--- title: "This Marine batted away a dozen grenades with an E-tool in Korean War battle" description: "Pvt. Hector Albert Cafferata Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor after facing an overwhelming attack on Thanksgiving Day in Korea." date: "2024-11-29" modified: "2024-11-29" authors: - name: "Joshua Skovlund" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/joshua-skovlund/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/history/marine-korean-war-moh/" categories: - "History" tags: - "adsafety" --- # This Marine batted away a dozen grenades with an E-tool in Korean War battle ![Pvt. Hector Cafferata, a Medal of Honor recipient.]() *Pvt. Hector Cafferata repelled a regimental sized ambush in the middle of the night on Nov. 28, 1950. USMC photos.* On Thanksgiving 74 years ago, at the height of the Korean War, the sound of gunfire abruptly woke Marine Pvt. Hector Albert Cafferata Jr. He and his squad held Fox Hill during the [Battle of Chosin Reservoir](), and a regimental-sized Chinese People's Volunteer Army — a [force of approximately 1,400 soldiers ]()— sprung an ambush two hours past midnight. Cafferata, then 23, was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division. He and over 200 Marines were tasked with protecting the Toktong Pass, an escape route through the Nangnim Mountains near the Chosin Reservoir in modern-day North Korea. An initial hail of gunfire, grenades, and mortars knocked out nearly everyone in Cafferata’s squad, creating a weak spot in the defense perimeter, but Cafferata continued fighting, without a jacket in the pre-dawn winter cold. The [Washington Post reported]() that fellow wounded Marine Kenneth Benson was initially blinded by a grenade blast during the attack but continued helping Cafferata by reloading his rifle. Cafferata also landed on a desperate but ingenious way to send enemy grenades back toward the enemy. “For the rest of the night, I was batting hand grenades away with my entrenching tool while firing my rifle,” Cafferata said in a 2001 interview with Florida’s Charlotte Sun newspaper. “I must have whacked a dozen grenades that night with my tool. And you know what? I was the world’s worst baseball player.” Described as “Stouthearted and indomitable” in his [Medal of Honor award citation](), Cafferata managed to repel the ambush single-handedly, though it was temporary. The Chinese soldiers launched a vicious second wave in the morning hours. During the fierce fighting, a grenade landed near a group of wounded Marines, and Cafferata threw it back under heavy fire. This time, it detonated after leaving his hand and severely wounded his right arm and hand with shrapnel. That didn’t stop him, though. ![]() *Pvt. Hector Cafferata was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions defending Fox Hill during the Korean War on Nov. 28, 1950. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)* “Courageously ignoring the intense pain, he staunchly fought on until he was struck by a sniper's bullet and forced to submit to evacuation for medical treatment,” reads the award citation. Before getting evacuated, Cafferata is credited with killing 15 enemy soldiers and wounding several others. In Peter Collier's 2003 book "[Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty]()," Cafferata's Marine officers recalled how they counted about 100 dead Chinese soldiers where he had held the line. Still, they did not report that number because “they thought that no one would believe it.” The Washington Post reported that Cafferata spent 18 months recovering in military hospitals. President Harry S. Truman presented him with the Medal of Honor on November 24, 1952. He passed away on [April 12, 2016, in Venice, Florida](). ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **We showed the new Marine Corps recruiting ad to some teenagers.** [**Here’s what they thought of it**]()**.** - **Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who commanded 82nd Airborne in Kabul, caught by** [**Senate hold**]() **for fourth star** - **The Army built a** [**giant concrete pyramid**]() **in North Dakota and only used it for six months** - [**Navy fires**]() **commander of E-2 Hawkeye squadron for “loss of confidence”** - **Bears got into a food locker at an Alaska Army base and left a** [**huge mess**]() ## Author Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Task & Purpose and a prior U.S. Army forward observer. He has been covering the military, veterans, and first responders for over three years, reporting on assignment from Ukraine during the opening salvo of the Russian invasion, multinational military exercises in Germany, and during the 2020 civil unrest in Minneapolis. His previous bylines include *Coffee or Die Magazine* and *Outdoor Life*. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [Twitter]()