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Medal of Honor Recipient

Melvin L. Brown

U.S. Army · Korean War

MOH-RC-001954Source-based record

The award

Representative medal image: Army design with a neck ribbon. Not a portrait or a photograph of this recipient’s own medal.
Army Medal of HonorRecorded presentation: 1951

Portrait not yet available. Representative medal shown.

About this image

Representative form selected from the recorded presentation year (1951), not authenticated medal-object provenance.

Medal imagery and historical designs →

Medal of Honor

September 4, 1950

Kasan, Korea

Rank at action
Private First Class
Service
U.S. Army
Conflict
Korean War
Unit or command
Company D, 8th Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division
Presentation date
February 16, 1951

The Citation

Sources ↓
Pfc. Brown, Company D distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While his platoon was securing Hill 755 (the Walled City), the enemy, using heavy automatic weapons and small arms, counterattacked. Taking a position on a 50-foot-high wall he delivered heavy rifle fire on the enemy. His ammunition was soon expended and although wounded, he remained at his post and threw his few grenades into the attackers causing many casualties. When his supply of grenades was exhausted his comrades from nearby foxholes tossed others to him and he left his position, braving a hail of fire, to retrieve and throw them at the enemy. The attackers continued to assault his position and Pfc. Brown weaponless, drew his entrenching tool from his pack and calmly waited until they 1 by 1 peered over the wall, delivering each a crushing blow upon the head. Knocking 10 or 12 enemy from the wall, his daring action so inspired his platoon that they repelled the attack and held their position. Pfc. Brown's extraordinary heroism, gallantry, and intrepidity reflect the highest credit upon himself and was in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service. Reportedly missing in action and officially killed in action, September 5, 1950.

Sources & record notes

General Order comparison: pending. Current-profile review does not mean that the underlying original order has been examined.

  1. Melvin L. Brown — current Society profile ↗Congressional Medal of Honor Society · Checked 2026-08-30

    current identity, service, action metadata, and citation comparison

Transcription, metadata & provenance notes
Award ID
MOH-AW-001964
Transcription status
Legacy full text · current reference profile matched
Last source check
2026-08-30
Recorded order reference (not verified against the original)
11
Entered service at
Erie, Pa.
Archive transcription SHA-256
0eaa6c2b5d983d6e287bef0e2e8b827f9b41a3811b83ceca741be3536cc219fc

Legacy transcription retained without substantive editing; rendered current reference profile variants documented in the Phase 10 evidence snapshot.

The current profile supplies rank at time of action as Private First Class; the inherited rank field remains preserved as None. The current source records Company D, 8th Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division; the inherited unit field Company D, 8th Engineer Combat Battalion remains preserved as a source variant. The current historical action-place wording replaces only the controlled canonical geocoder field; the complete inherited place remains preserved. The current authoritative profile classifies the action under Korean War; the inherited unclassified value remains preserved in the audit record.