Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth presents a framed Medal of Honor citation to Victoria Secrest, daughter of Medal of Honor Recipient Army Cpl. Fred McGee, at a Medal of Honor Hall of Heroes Induction ceremony in Conmy Hall on Joint Base Myer-Henderson, Arlington, Va., Jan. 5, 2025 (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
VIEW ORIGINAL
WASHINGTON — Like the heroes in comic books, Cpl. Fred McGee rescued others when the odds were stacked against him.
On June 16, 1952, McGee’s platoon leader and several Soldiers suffered wounds during an assault on Hill 528 near Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea. McGee, a machine gunner, then took command of his unit. When his replacement gunner became injured too, McGee returned to the machine gun and ordered his unit to leave.
McGee, an Ohio native, remained behind to defend the wounded. Finally, he moved a wounded Soldier to safety amid rampant enemy gunfire.
For his actions, President Joe Biden awarded McGee the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House, Jan. 3. Victoria Secrest accepted the award on her father’s behalf. On Jan. 4, the Defense Department inducted McGee into its Hall of Heroes.
Secrest campaigned for her father’s upgrade from a Silver Star to the Medal of Honor for more than 30 years, she said. McGee died June 3, 2020. After he separated from active duty in 1952, he went on to serve in the Army Reserve. Heroic Comics published illustrations of his valiant actions on Hill 528, and his skills as a baseball player earned him a tryout with the Kansas City Royals.
“It’s really something to wrap my head around that this is actually happening for him after he waited so many years,” Secrest said.
For his actions on Hill 528, McGee also received two Purple Hearts and was later inducted into the Purple Heart Hall of Fame.
RELATED LINKS:
