Military records, 1935 - 1953

The collection contains information gathered by Lieutenant Colonel John A. Coulter II while he was researching the life and military service of Richard T. Shea, Jr. The materials include biographical information about Shea from the 1940's and 1950's and writings from the second half of the 20th century about him and the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. The earliest materials concern Shea's time in military academies including Virginia Polytechnic Institute and the United States Military Academy (West Point). These include academic records and descriptions of Shea's performance on the West Point track team. Also included are declassified records of Shea's military service and historical information about the Battle of Pork Chop Hill during the Korean War. There are multiple memorials about his life and service including the text of the memorial from the ceremony where he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. There is also a draft of Chapter 15 "Bells of Love, Sounds of War" from Coulter's book Ut Prosim "Above & Beyond": The Story of Virginia Tech's Medal of Honor Recipients. Most of the items in the collection are photocopies of original documents.