OCTOBER 29, 2026 – The Marine Corps will recognize 95-year-old Korean War veteran and former Pfc. Louis J. Mercadante, who served with the storied Fox Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, during a Purple Heart presentation ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on Oct. 30, 2026, at 2 p.m.
Brig. Gen. Matthew W. Tracy will present the medal at the Chosin Few Memorial in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, recognizing Mercadante’s wounds sustained during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950.
Mercadante enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on May 12, 1949, while still in high school. Following the outbreak of the Korean War, he was activated on Sept. 5, 1950, and completed infantry training at Camp Pendleton, California, before joining Fox Company, 2d Battalion, 7th Marines, on Nov. 12, 1950.
Later that month, Mercadante and his fellow Marines participated in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, one of the most significant engagements of the Korean War. Fox Company was tasked with defending Toktong Pass, a critical supply route connecting Marine forces near Hagaru-ri and Yudam-ni.
Beginning Nov. 28, 1950, Fox Company endured six days of repeated Chinese attacks while isolated, outnumbered, and exposed to extreme winter conditions. Despite sustaining heavy casualties, the Marines held their position on what became known as Fox Hill, preserving the route for the withdrawal of friendly forces. Mercadante was reportedly the last Marine to depart the position following the company’s relief.
Wounded during the campaign, Mercadante was transferred to a casual company on Dec. 10, 1950, and spent several months recovering in Japan. He returned to the United States in May 1951 and subsequently served at Marine Barracks, Navy Mine Depot, Yorktown, Virginia, before receiving an honorable discharge on May 11, 1952.
More than 75 years after the Chosin Reservoir campaign, Mercadante remains a living connection to the Marines of Capt. William E. Barber’s Fox Company, whose defense of Toktong Pass remains an enduring example of Marine Corps courage, resilience, and sacrifice.
The ceremony will honor Mercadante’s service and recognize the legacy of the Marines who fought during the Chosin Reservoir campaign.