The funeral service of Pfc. Roger Gonzales, who served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War.

Today we honor the family, friends and service members, waiting for the funeral service of Pfc. Roger Gonzales, who served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War. Gonzales was killed in action on November 29, 1950, from Enemy sniper fire while attempting to find a lost comrade on Fox Hill, he was buried there shortly after. After the war, his remains were disinterred and returned to the US. On April 4, 2018 they were identified as Green Hills Cemetary, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Sept. 21, 2018 as its final resting place. (US Marine Corps photos by Sgt Miguel Rosales)

You want to understand the "last stand of Fox Company" and the hell they went thru to hold open that road?

Check out this article.

Want a full accounting of the fight?  Check out this book.

Prefer Amazon to the Marine Corps Association?  Click here.

Don't want to buy the book or read the article?  Want the cliff notes instead?

1st MarDiv was made up of about 10,000 Marines.  They were facing off...surrounded by 100, 000 Crack Communist Troops.  Fox Company was tasked with holding a narrow pass.  233 Marines started the fight.  Less than 80 finished it.

Fox Company was so spent by the end of the fighting that it took a dash from 1/7 to relieve the beleaguered company and to keep the pass open for the Division.

I'm just an arm chair history guy but to my eye it looks like the Marine Corps came scary close to losing a division during that fight.

You want to know where my fear of the Company Landing Team concept comes from?  It comes from this fight.  This was extremely localized and supporting units were relatively close, but even with that the enemy was able to isolate and punish this Marine Corps Infantry Company.

Afghanistan/Iraq is most recent.  WW2 is more celebrated.  Vietnam is more enshrined in the psyche of current leaders.

But Korea is perhaps the most instructive.

Want to know what to expect when you fight China?

Study the Korean War.