US Army Richard Cavazos: Medal of Honor Recipient Korean War

Welcome back, everyone!  Before we get into today’s main story, I want to share the audio from the YouTube short we released on the Duty & Valor YouTube channel about US Army SFC Chriss Carr and his heroic actions during WWII.  

Chris Carr, a SGT at the time, was leading a squad from Company L, 337th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division from Oct 1-2, 1944 as they faced a heavily defended ridgeline in Italy. 

When his platoon was pinned down by heavy mortar, machine gun, and rifle fire, Sgt Carr took decisive action. Advancing ahead of his squad, he maneuvered around the left flank to locate and neutralize the enemy gun positions.

Under relentless fire, he crawled to the rear of a machine gun position and launched a surprise attack with his submachine gun. He captured eight enemy soldiers, turned them over to his squad, and pressed on alone toward a second machine gun. 

Despite being discovered and subjected to intense direct fire, he sprang to his feet, weaving and crouching as he advanced while firing. His attack killed four defenders and forced the surrender of another.

Not being done yet, he moved toward a third machine gun under heavy fire. With a thunderous shout and a burst of gunfire, he stormed the position, paralyzing the defenders. All four gunners surrendered immediately. 

Still pushing forward, he targeted a high ground occupied by two more machine guns firing on his company below. Charging the first position, he killed four crew members and captured three. The remaining six defenders at the adjacent gun, shocked by the ferocity of his assault, surrendered without a fight.

Through his heroic, single-handed assault, Sergeant Carr captured five enemy machine-gun positions, killed eight soldiers, took 22 prisoners, and cleared the ridge, paving the way for his company’s advance. His actions drove a deep wedge into the enemy line, enabling his battalion to secure critical, commanding ground.

For his actions that day, Sgt Chris Carr was awarded the Medal of Honor.  Chris Carr survived the war and was later promoted to SFC.  He served in the Army until 1953 and passed away on Sep. 16, 1970 at the age of 56.

In addition to SFC Chris Carr, their family is proud to have three of his brothers also serve during WWII.  Constantine Karaberis was a US Navy RADM who was at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese surprise attack, Telemenos was a PFC in the Army seeing action Europe, and Nicholas a Machinist Mate 1C in the Navy who served with distinction during the D-Day landings on Jun. 6, 1944.

Now, in today’s main story, you'll hear the story of US Army General Richard Cavazos, a leader who fought alongside his troops in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Beyond the battlefield, he broke barriers and set the standard for leadership and mentorship throughout his Army career. This is his story.

Early Years

Richard Cavazos was born on Jan. 31, 1929 in Kingsville, Texas to parents Lauro Sr. and Tomasa Cavazos. His father was a WWI veteran who became a ranch foreman. Even though they faced hardships growing up on the ranch, his parents were able to put all of their children through college.

Following high school, Richard attended Texas Technological College, now known as Texas Tech.  While there he played on their football team and was a member of their ROTC program, graduating in 1951 with a bachelors degree in geology.

Upon graduating, he received a commission as a 2LT in the Army and began Basic Officer Training at Fort Benning in Georgia.  From there he was sent to Korea where he was given command of a Platoon in Company E, 2nd Battalion, 65th Infantry Regiment.  

Korean War

Growing up in a bilingual household, Lieutenant Cavazos was able to communicate effectively with the Puerto Rican soldiers who made up the majority of the 65th Infantry Regiment. While communication is always vital in the day-to-day operations of the Army, it became absolutely imperative during combat to ensure success.  Before he took command, a series of leaders struggled due to their inability to speak Spanish, leading to confusion and disorder.

On Feb. 25, 1953 Lt Cavazos was leading a small group of soldiers when they encountered enemy fire from a numerically superior force.  During the engagement, Lt Cavazos moved alone and captured a wounded enemy soldier that had been left behind after a previous fire fight had forced his comrades to retreat. For this he was awarded a Silver Star.

Months later on June 14, 1953, LT Cavazos was in command of Company E  when they faced a heavily entrenched enemy at Hill 412 near Outpost Harry, 60 miles northeast of Seoul. 

Faced with intense mortar and artillery fire, LT Cavazos led his company on an attack directly at the enemy lines.  With heavy fire directed at the defenders, Company E was able to reach their trenches.  Upon entering the trenches, they were faced with a determined enemy resulting in fierce hand to hand combat.

Not long after, the mortar and artillery intensified and was hitting Company E’s position, forcing Lt Cavazos withdraw his men.  After regrouping, he led the company on two more attacks which effectively destroyed fortifications and neutralized many enemy combatants.  

Lt Cavazos then received the order to withdraw his company, which he did.  However, he remained alone to ensure all men were accounted for.  Facing enemy fire, LT Cavazos remained alone at the enemy outpost.  After some time was able to locate five wounded soldiers.  One by one he led each casualty to a nearby hill where friendly forces were able to recover them.

