Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient. He was serving as a Private First Class with the United States Army in Company I, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, when he was awarded his Medal of Honor posthumously for service at Tongmang-ni, South Korea, during the Korean War on April 25, 1951. He was born one of nine children as Charles Leon Gilliland in Colfax, Arkansas, near Mountain Home, Arkansas, to Leon "Carl" Gilliland (1907-1974), and his wife Evangeline Marguerite 'Eva" Martin Gilliland (1904-1996), on May 24, 1933. His father worked as a farmer and in construction while his mother worked as a nurse's aide. He was educated locally and his family later moved to Marion County, Arkansas, when he was a teenager. While growing up, he enjoyed fishing, and hunting, he became a fitness enthusiast, and also shared a strong interest in a career in law enforcement or the military. He tried to enlist in the United States Marine Corps at the age of sixteen but was turned away and was persuaded to finish his education first. Following much convincing to his parents he was finally able to enlist in the United States Army on the occasion of his seventeenth birthday on May 24, 1950. By the time had joined the United States Army in Yellville, Arkansas, and attended basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas, the Korean War had started only one month later. He was a Private First Class with the United States Army in Company I, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division when sent overseas to Asia by the end of the year. He was deployed in Korea when he was wounded, and in one instance he also carried to safety a fellow soldier who had lost both of his legs. On April 25, 1951, Private First Class Charles Leon Gilliland's company came under attack near Tongmang-ni, Korea, from a numerically superior Chinese force. From his defensive position, Private First Class Charles Leon Gilliland had a clear view of the defile through which many of the attackers were approaching. Using his automatic rifle, he fired continuously into the defile, even after suffering a severe head wound while chasing down two Chinese soldiers who had breached the defensive line. When orders came to pull back, he voluntarily stayed behind and provided covering fire so that the rest of his unit could withdraw. He was never seen again The United States Army initially thought that Private First Class Charles Leon Gilliland was Missing In Action or captured by the Chinese. He was posthumously given the rank of Corporal in 1952. The United States Army also wanted to award him a Medal of Honor for his heroics and bravery but they held off on the announcement of the award for fear that he would be punished if his captors learned of his deeds. After the hostilities had ceased and no trace of Private First Class Charles Leon Gilliland was found he was declared dead in 1954. He was finally awarded his Medal of Honor posthumously during a ceremony at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in December of 1954. He was the youngest Medal of Honor Recipient of the Korean War, having earned the award one month shy of his eighteenth birthday. His Medal of Honor Citation reads-"Cpl. Gilliland, a member of Company I, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. A numerically superior hostile force launched a coordinated assault against his company perimeter, the brunt of which was directed up a defile covered by his automatic rifle. His assistant was killed by enemy fire but Cpl. Gilliland, facing the full force of the assault, poured a steady fire into the foe which stemmed the onslaught. When 2 enemy soldiers escaped his raking fire and infiltrated the sector, he leaped from his foxhole, overtook and killed them both with his pistol. Sustaining a serious head wound in this daring exploit, he refused medical attention and returned to his emplacement to continue his defense of the vital defile. His unit was ordered back to new defensive positions but Cpl. Gilliland volunteered to remain to cover the withdrawal and hold the enemy at bay. His heroic actions and indomitable devotion to duty prevented the enemy from completely overrunning his company positions. Cpl. Gilliland's incredible valor and supreme sacrifice reflect lasting glory upon himself and are in keeping with the honored traditions of the military service." For his military service, he was also awarded the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Korean Service Medal with 3 Campaign Stars, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea War Service Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal. On May 24, 1997, which would have been his 64th birthday, The United States Navy christened the transport ship, "USNS Gilliland" (T-AKR 298) in his honor. To date, his body has never been recovered and he is remembered at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the Courts of the Missing Court 8, his name is inscribed on the National Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and he is remembered with a cenotaph at Layton Cemetery in Yellville, Arkansas, near the graves of his parents and a few of his siblings. At the service in Layton Cemetery in Yellville, Arkansas, his family, friends, and veterans, gathered in his honor. He was remembered as, "There are many dates in the history of our great nation, and although few Americans will know the heroism of Cpl. Gilliland on that April day in 1951, we are here today to know and honor his life and memory," "We're here to celebrate a heritage and a sure knowledge that men like Charles Gilliland felt that what we believe in was important enough to die for," Rev. Dr. Thomas Yoder told those in attendance while officiating the service. "How can we do less?" and "He was very brave," Mears said of her late brother. "For a 17-year-old boy, I can't even imagine. He's my hero."