Marines and all Americans should know the name of Army Lieutenant-Colonel John U. D. Page, who earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for his leadership at the Chosin Reservoir, when he repeatedly led from the front and exposed himself to enemy fire in covering the withdrawal of Marine units to Hungnam. Honor and remember him!

Page was born in the Philippines and grew up in St. Paul, MN. He wanted to go to West Point but could not attend because of bad eyesight. He went to Princeton, instead, and joined the Army Reserve.

Page spent much of the War at Fort Sill, as he was considered a highly effective teacher, though he managed to get to Europe to command an artillery battalion. He volunteered to go tot Korea, passing up a slot at the Command & Staff College. 

His citation is a relentless sequence of heroic and aggressive leadership. Page sought the enemy, assembling an ad hoc combat force from random Army stragglers, manning a machine gun to cover wounded evacuees at a makeshift airstrip, and dropping hand grenades on Chinese troops while flying in a spotter plane.

On the breakout, he stayed with the Marines in the rear guard, and repeatedly fired machine guns from exposed positions at ambushing Chinese troops. On December 10, when the convoy was stalled by yet another ambush, Upshur fought his way to front and directly assaulted the blocking troops, killing several and rallying the American forces before being mortally wounded.

In addition to the Army’s Medal of Honor, Upshur received the Navy Cross for his actions at the Chosen Reservoir. Please honor and remember John Upshur Dennis Page, a great American hero and leader!