The Ford Motor Corporation selected two (2) Korean War veterans from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County) for induction into the 2025 Ford Oval of Military Honor. They were Army Veteran Fred Moore and United States Marine Corps Veteran John Murray.

Both veterans were inducted at ceremonies conducted at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati Reds Baseball Team’s Hall of Fame.

The two (2) Chapter #63 members were selected for this prestigious award by the Ford Motor Corporation to recognize and honor the military heroes residing in our local communities.

Fred Moore was 18 years old and enlisted in the Army six (6) months after the Korean War started. He was sent to Korea and assigned to the 37th Armored Infantry Battalion (AIB), of the 3rd Armored Division.

After arriving in Korea, Moore was immediately sent to the front lines and provided a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) as his assigned weapon for the duration of his Korean War tour.

Most of his tour, according to Moore, was spent living in foxholes in the rugged Korean mountains. He noted that during the nights, North Koreans would attempt to infiltrate the rear areas, so he was alert for shifts of two hours “on” and two hours “off” throughout the night.

Temperatures dropped below zero many days and the mountain winds were a difficult hardship to endure. He was deployed back in June of 1952 and served until he was honorably discharged in January of 1954.

On the Korean War Wall in Washington, D.C., there are photographs engraved of veterans who fought during the Korean War. A photograph taken of nineteen-year-old Fred Moore in Korea is engraved on the “Wall.”

John Murray graduated from Purcell High School and joined the Marines. He trained to be a mortarman in California, but when the Marines asked for volunteers, he was shipped out to Nevada to witness a nuclear explosion.

From 4,500 yards from “ground zero”, he was instructed to stand up and look at the rising mushroom cloud. Then, he and his Marine volunteers were instructed to walk 1,500 yards to “ground zero” to observe the destruction caused by the nuclear blast.

The Marines were subsequently scanned with a Geiger counter and transported back to California. Following his “volunteer” assignment, he was shipped to the front lines in Korea.

Murray was assigned to the First Marines of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment as a machine gunner. During his first encounter with the enemy, his reconnaissance platoon was ambushed and sustained several casualties.

Other battles occurred when his unit was overrun at Outpost Esther and Murray was shot in his shoulder and thumb. After four weeks in a MASH hospital unit, he returned to join his First Marine unit.

In March of 1953, at Outpost Vegas, an enemy artillery barrage struck his unit. Murray was on the backside of a hill when the artillery rounds fell all around him.

Forty-two (42) members of Murray’s unit, including Murray’s best friend, were overrun on the front side of the hill and either killed or taken prisoners.

Murray transported ammunition and evacuated wounded soldiers from the combat trenches while avoiding mortars and bullets on Outpost Vegas.

Three (3) days later, the Marines retook the remains of Outpost Vegas and recovered the bodies of the fallen Marines.

Murray received a Purple Heart and his hearing was severely impacted by the artillery barrages during his tour of duty in Korea. Decades later he was diagnosed with PTSD and became eligible for VA benefits.

Preceding their induction, their stories were highlighted during the week on WLW 700 Radio. They were introduced on the Reds’ huge Scoreboard and earlier presented with large plaques as a remembrance of their induction.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Fred Moore and John Murray as Life Members of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter #63 (Clermont County),” said Chapter Commander James Stanzak.

“They were ‘Forgotten Soldiers’ of a ‘Forgotten War’ and it is about time that they were recognized by our community for their sacrifices,” concluded Commander Stanzak.

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