Herman G. Felhoelter
Herman G. Felhoelter OFM | |
|---|---|
 Father Herman G. Felhoelter in his chaplain's uniform | |
| Birth name | Herman G. Felhoelter |
| Born | July 17, 1913 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | July 16, 1950 (aged 36) Daejeon, Korea. |
| Buried | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Branch |  |
| Service years |
|
| Rank |  Captain |
| Units | |
| Wars | |
| Awards | |
Herman G. Felhoelter OFM was an American Catholic priest, army Chaplain and recipient of the Bronze Star and Distinguished Service Cross who was murdered by North Korean Communist forces on 16 July 1950 one day before his 37th birthday.[1]
Early career[edit]
Father Herman Gilbert Felhoelter was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1913. He joined the Franciscans and was ordained for the Friars Minor in 1939. He served as an Army chaplain in World War II and received a Bronze Star for service under fire. After that war, Felhoelter became an assistant pastor in Cincinnati, but was recommissioned in 1948 and appointed chaplain to the US 19th Infantry and posted to Korea.[2] Four days before his death he wrote home to his mother:
I am not comfortable in Korea (that is impossible here) but I am happy in the thought that I can help some souls who need help.[3]
Death in Chaplain–Medic massacre[edit]
During the Battle of Taejon in July 1950, North Korean troops cut off a supply line road, preventing evacuation of wounded U.S. troops. A group from the 19th Infantry tried to carry them over the hills, but became exhausted by the rough terrain and put down the stretchers of the most seriously and nonambulatory wounded. They were ordered to leave the most seriously wounded and return for them once the lightly wounded were taken to safety. A medic, Captain Linton J. Buttrey, and Father Felhoelter stayed behind with the wounded men. Both were unarmed, and both men wore the insignias of their respective vocations, indicating their non-combatant status. A North Korean patrol was sighted and Felhoelter urged Captain Buttrey to flee. Buttrey attempted to escape but was shot in the ankle while running. Fr Felhoelter continued to give last rites to the wounded as he was doing so the Communists shot Felhoelter in the head at close range. They then proceeded to kill all thirty wounded men in what became known as the Chaplain–Medic massacre. The attack was witnessed from hills some distance away through binoculars by other members of the 19th Infantry. Felhoelter was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.[4] The citation read:
... for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while attached to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Captain (Chaplain) Felhoelter distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces on the Kum River, north of Taejon, Korea, on 16 July 1950. When seriously wounded men of the 19th Infantry could not be evacuated in the face of an overwhelming night attack by superior enemy forces who had cut off the main route of withdrawal, Chaplain Felhoelter, without regard for his own personal safety, voluntarily remained behind to give his wounded comrades spiritual comfort and aid. When last seen, Chaplain Felhoelter was still administering to the wounded.
Felhoelter became the first of several military chaplains to lose their lives in the Korean conflict.[5][6][7][8]
In 1953 a US Senate committee into Korean War atrocities heard evidence from Captain Buttrey about the killing of Father Felhoelter:
Senator POTTER Was he marked as a chaplain with a white cross?
Captain BUTTREY. Yes, sir; he was.
Senator POTTER. What happened to him?
Captain BUTTREY. He got killed, sir.
Senator POTTER. What was he doing at the time he was killed?
Captain BUTTREY. He was administering last rites, extreme unction, to the patients.
Senator POTTER. He was administering the last rites to the patient, to a patient on a litter?
Captain BUTTREY. Yes.
Senator POTTER. And how did they kill him?
Captain BUTTREY. He was shot in the back, sir. [9]
U.S. decorations and badges[edit]
| U.S. military decorations | |
|
Distinguished Service Cross |
|
Bronze Star |
|
Korean Service Medal |
|
United Nations Korea Medal |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Felhoelter, Herman, CPT Fallen". Together We Served. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ Johnson, Mark W. "Under Fire: Army Chaplains in Korea, 1950". US Army Press Release. US Army. US Army. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ↑ "Chaplain Herman G. Felhoelter Faithful Service: The first Army chaplain casualty of the Korean War". The Chaplain Kit. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ "Herman Gilbert Felhoelter". Hall of Valour Project. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ "Father Herman Felhoelter & Sacrifice In Korea ~ Louisville, Kentucky". WayMarking.com. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ "Franciscan Love". The American Catholic. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ "Fr Herman Felhoelter". Find a Grave. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ↑ Russell, Christopher. "The Vocation of Herman Felhoelter". The Battle of Turkey Thicket. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ↑ REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MADE THROUGH ITS PERMANENT SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS BY ITS SUBCOMMITTEE ON KOREAN WAR ATROCITIES. Washington: UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1954. p. 7. Search this book on
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- 1913 births
- 1950 deaths
- United States Army officers
- American army personnel of World War II
- American army personnel of the Korean War
- Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
- People from Louisville, Kentucky
- Catholics from Kentucky
- American Friars Minor
- United States Army chaplains
- Friars Minor
- Korean War chaplains
