on January 2, 1951, during the First Battle of Wonju. Edwards joined the Army from his birthplace of Indianola, Iowa in January 1945, and served in the final months of World War II as a cook and a military policeman, until he was discharged in August 1946. He rejoined the Army in June 1947.
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