11/06/2025
On this day, 72 years ago, on June 10, 1953, Sergeant Ola L. Mize, age 21, fought with Company K, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, on Outpost Harry near Surang-ni, Korea.
The position was critical terrain. Chinese forces wanted it. That night, a full-strength Chinese regiment launched a major assault. Artillery and mortars hit first, followed by wave after wave of infantry. Mize’s company took direct hits. Officers were killed. Communications were lost. The perimeter began to collapse.
Mize saw a listening post overrun and a wounded soldier left behind. He crossed open ground under artillery and gr***de fire, reached the man, and dragged him back to the main trench. That was the beginning.
He moved bunker to bunker as the enemy flooded the position. He fired through gun ports, tossed gr***des, and rallied anyone who could still fight. He pulled wounded to cover, issued weapons and ammo, and gave out targets. Three times he was blown off his feet by explosives. Each time he got up and went back into the fight.
Enemy troops broke into the trench line. Mize shot one Chinese soldier point blank as the man raised his rifle to kill an American. In another trench, a machine gun crew had been killed and the gun taken. Mize fought his way to the spot. He killed ten enemy soldiers with rifle fire and gr***des. He took the machine gun and got it back in action.
Through the night, Mize moved constantly. He directed artillery fire over the radio. He adjusted fields of fire for every surviving crew. He kept pressure on the attackers. When dawn broke, he led the counterattack that cleared the trench and drove the enemy off the hill.
He fought for over ten hours with no sleep, multiple injuries, and almost no food or water. By morning, the outpost was still in American hands.
For his actions on June 10 and 11, 1953, Sergeant Ola L. Mize was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Before Korea, Mize tried to enlist in the Army but was rejected for being underweight. He kept trying. In 1950, he finally got in and volunteered for the airborne. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division before transferring to the 15th Infantry in Korea.
After the war, he stayed in the Army. He became an officer in 1956. He volunteered for Special Forces and served three combat tours in Vietnam. He later helped build the Army’s advanced special operations training programs, including the Combat Diver Qualification Course in Key West.
Mize retired in 1981 as a colonel after more than 30 years of service.
His awards included the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge (second award), Master Parachutist Badge, SCUBA Badge, and Ranger Tab.
He died on March 12, 2014, at age 82.
