Medal of Honor Monday: Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles William Turner

Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles William Turner, an infantryman, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for distinguishing himself with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity during the Korean War, near Yongsan, South Korea. 

Turner was born to Charles William Turner Sr. and Hazel O. Turner in Boston, May 28, 1921. He had one brother, Harry Turner. 

On Jan. 20, 1941, Turner enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard, which was federalized six days later, as it appeared that war was inevitable.

His unit landed in North Africa in the summer of 1943, where they prepared for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, which started July 10, 1943. 

For the next 22 days, his unit pushed through Sicily and then invaded Italy. In November 1943, he was taken prisoner, as his unit was outnumbered and cut off from the rest of the regiment by German soldiers, near the town of Venafro in south-central Italy. He was brought to a prisoner of war camp in Germany, which was liberated in May 1945. He returned to the U.S. a month later. 

During the Korean War, he was assigned to the 2nd Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington. While there, he participated in cold weather training and tactical maneuvers. His unit also deployed to Alaska for additional cold weather training. 

His unit deployed on the troop transport ship USNS General A. W. Brewster and landed in Busan, South Korea, July 23, 1950. The war began a month earlier, when North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel to invade South Korea. 

On Sept. 2, 1950, the date of Turner’s Medal of Honor action, he was a company section leader. His unit was engaged in the Battle of Nakdong Perimeter, which was part of the Battle of the Pusan Perimeter, an overall defensive operation. 

His platoon encountered a large North Korean enemy force that launched mortar rounds and fired automatic weapons at them. Turner quickly organized his unit for defense and then observed that the attack was directed at a tank section 100 yards away.  

Leaving his secure location, he dashed through a hail of fire to the threatened position and climbed up a tank to man an exposed turret machine gun. Disregarding the intense enemy fire, he calmly held his position, delivering deadly accurate fire and pointing out targets for the Sherman tank’s 75 mm gunner.  

His action destroyed seven enemy machine-gun nests. Although severely wounded, he remained at the gun shouting encouragement to his comrades. During the action, the tank received more than 50 direct hits; the periscopes and antenna were shot off and three rounds hit the machine-gun mount. Despite his precarious position, he remained at his post until a burst of enemy fire killed him.  

Turner’s heroic action enabled the platoon to withdraw and later launch an attack that routed the enemy.  

For their actions during that battle, seven other soldiers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division also received the Medal of Honor. 

President Harry S. Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Turner’s mother during a White House ceremony, Jan. 9, 1951. 

On Sept. 22, 2027, Army Maj. Gen. Scott McKean, 2nd Infantry Division commanding general, paid tribute to those eight Medal of Honor recipients and their comrades during a ceremony commemorating the battle with a newly erected monument in Daegu, South Korea. 

“Having had an uncle who served here on this very ground, and was wounded here during the breakout on Sept. 2, 1950, the meaning for me is a personal one,” McKean said. “It’s the sacrifice that all of these great veterans have made and need to be recognized for.” 

Turner was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. The Turner Fitness Center at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, is named for him.