Title: The Last Stand of Fox Company
Author: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
Publisher: Grove Press
Publication Date: 03/11/2009
ASIN: 0802144519
Read BookBook Description:
The Last Stand of Fox Company by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin offers a harrowing, ground-level account of one of the most heroic stands in Marine Corps history. Set during the brutal winter of 1950 in the Korean War, the book follows the 246 Marines of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, tasked with holding Toktong Pass—a vital link between embattled forces at the Chosin Reservoir and their route to the sea. Under the command of Captain William Barber, a seasoned combat leader from Iwo Jima, the company endured five nights of relentless attacks from vastly superior Chinese forces.
Drury and Clavin vividly detail the tactical terrain, the inverted horseshoe defense at Fox Hill, and the grit of the Marines who fought there. Heroes like Private Hector Cafferata, who held a flank alone while wounded and barefoot, and LtCol Ray Davis, who led a daring relief mission, are brought to life with journalistic precision. The narrative also honors lesser-known figures like Lieutenant Chew-Een Lee, the Marine Corps’ first Asian-American officer, who led with quiet determination amid both enemy fire and prejudice.
Beyond the battlefield, the authors explore the larger strategic context, from MacArthur’s overreach to General O.P. Smith’s cautious foresight, framing the fight as both a tactical necessity and a human triumph. The legacy of Fox Company is not just in military textbooks or museums—it endures in the memories of those who survived, and even on Google Maps, where “Fox Hill, North Korea” remains marked.
This is more than a war story—it’s a testament to courage, sacrifice, and the lasting bonds forged in combat. It is highly recommended for readers of military history and leadership under fire.
You can read the full Military Reading Room review here: The Last Stand of Fox Company