Medal of Honor Monday: Army Cpl. Luther H. Story

Army Cpl. Luther H. Story, an infantryman, posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Korean War.

Story was born July 20, 1932, in Buena Vista, Georgia. His parents were Mark and Florence, both sharecroppers in Plains, Georgia, on land owned by James Earl Carter Sr., the father of future President Jimmy Carter. 

The family later moved to Americus, Georgia, where Story attended Americus High School. He left school during his sophomore year in 1948 when he was only 16 to enlist in the Army. His mother falsified his birthdate so he could join.  

Story completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and his first duty station was Fort Lewis, Washington, where he was assigned to Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.

His unit departed Seattle, July 17, 1950, aboard the troop transport ship USNS General John Pope and arrived in Busan (formerly Pusan), South Korea, July 23, 1950. The Korean War had started June 25, 1950, just a month earlier.  

Pfc. Luther Story was a squad leader. On Sept. 1, 1950, the date of his Medal of Honor valorous action, his company was near Agok, a village on the Nakdong River, during the Battle of Yongsan. 

His citation notes that the 9th Infantry Regiment was attacked by three divisions of the North Korean People’s Army. 

Company A fought off several banzai attacks but was bypassed and in danger of being cut off and surrounded.  

Story was heavily engaged in stopping the early attacks and had just moved his squad to a position overlooking the Nakdong River, when he observed a large number of enemy soldiers crossing the river to attack his company.  

Seizing a machine gun from his wounded gunner, he used it to kill or wound an estimated 100 enemy soldiers, according to his citation. Facing certain encirclement, the company commander ordered a withdrawal.  

During the withdrawal, Story noticed an enemy truck approaching, loaded with troops and towing an ammunition trailer. Alerting his comrades to take cover, he fearlessly stood in the middle of the road, throwing grenades into the truck.

When he ran out of grenades, he crawled to his squad, gathered additional grenades and attacked the vehicle again. The company was attacked by superior numbers and forced to deploy into a rice field. Story was wounded in this action, but, disregarding his wounds, rallied his men, who repelled the attack.  

Realizing that his wounds would hamper his comrades’ movements, he refused to retire to the next position, remaining to cover the company’s retreat, which was successful. When last seen, he was firing every weapon available and fighting off another hostile assault. It was assumed he died at his position. 

On June 21, 1951, General of the Army Omar Bradley presented the Medal of Honor to Story’s father at the Pentagon. Story was posthumously promoted to corporal. 

For decades, Story’s remains were unaccounted for. The Army issued a presumptive finding of death Sept. 1, 1953, and his remains were determined to be nonrecoverable. 

In October 1950, 11 sets of remains were recovered near Sangdepo, South Korea, and eight sets were identified. One set of remains was thought to be Story, but investigators at the Central Identification Unit in Kokura, Japan, did not have enough identifying data to identify him positively. Those unknown remains were later buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. 

On April 6, 2023, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that Story’s remains had been identified. 

To make the identification, DPAA scientists used dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists used mitochondrial DNA analysis obtained from relatives.

Story was buried at Andersonville National Cemetery in Andersonville, Georgia, May 29, 2023. Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Carden, adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, spoke at the funeral.  

“Cpl. Story left us a legacy that we must honor and uphold if we hope to remain the most free and prosperous nation on Earth,” Carden said. “Today is a physical demonstration that America never forgets its heroes.”  

Story’s Medal of Honor is displayed at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia, just outside the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia. 

President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a ceremony April 25, 2023, at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, and met with Story’s relatives.