Bixler's last stand in the Korean War

During the Korean War, after losing the Cheonan area to North Korean forces, the U.S. 24th Infantry Division deployed its 21st Regiment along the Jeonui–Jochiwon line on July 9, 1950, launching a delaying operation using the rugged terrain of the Charyeong Mountains. The division's main defensive line was set along the Geum River, but additional troops stationed in Japan needed more time to arrive.

On that day, U.S. forces achieved a notable victory in the battle. With the arrival of 155 mm howitzers, they destroyed five North Korean tanks, a feat that 155 mm artillery could not have accomplished. Meanwhile, U.S. Air Force aircraft spotted and destroyed half of a convoy of North Korean military trucks halted on a road.

As a result, the North Korean offensive was delayed by a day. On July 10, North Korean forces resumed their assault, again led by tanks. Second Lt. Ray Bixler's 1st Platoon of Company A, 1st Battalion, encountered the main force of the enemy head-on. Bixler was a capable and deeply responsible officer. He engaged in fierce close-range combat, exchanging grenades and rifle fire with enemy troops, and ultimately repelled the attack. His platoon fought bravely for three hours, but a collapse in the adjacent unit's flank left them surrounded. Bixler radioed his regimental commander for permission to withdraw.

The commander, however, ordered him to hold the line, as Bixler was the only platoon leader he trusted. This order turned out to be a death sentence. The regiment later made desperate efforts to rescue Bixler by deploying the 3rd Battalion, but the entire platoon was wiped out without a trace. The fighting that continued through July 11 left the regiment severely weakened, with nearly all of its equipment lost.

Yet the most significant loss was not material. In a defeated unit, the most painful damage is not the retreat itself, but the death of soldiers like Bixler, those with skill and integrity, while the cowardly survive. Even if two-thirds of a unit remains, it cannot function if such individuals are gone. A nation or organization that fails to recognize and protect talent of this kind cannot endure.