Marine Forces Reserve, New Orleans -- The Marines that helped make sure 2nd Lt. Joseph Owen made it home alive from the snowy hills of Korea stood by their fellow leatherneck 59 years later, ensuring he was awarded the Silver Star he earned in battle over half a century ago.
In front of friends, family and fellow veterans, the Skaneateles, N.Y. native was awarded the third highest decoration a U.S. servicemember can receive, during a ceremony at the Marine Reserve Training Center in Mattydale, N.Y. April 24 for the extraordinary bravery and effectiveness he showed while leading his reservist mortar section through pitched firefights early in the Korean War.
‘They asked me what kind of award I got’
The now 84-year-old’s former company commander, 1st Lt. Joseph Kurcaba, told him he planned on recommending him for commendation in November of 1950, but the intense battles fought “day and night” over the next few weeks kept the company too busy to process his award. Kurcaba was killed during the company’s final major assault when he was shot while standing inches away from Owen.
It wasn’t until a reunion five years ago that Owen’s fellow veterans realized he had never received his recognition.
“They asked me what kind of award I got,” said Owen, “I told them I didn’t get one.”
Marines who served with Owen then put together witness statements about Owen’s actions and contacted retired Col. Harold Kizer, a former Company B. platoon leader, who sent a package to Headquarters Marine Corps, finally securing Owen’s Silver Star.
‘One hell of a fight’
While on a combat patrol in search of a large Chinese force during the break out from the Chosin Reservoir Nov. 27, 1950, Owen’s company came under attack.
“The Chinese hit us on both sides, we were far, far outnumbered,” Owen said.
After exhausting their supply of mortars, Owen organized his mortar Marines into a rifle platoon, inflicting deadly direct fire on the enemy.
“I don’t know how come he never got shot,” said then Cpl. Pat Burris, of Norman, Okla., who calls Owen one of his “Marine heroes” and remembers how he exposed himself to enemy fire while leading him and the rest of the mortar section through Korean blizzards.
“Somebody must have been looking out for him that day,” he said.
At one point, a concussion grenade rendered Owen unconscious.
When Owen awoke he only had enough time to ask the Marine taking him to an aid station where they were going before he saw a column of Chinese soldiers heading toward Company B’s wounded.
“They were double timing, yelling their heads off,” said Owen.
Realizing the wounded were defenseless, Owen led his Marines into the assaulting Chinese, stopping their attack using bayonets and rifle butts.
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” said Owen. “They never got near our wounded.”
Owen would be wounded in the same final assault that killed his company commander when Baker Company’s remaining men, who now numbered around 30 down from the 300 they once had counting replacements, made one final major assault in December.
‘Made Marines out of them’
Nearly 60 years later, Owen is still proud of what he and his Marines did in the fall of 1950.
“Those kids could fight like hell,” he explained.
But before they could take on countless Chinese regulars in the snows of Korea, Owen’s reservist mortar section had to get combat ready in just a few short weeks.
“We had people that didn’t even know what a mortar was; they didn’t know how to do an about face without stumbling,” said Burris about the lackluster reservists that would, under Owen’s leadership, become par with the finest mortar sections the active Corps had to offer.
“He made Marines out of them,” said Burris. “They had as much guts as any Marines I’ve ever served with.”
Though Owen’s Silver Star award citation doesn’t have their names on it, he said he felt the award was as much his Marines’ as it was his.
“Getting it is a tribute to them,” said Owen. “None of us get medals by ourselves.”
Col. Chris Conlin, assistant G3 chief of staff at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, said Owen’s actions are still helping to shape young Marines.
“Some kid is going to pick up this citation,” said Conlin, “they’ll think, ‘I want to be like him.’”
“That’s going to make the difference on some battlefield some day,” he said.