Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], John A. Coulter Collection on Richard T. Shea, Jr., Ms2000-090, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The John A. Coulter Collection on Richard T. Shea, Jr. was donated to Special Collections in 2000.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the John A. Coulter Collection on Richard T. Shea, Jr. was completed in January 2016.

Biographical Note

First Lieutenant Richard T. Shea, Jr. was born on January 3, 1927 in Portsmouth, Virginia and died on July 8, 1953 during the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in Sokkogae, Korea. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1944-45 before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point in 1952 before serving in the United States Army. At the time of his death he was a First Lieutenant and was Executive Officer for Company A of the 17th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. The circumstances surrounding his death during the July 1953 Battle of Pork Chop Hill in Sokkogae, Korea led to his being posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Lieutenant Colonel John A. Coulter, II was born July 15, 1953 in Prince George, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1976. During the 1990s, Coulter wrote a number of articles on the history of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. In 2001, he published a book about Virginia Tech's Medal of Honor recipients and took over the role of Corps Historian.

Scope and Content

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.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in files by subject and the files are in roughly chronological order.

Related Material

A copy of John A. Coulter's book, Ut Prosim "Above & Beyond": The Story of Virginia Tech's Medal of Honor Recipients , is available in the Rare Book Collection (call no. LD5655.A5 C5 2001).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Korean War, 1950-1953
• Medal of Honor
• Shea, Richard T., Jr., First Lieutenant, 1927-1953
• Students and alumni
• University History
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the John A. Coulter Collection on Richard T. Shea, Jr. by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).