FIRST LIEUTENANT PAUL E. CLAWSON, Infantry, U.S.Army, while a member of Company F, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, distiguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Seoul, Korea, on 21 May 1951. Company F was given the mission of attacking and securing Hill 329, held by a well-entrenched and determined enemy force. As the assaulting elements fought their way up the slope, handicapped by the slippery footing caused by an earlier rain, they suddenly came under a heavy volume of small-arms and automatic-weapons fire that effectively pinned them down. Realizing that the present position was untenable, Lieutenant Clawson immediately moved to the head of his unit and rallied his men. Leading them in a massed assault against the final objective, he personally killed three enemy soldiers that had been holding up their advance. As the attack continued, Lieutenant Clawson observed one of his men fall wounded. Unhesitatingly, he moved through the intense enemy fire and carried the injured man to safety. Returning, he picked up the wounded man’s weapon and continued to lead the assault until he was shot and instantly killed by a burst of fire from an enemy machine gun. Due to Lieutenant Clawson’s selfless courage and inspiring leadership, the objective was won shortly after he fell. The extraordinary heroism displayed by Lieutenant Clawson in this action reflected great credit upon himself and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

Lieutenant Clawson’s posthumous membership was sponsored by William P. McCraney, DSC and Willis Jackson, DSC, both members of the Legion of Valor. All three were friends and received the DSC during the same battle but only two came home. Now, all three are re-united as ‘brothers’ in the Legion of Valor.