Aubrey Lee Gibson
Corporal, U.S. Army

In August 1950, Corporal Aubrey Lee Gibson was serving with Battery A, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Regimental Combat Team, in Korea.

On 12 August, CPL Gibson's unit was engaged with enemy forces near Pongam-ni, Korea, where numerically superior forces, supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire, launched an attack against the position of Battery A. CPL Gibson secured a 3.5 rocket launcher and moved forward to an exposed position to deliver fire on the advancing enemy. He destroyed three machine-gun nests before exhausting his ammunition. He then moved to a .50 caliber machine-gun mounted on a truck and directed heavy and accurate fire on the enemy until he was wounded by an anti-tank shell. When the position was overrun, forcing a withdrawal, CPL Gibson could not be located. His courageous actions earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals and Awards

Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Corporal Aubrey Lee Gibson (ASN: RA-18107630), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Battery A, 555th Field Artillery Battalion, 5th Regimental Combat Team. Corporal Gibson distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces near Pongam-ni, Korea, on 12 August 1950. On that date, numerically superior enemy forces, supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire, launched an attack against the position of Battery A. Without regard for his personal safety and despite the heavy fire, Corporal Gibson secured a 3.5 rocket launcher, moving forward to an exposed position to deliver fire on the advancing enemy. He destroyed three machine-gun nests before exhausting his ammunition. He then moved to a 50 caliber machine-gun mounted on a truck and continued to direct accurate fire on the enemy until he was wounded by an anti-tank shell. When the position was overrun, forcing a withdrawal, Corporal Gibson could not be located. The extraordinary heroism displayed by Corporal Gibson on this occasion reflects the highest credit on himself and the military service.

General Orders: Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 68 (September 15, 1950)

Memorialization

The remains of Corporal Aubrey Lee Gibson have never been recovered. He is memorialized by having his name inscribed on Court 6 of the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, HI.

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