Army 1st Lt. Richard Thomas Shea Jr. was a decorated U.S. Military Academy distance runner who could have been an Olympian but instead decided to fulfill his obligation to the Army by serving during the Korean War. He lost his life during a dayslong battle there, and his courage and leadership led to a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Shea was born Jan. 3, 1927, in Portsmouth, Virginia, to Mary and Richard Shea Sr. He grew up on a farm with two brothers, Robert and William, who both served during World War II.
As a child, Shea liked riding horses and swimming when he wasn't helping his family on the farm. He was also an altar boy for the Catholic Church.
Shea was a smart and popular student at Churchland High School in 1944. He was the senior class president and graduated second in his class.
After attending a few semesters at Virginia Tech University, Shea decided to enlist in the Army in 1945, serving in the 53rd Constabulary Regiment in Nuremberg, Germany, as World War II came to an end. While there, the young soldier became interested in running cross-country and started competing in races.
When Shea returned to the U.S. in 1948, he received an appointment to attend the U.S. Military Academy and quickly became one of West Point's great distance runners. During his tenure at the school, he won 16 major championship races and set seven academy track records. He was ranked among the country's top runners and even beat Olympic gold medalist Horace Ashenfelter in the steeplechase — a footrace of 3,000 meters over hurdles and a water jump.
Shea was eventually invited to join the U.S. Olympic track team, qualifying for the 1952 games in the 10,000-meter race, according to West Point. However, he rejected the invitation so he could go right into service as a soldier.
Shea graduated with honors from the academy in June 1952. Around the same time, he married Joyce Reimann.
About a year later, Shea was sent to Korea, where the U.S. and United Nations forces were at a stalemate with North Korea in a battle to contain communism. Shea was assigned to Company A of the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He had only been in the country a few weeks before he gave his life for the cause.
On the night of July 6, 1953, Shea was serving as his company's executive officer near Sokkogae, Korea. The soldiers were reinforcing defensive positions on what was known as Pork Chop Hill when they were attacked by a much larger enemy force.
Shea immediately moved to the area that was most threatened and began organizing and leading a counterattack. In the bitter fighting that ensued, he killed two hostile soldiers with his trench knife. According to his Medal of Honor citation, Shea calmly moved among his soldiers, checking their positions and urging them to hold firm as they continued to fight throughout the night.
Despite heavy enemy losses, the hostile forces were determined to push forward. At dawn, they made an all-out attempt to overrun defending troops.
But Shea's men were ready. They charged forward to meet the challenge and drove the enemy back. That afternoon, Shea integrated more soldiers from another company into the unit to reinforce their stance. Soon after, he and about 20 men again charged the enemy.
Shea was wounded in this attack, but he refused to be evacuated and continued to lead the counterattack. According to his citation, "When the assaulting element was pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire, he personally rushed the emplacement and, firing his carbine and lobbing grenades with deadly accuracy, neutralized the weapon and killed three of the enemy."
Shea kept his men in place and had them hold their position throughout the night. On July 8, the enemy attacked again. Despite suffering more injuries, Shea launched another forceful counterattack. He was last seen in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy before being reported missing in action.
A few weeks later, an armistice was signed, ending hostilities in the country.
According to a 1955 article in the Norfolk, Virginia, newspaper, The Virginia-Pilot, Shea's body was found on Nov. 12. He was returned to the U.S. and buried in Olive Branch Cemetery in his hometown, June 9, 1954.
Shea's courage and leadership were a huge inspiration to those with whom he served. On May 16, 1955, his widow received the Medal of Honor on his behalf during a ceremony on the parade grounds in Fort Myer, Virginia.
The couple's son, Richard III, was born after Shea was reported missing, according to a 1955 article in the Norfolk-based newspaper, The Ledger-Star. During the Medal of Honor ceremony, Joyce Shea told the Associated Press that she was proud of her husband, saying, "I know that my son will someday be equally as proud of what his daddy did."
The Army community continues to honor Shea's heroics. In 1958, West Point dedicated its track and field complex in his honor. It remains named Shea Stadium to this day.
A display honoring Shea was also erected outside his high school in 2008.
This article is part of a weekly series called "Medal of Honor Monday," in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military's highest medal for valor.