Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.: Korean War Hero

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Following the Japanese surrender ending World War II on September 2, 1945, the U.S. Army was reduced to just 10 divisions, with four of them, the 7th, 24th and 25th Infantry divisions and the 1st Cavalry Division, stationed in Japan on occupation duty. With the war over, Americans generally thought there was no real need to keep more troops on active duty — that is, until 0400 hours on June 25, 1950, when Communist troops of the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) surged over the 38th parallel to invade South Korea.

The 24th Infantry Division, stationed on the Japanese island of Kyushu, was already on alert on June 30, when President Harry S. Truman ordered it to South Korea. Among its soldiers was an American Indian World War II Marine veteran, Pfc Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.

Born on July 2, 1924, in Hatfield, Wis., Mitchell was a member of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nation and the eldest of three sons born to Mitchell Red Cloud Sr. and Lillian Winneshiek. “During his younger years he liked to hunt, fish and all the other things young boys liked to do,” recalled his nephew, Merlin Red Cloud. “Friends and relatives tell that he was easygoing and fun loving, and no one could recall him showing any anger.”

At age 16, Mitchell Jr. dropped out of high school and, with his father’s permission, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on August 11, 1941. His Ho-Chunk lifestyle, his hunting skills and his great physical shape helped him excel as a Marine. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, Red Cloud was stationed at Camp Elliott in San Diego in the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. His skills eventually gave him easy entry into Lt. Col. Evans Carlson’s 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, also known as Carlson’s Raiders.

On September 6, 1942, the entire 2nd Marine Raider Battalion was on its way to Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides group. On November 4, 1942, the Raiders arrived at Guadalcanal, their mission to silence artillery that was firing on Henderson Field. After a month-long trek through the jungles, the Raiders found and eliminated the enemy artillery. They also killed nearly 500 Japanese soldiers, destroyed enemy supplies and severed the enemy’s lines of communication. The battalion lost 19 men killed and 122 wounded in the course of the mission.

Like many of his comrades, Pfc Red Cloud brought back a very bad case of malaria, jaundice and a host of other tropi­cal diseases. He lost 75 pounds, and on January 14, 1943, he was ordered home for evaluation. In February he was offered a medical discharge, which he declined. As soon as he was able, he returned to active duty, this time as a member of A Company, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division. At Okinawa, on May 17, 1945, the war ended for Red Cloud with a Purple Heart when he took a bullet in his left shoulder.

“After receiving his honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, Red Cloud roamed Wisconsin, visiting relatives for about two years,” said Merlin Red Cloud. In 1948, Mitchell enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was sent to Japan. On July 3, 1950, he left for Korea and his second shooting war with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.

Corporal Red Cloud, now 25, was older than many of the men alongside whom he served. He was also a decorated veteran. Officers and enlisted men alike looked up to him. “From stories that our veterans who served with Mitchell in Korea [told], Mitchell was a leader who was always good-hearted and kind towards the Korean people whom he was attempting to help,” said Merlin Red Cloud. “He traded his rations with his comrades for their candy, which he would give to the Korean children.”

By the end of September 1950, the breakout at Pusan and the U.N. landings at Inchon had thrown the NKPA into full retreat, and the United Nations forces in Korea, under General Douglas MacArthur, were approaching the Yalu River, North Korea’s border with Chinese Manchuria. In late October, however, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) intervened in massive force on behalf of the faltering North Koreans. By November, plans were being made for the withdrawal of all U.N. troops in North Korea to below the Chongchon River. The bridgehead across the river was to be protected in case the U.N. troops were ordered to resume offensive action.

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Tags: Historical Conflicts, Korean War

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