On the night of November 30, Rangel was part of a retreating vehicle column that was trapped and attacked by Chinese forces.
[12][19] In the subzero cold, Rangel was injured in the back by shrapnel from a Chinese shell.
[20] He later wrote that the blast threw him into a ditch and caused him to pray fervently to Jesus.
[19] Up and down the line of the retreat, unit cohesion disappeared under attack and officers lost contact with their men.
[21] There was screaming and moaning around him and some U.S. soldiers were being taken prisoner,
[11] but despite feeling overwhelming fear Rangel resolved to try to escape over an imposing mountain: "From the rim of that gully it just looked like everything had to be better on the other side of that damn mountain."
[19]
Others nearby looked to Rangel, who though only a
private first class had a reputation for leadership in the unit and had gained the nickname "Sarge".
[19] Rangel led some 40 men from his unit over the mountain during the night and out of the Chinese encirclement.
[11] Other groups were trying to do the same, but some men dropped from the severe conditions or got lost and were never heard from again.
[22][23] By midday on December 1, U.S. aircraft were dropping supplies and directions to Rangel's group and others, and had a raft ready to take them across the
Taedong River; groups from the 503rd Artillery reached Sunchon that afternoon.
[22][24] Overall, no part of the 2nd Infantry suffered as many casualties as the artillery;
[25] it tried to save, but eventually lost, all its guns,
[26] and nearly half of the
battalion was killed in the overall battle.
[27]
Rangel was treated first at a field hospital, then moved to a general hospital well behind the lines in South Korea where he recuperated.
[28] He eventually returned to regular duty, then was rotated back to the U.S. in July 1951.
[28]
Rangel was awarded a
Purple Heart for his wounds, the
Bronze Star with Valor for his actions in the face of death, and three
battle stars.
[29] His Army unit was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation[nb 2] and the
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
[29] In 2000, Rangel reflected to
CBS News that:
