Korean War Medal of Honor Winner David Bleak
David was born on February 27th, 1932, in the Idaho hills. He enlisted in the army at the youthful age of eighteen on November 1, 1950. He just wanted to see the world, and see the world he did. He received his basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas, and soon found himself assigned to a Medical Company that became attached to the 2nd Battalion, 223rd Infantry Regiment of California’s 40th Infantry Division. At California’s Camp Cook, Bleak was given more extensive medical aid training, and after several months he was made a Corporal. He and his unit were sent to Korea in January of 1952. He was promoted to Sergeant soon after his arrival, somewhere near the 38th parallel.
The rugged mountain country was devoid of much cover, as most of the trees had been cut down and used to reinforce entrenched enemy positions in the area. On June 14th, the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon of the outfit Bleak was with was assigned the mission to capture some of the Korean and Chinese troops in the area for interrogation. Despite the terrible risk, Bleak volunteered as the medic for this undertaking. The patrol set out in the darkest hours before dawn, made up of twenty men and commanded by a senior Tech Sergeant. David Bleak took up his position at the end of the detail, where he could quickly assess if his services were needed. They soon would be.
When the patrol got near an enemy encampment, still in the darkness, it immediately drew intense automatic weapons and small arms fire. Many in the patrol were wounded, and the six foot five, two hundred and fifty pound Bleak attended to them.He then continued on with the rest of the patrol, but heavy fire stopped them once more. What he would do in the next few minutes made him a hero forever.
With the battle raging around him, Bleak spied a grenade that had bounced off a soldier’s helmet and rolled a few feet away. He immediately threw himself at the soldier and as they both fell to the ground, the grenade exploded. The two men were unhurt, thanks to Bleak’s quick action. Suddenly, from a trench in front of him, three Chinese soldiers began firing at Bleak. He rushed at the first one and the ensuing tackle broke the enemy’s neck. He used his bare hands to crush the windpipe of the second soldier, and dispatched the third with his trench knife. His comrades routed the Chinese from the hill, except for an undetected machinegun. It opened fire on Bleak’s men and three were hit.
Bleak was shot in the leg as he rushed to the wounded to aid them. He rapidly dressed his own wound and returned to help his companions. Two were able to walk on their own; the third could not. David Bleak carried him on his shoulders, heading down the hill. Out of another trench, a pair of fanatical Chinese soldiers rushed upon him with their bayonets fixed. He put the man he was carrying down, and in a display of unbelievable dexterity and strength, he was able to avoid their thrusts and grab each man around the head with his huge hands. In one movement, he slammed both of their heads together so violently that he cracked their skulls and killed them both! He picked up his wounded charge once more and carried him to safety.
When David Bleak’s tour of duty in Korea ended, he volunteered to stay on and was sent to Japan. While stationed in Japan, he was called into the office one day by his commanding officer. He thought he had done something wrong, but was told he had been awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism that dreadful day. “I guess a couple of guys were taking mental notes,” is how he reacted to the news. He then said,” Why me? Why not the rest of them? Everybody was doing the things I received the award for.” On October 27th, 1953, David Bleak was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Dwight Eisenhower.
When he finally left the army after a long career, he went to work in a nuclear power plant. His wife Lois, married to Bleak for over forty years, remembered how David would wake up in the middle of the night with horrible flashbacks about the war. At Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the Sergeant David B. Bleak Troop Medical Clinic was dedicated on April 20th, 1995, in honor of the Medal of Honor winner. It was built at a cost of $2.1 million dollars, and contains some ten examination rooms, a treatment room, a laboratory, and a pharmacy, along with having physical therapy and x-ray capabilities.
David Bleak still lives in Idaho, and he remains in tune with the goings on in the military. “I like to keep up with events and make sure that the training today’s soldiers are receiving will qualify them to do the same things we did. But, I hope that none of them will receive the Medal of Honor, since it is only awarded during wartime. But in case we do get into another war,” he said, “Americans will continue earning this Medal because that’s the kind of men we have.” David Bleak should know. He is one of those men.
