Memorials › SFC Edward John "Ed" Chmelka

SFC Edward John "Ed" Chmelka

27 Jul 1916 – 27 Sep 1950

Birth	27 Jul 1916
Death	27 Sep 1950
Cemetery	National Bohemian Cemetery Newman Township , Saunders County , Nebraska , USA
Added by	lee martinson on 23 Feb 2011
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64808830

Bio

SFC EDWARD J. CHMELKA, Company E, 23rd IR, 2nd ID, is awarded (posthumously) the Bronze Star with V device for heroic achievement on 19 September 1950 in the vicinity of Sanden-ri, Korea. On that date SGT Vhmelka was leading his rifle squad in an attack upon enemy-held ground. During the advance the squad was subjected to such intense enemy mortar fire that it was pinned down and was unable to continue the assault. Disregarding the heavy mortar fire falling all about him, SGT Chmelka left his covered position and skillfully maneuvered his squad to safety. He then established contact with his platoon and, having done so, continued to lead his squad forward. Following his courageous leadership his men moved forward and, in a final rush, overran the enemy positions and secured their objective . . . Home of the record: Saunders County, NE. (Sgt. Chmelka, 34, was killed in action 27 September. He is buried at the National Bohemian Cemetery at Touhy, where his gravestone indicates he received a Silver Star, possibly an upgrade.)-From "Prairie Boys at War: Korea" By M.M. Helm. One of MacArthur's loyal troops in four major campaigns, including the Philippines, was my uncle Sgt. Edward J. Chmelka. Ed enlisted in the US Army before America entered the war and proudly fought under MacArthur's command as a tank commander and infantry squad leader. During three years of bloody fighting, he received the Silver Star, Infantry Combat Medal and two Purple HEarts for his meritorious services. After MacArthur's success in the Philippines, Ed purchased a souvenir: a bronze heart-shaped ring with the name "Manila" inscribed on top, now one of my prized mementoes. During Korea: My Uncle was in the 2nd Infantry Division pushing Northwest from Pusan to the area of Anui. There, the American troops encountered heavy resistance as waves of North Koreans charged fearlessly, seemingly in disregard for their own lives. The attacks generally occurred after midnight, lasting till dawn. My uncle wrote: "You kill them and they still keep coming -- they just don't seem to care." Ed was wounded on September 5th, but was being rushed back into battle, as he wrote my father: "I am going back to duty in a few days, so hope I don't get killed -- many of the boys are getting it." Sgt. Ed Chmelka was among the first of the American troops from Japan to reach the Korean battlefield on August 5th. On September 15, 1950, C-I-C MacArthur launched a brilliant amphibios invasion behind enemy lines to the port city of Inch'on on South Korea's coast 25 miles west of Seoul. . . . My Uncle wrote of this battle on September 22nd from Anui, saying: "Things were sure rough here lately but it feels good to fight for a good cause. Seems like we have them running now but we all hope it ends soon and we can come home again. Many Americans have died here in Korea. It's a lot worse than the last war, but we hope it won't last too long. This morning I was to Communion. We have a missionary with us who spent 16 years here in Korea. He sure is a swell guy." Five days later, Sgt. Ed Chmelka was reported missing in action. On November 24, 1953, the Chmelka family received official notification that Sgt. Ed Chmelka had died in action on September 27, 1950. It had been difficult to recover and identify fallen Americans during the war, but now that it was over, my uncle Ed's remains were shipped to Nebraska to lie next to the graves of his father and mother. My father was skeptical that the remains were those of his young brother until he saw the bronze heart-shaped ring with the name "Manila" inscribed on its top. -Memories from "Matej's Legacy" by Donald Chmelka

Inscription

NEBRASKA SFC CO E 23 INF 2 INF DIV WORLD WAR II KOREA SS BSM & 1 OLC 2 PH & 2 OLC

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