The Last Stand of Fox Co.
The Last Stand of Fox Company
The story of Fox Company’s last stand in the frozen hills of northern Korea serves as an inspiration to Marines everywhere, reinforcing their already mightily proud history. As a testament to the human will in the face of overwhelming forces of opposition it stands equally high as the courageous acts of Iwo Jima, Belleau Wood, and Khe Sanh. It is the epitome of bravery which the United States is built upon. It is these four battles which the USMC devoted to signature sections in the 20th century at the new National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The fact that the events at Fox Hill are some of the last instances of America’s direct conflict with the populous and continually advancing Chinese military gives us some foresight into the extreme dangers of an open war with the new super power. The resolve of both armies was unparalleled; the acts of heroism will live on forever; the loss of life was enormous.
This story teaches today’s Marines how to fight like Marines as well as why this service holds so many honors. The never say die attitude of every man on that hill is proof why the Marines are America’s elite, because they can take every hardship that God and the world can throw at them and still have the ingrained training, espirit de corps, and badass attitude to fire back, keep moving, and never give up.
There were many heroes at the battle of Fox Hill but one Private Hector Cafferata’s story stands above them all. On the first night at Fox Hill, Cafferata found his foxhole surrounded by the enemy as the Chinese passed through the gaps in the American lines during the first night of the attack. “Two enemy riflemen reached the lip of their hole; Cafferata clubbed them with his shovel. One of them dropped a Thompson submachine gun. Cafferata picked it up and emptied it into another approaching squad” (86). He and his foxhole buddy retreated back to a slit trench they had
The story of Fox Company’s last stand in the frozen hills of northern Korea serves as an inspiration to Marines everywhere, reinforcing their already mightily proud history. As a testament to the human will in the face of overwhelming forces of opposition it stands equally high as the courageous acts of Iwo Jima, Belleau Wood, and Khe Sanh. It is the epitome of bravery which the United States is built upon. It is these four battles which the USMC devoted to signature sections in the 20th century at the new National Museum of the Marine Corps.
The fact that the events at Fox Hill are some of the last instances of America’s direct conflict with the populous and continually advancing Chinese military gives us some foresight into the extreme dangers of an open war with the new super power. The resolve of both armies was unparalleled; the acts of heroism will live on forever; the loss of life was enormous.
This story teaches today’s Marines how to fight like Marines as well as why this service holds so many honors. The never say die attitude of every man on that hill is proof why the Marines are America’s elite, because they can take every hardship that God and the world can throw at them and still have the ingrained training, espirit de corps, and badass attitude to fire back, keep moving, and never give up.
There were many heroes at the battle of Fox Hill but one Private Hector Cafferata’s story stands above them all. On the first night at Fox Hill, Cafferata found his foxhole surrounded by the enemy as the Chinese passed through the gaps in the American lines during the first night of the attack. “Two enemy riflemen reached the lip of their hole; Cafferata clubbed them with his shovel. One of them dropped a Thompson submachine gun. Cafferata picked it up and emptied it into another approaching squad” (86). He and his foxhole buddy retreated back to a slit trench they had