By VIRGINIA GIORGIS

Pioneer Editor

vgiorgis@bridgervalleypioneer.com

ROBERTSON — Many of the men in Bridger Valley have walked-the-walk, did little of the talk-the-talk, and took the stories of their bravery to the end of their lives without bragging about what they had done for the United States.

One of these unsung heroes was recently recognized in a ceremony on March 20 in Lander when an Ambassador Peace Medal was presented posthumously to his family for his service during the Korean War. The ceremony was one of three held in Wyoming in which 188 recipients were honored statewide. His son Zane was on hand to receive Felix’s medal during the ceremony.

The Korean War began in June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. More than 36,000 Americans died in theater during the conflict, with 58 from Wyoming.

Felix L. Roitz, the L. stands for Lucky, was one of several former military men from Wyoming who received the medal this year in the ceremonies held in Wyoming. The medal was presented by the Consol General Shin Chae Hyun, Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs for the Republic of Korea on behalf of the Korean Government.

The medals were to “express the everlasting gratitude of the Repulic of Korea and our people for the service you and your countrymen have performed in restoring and preserving our freedom and democracy.”

War wasn’t new to Roitz when he was called to serve in the Korean War as he had served in World War II, according to his granddaughter Gusi Roitz. Born Aug. 14, 1923, Roitz went into WWII as a young man in his early 20s and served in the Army in the 7^th Calvary. The family didn’t know his exact age.

Felix served his country in the U. S. Army during WWII and was again called to service during the Korean War. He received two Purple Hearts and was wounded twice. The family wasn’t sure which war he was wounded in or if he was wounded in both. The shrapnel he received in his stomach was removed, but he carried the shrapnel in his knee for the rest of his life.

While in Korea, Feliz fought in The Chosen Reservoir Battle, which was a decisive battle of the Koren War. The battle of November 1950 brought a United Nations force – including U.S. Marines, U.S. Army units and British Royal Marine commandos – deployed around the strategic Chosin Reservoir, a frozen, man-made lake high in the Hamgyong mountains that supplied hydroelectric power to the industrial cities on the coastal plain in a fight for their lives.

The U.N. force was preparing for what it believed would be the Korean War’s final offensive. The North Korean Army teetered on the brink of defeat; men expected to be “home for Christmas.”

What they didn’t know was China, in a brilliant feat of mass infiltration, had intervened to support its North Korean ally, then led by Kim Il Sung, late grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. As a Siberian cold front descended over the highlands, the 30,000-strong U.N. force found itself surrounded by eight Chinese divisions with an estimated 80,000 men. Around 65 miles from the sea, the UN forces fought a brutal 17-day battle in freezing weather – temperatures of minus 37 degrees Celsius (minus 34 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds of 60 knots – to break out of the encirclement. The British and U.S. troops’ only hope of escaping annihilation was to hack their way through massed enemy in a fighting withdrawal. During this fight the U.N. force inflicted crippling losses on the Chinese. The evacuation of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea.

Lucky Roitz made it home from both conflicts and went on to build his life in Bridger Valley. He married Halaine Wall of Robertson in 1950. They had two children, Zane and Dusty.

He worked for many ranchers in the Valley during his youth. He also broke horses. He bartended for Zampedri’s in Fort Bridger and eventually bought the Cowboy Bar in Mountain View. Felix loved to tell stories of jokes played and about the many people of Bridger Valley, Gusi said.

When Felix owned the bar, he could often be found playing solo and other card games with many of his friends. He met and became long-time friends with many people who came to the Valley to hunt. He ran his business until he sold it in 1992. He also owned a ranch in Robertson that he operated with his kids.

Gusi said her family, “especially my dad,” are all very proud of his (Felix’s) service.”