US honors 91-year-old for saving wounded GI in Korean War

Lim Chang-soo, center, who saved a wounded American soldier during the 1950-53 Korean War, receives a medal from Sejong City Mayor Choi Min-ho, right, at Sejong City Hall, Monday. Courtesy of Sejong City

Lim Chang-soo, 91, who saved a wounded American soldier during the 1950-53 Korean War, was honored by the United States 75 years later for his act of heroism.

The Sejong city government said Tuesday that Lim was presented with the U.S. Army’s Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service during the ROK-U.S. Alliance Conference last week. He also received a Scroll of Appreciation from Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of U.S. Forces Korea.

After the 1950 Battle of the Kum River, Lim discovered Sgt. Ralph Kilpatrick, then 27, who had injured his ankle while retreating and was hiding in a mountainous area that is today part of Sejong.

At first, Lim carried food up the mountain each day, but as the fighting intensified and North Korean troops moved into the area, he took Kilpatrick into his home to keep him safe.

After caring for him for 77 days — both in the mountains and at his home — Lim handed Kilpatrick over to advancing U.S. forces on Oct. 1, 1950, following the Incheon Landing Operation, a surprise amphibious assault that turned the tide in favor of U.N. forces.

In 1972, the two reconnected through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul and exchanged letters until Kilpatrick died of a heart attack in 1975. Years later, Lim was contacted by Kilpatrick’s sister, who told him her brother had left him an inheritance, but he declined it.

The U.S. government decided to honor Lim about two months after Lt. Col. Michael Poling of the U.S. 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade heard his story at a memorial ceremony.

Poling quickly relayed the story to Washington, and after a prompt review, the U.S. government decided to recognize Lim’s sacrifice and humanitarian spirit for risking his life to save a wounded soldier during the war.

“The friendship between the American soldier who risked his life to defend Korea’s freedom and the patriotic citizen who helped him will remain a living symbol of the Korea-U.S. alliance,” Sejong Mayor Choi Min-ho said. “The city will continue to do its utmost to honor and support those who sacrificed for the nation’s defense.”