They were a group of faithful, clean-cut, young men from southern Utah when their unit of the National Guard was called to fight in the Korean War in 1951. They probably didn’t know much about Korea or why a war was being fought when they left, but they were doing their duty. What happened when their 240 soldiers found themselves caught in a battle, with no backup against an army of 4,000 Korean and Chinese soldiers was a story so miraculous, it became the stuff of legend.
Surrounded and outmanned, they stood bravely, fought valiantly, and won the battle without the loss of a single soldier. It is a modern-day parallel to the Stripling Warriors.
This story is told with power in the following 11-minute video, The Miracle at Gapyeong written by Brad Taylor, a former missionary and mission president in Korea.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland begins and ends the video, reminding us:
“The lesson that we can take from the ‘Miracle at Gapyeong’ is that when we are true and faithful to the Lord, miracles of all different shapes, sizes, and timing will happen in our lives,” he said in the video. “To our remarkable youth of today, I say, please, please be faithful. Please be courageous and obedient. Please trust in the Lord with all your heart. I promise that He will direct you for good.”
Gary GaudetOctober 18, 2025
I wanted to clarify the details on the photo. This is actually a photo of the 553rd in Fort Sill, Oklahoma training for Korea. Many of the members of the 553rd deployed with the 213th as reinforcements in the spring of 1952. the photo is from the collection of PFC Donald J Gaudet who was with Charlie Battery of the 213th. I have more photos of the 213th in Korea from Dad's collection.
Carol JolleyJuly 13, 2025
Thank you for this amazing story. I’m so grateful for their service and miracle. I’m from South Utah and want to learn more about this.