After saving those five men, Lt Cavazos returned to the outpost to search for more soldiers.  There he found a group of men who had been separated from their unit during the attack.  He then led them to safety before returning to the battlefield as he was told there were still others unaccounted for.  Again he found a small group of soldiers and led them to friendly lines.      

Lt Cavazos then returned to the battlefield two more times until he was sure no one was left behind.  It wasn’t until this point that he allowed himself to receive treatment for wounds he sustained during the attack.  

For his actions that night, Lt Cavzos was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross.

Lt Cavazos survived the war and was still in the Army when the US began military operations in Vietnam.

Vietnam 

By Feb. 1967, he was now a Lt Col and was given command of the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment. 

Later that year, on Oct. 20, 1967 Col. Cavazos was leading his battalion in combat near the Cambodian border.  That day he was tasked with conducting a search and destroy operation in a large rubber plantation.  

As they moved through it, one of his companies was engaged by a battalion sized force which was heavily entrenched on a hill.  Col. Cavazos then quickly led the remainder of the battalion to aid the beleaguered company and they arrived just as the enemy began an assault on their position.   

Col Cavazos faced heavy fire and shrapnel from grenades as he moved among his men directing the counterattack.  Seeing that their assault was untenable, the Viet Cong forces retreated back to their hillside positions.  At that time, Col. Cavazos called in artillery and air strikes to keep the enemy forces from retreating over the other side of the hill.   

He then led his men on an advance towards the hill and when the fighting was too close to continue the artillery and airstrikes, Col. Cavazos disregarded his own safety and personally led an assault on the enemy positions. 

The assault was so well executed that the Viet Cong soldiers were soon running from their trenches.   He then called in artillery fire on the hill, neutralizing the enemy as they ran away. 

For his leadership that resulted in inflicting maximum damage and capturing many enemy weapons, Lt Col Cavazos was awarded a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of his second Distinguished Service Cross. 

There is a quote about Col Cavazos that I feel sums up his legacy as a combat leader.  I couldn’t confirm what his rank was, but in an article on the Army website, Bill Fee who served under Col. Cavazos said “He was an atypical army officer in Vietnam… Most battalion commanders stood in the rear or in a helicopter above to direct the battle … [He] had nothing to do with that. He fought on the ground with his troops during battle … he was on the ground with us as we were facing the North Vietnamese Army.”

Following the Vietnam War Col. Cavazos was given command of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and then later the 9th Infantry Division.

In 1976 Richard Cavazos became the first Hispanic American to attain the rank of Brigadier General, and four years later in 1980, he was given command of the III Corps.

There are too many accomplishments to cover in this episode about Gen. Cavazos, both on and off the battlefield.  Though something I wanted to mention, was the impact he had on other Army officers.  He was known as a mentor and readily shared what he had learned during his career.  Even Gen. Colin Powell credited him with inspiring him to stay in the Army and guiding him during challenging periods in his career.

 In 1982 Gen. Cavazos received his fourth star, again becoming the first Hispanic-American to attain that rank.

He then became the commander of the US Army Forces Command and helped develop the Battle Command Training Program which is credited with improving the Army’s war fighting capabilities.

After 33 years of distinguished service, Gen. Richard Cavazos retired from the Army on Jun. 17, 1984.

The following year, President Reagan appointed Gen. Cavazos to the Chemical Warfare Review Committee.  He also served on the Board of Regents at Texas Tech University.

On Oct. 29, 2017 Gen. Richard Cavazos died at the age of 88 in San Antonio, Tx and is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

In 2021, the Defense Authorization Act led to the renaming of military installations that were named to commemorate those who served the Confederacy during the Civil War.  This led to Fort Hood, TX being renamed Fort Cavazos on May 9, 2023 in honor of Gen. Cavazos’ service to our nation. 

While planning this story, I wasn’t aware of the effort to upgrade Gen. Cavazos’ first Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor, so I was surprised to discover his name on a list of seven soldiers who received the award on January 3 of this year.  Gen. Cavazos was one of the six whose medals were upgraded posthumously, with Army Specialist Kenneth David as the only surviving recipient on the list.  

Among the medals and awards that Gen. Cavazos earned during his military career were the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Army Distinguished Service Medal, and two Silver Stars.

General Richard Cavazos exemplified the very best of what it means to be a leader, a soldier, and an American. Rising from humble beginnings, he broke barriers. His courage under fire, earning him the Medal of Honor, was matched only by his unwavering dedication to his troops, always leading from the front and putting their welfare above his own. His legacy serves as a powerful reminder that greatness is not defined by accolades or rank but by a commitment to those around you.

Outro:

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor.  To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.  

If you want to listen to our episodes early, we release new episodes on the Duty & Valor YouTube channel on Fridays at 5pm.  Also, on our channel we release daily YouTube shorts that highlight our Nation’s heroes, most of whom haven’t been featured on the show yet. 

Be sure to like, follow, and share our episodes and please join us for our next episode, where we'll be sharing the inspiring story of another American hero who served with pride and lived with humility.