Don Lutz is an 85-year-old veteran of the Korean War, and sleeps with a gun under his pillow. After hearing something in the middle of the night on Friday, Lutz grabbed his pistol and went to check out the noise. Intruders tackled the octogenarian, assuming it would be an easy fight.
The Korean War veteran, who lives in Ellport, Pennsylvania, then pulled the trigger and evened the odds, according to WPXI.
“They jumped me and we both went on the floor,” Lutz told the station. “I scuffled with them on the floor and the one guy rolled over dead and the other guy, he jumped up and went out the door.”
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Lutz cited his faith for remaining unscathed through the ordeal.
“I’ve never been afraid in my life. God has always been with me and I’m a hard believer in God and Jesus Christ,” he said.
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But there’s something else that prepared him for this encounter: His time in the service.
It’s not hard to see a veteran from the Korean War doing something like this, given how brutal of a fight Korea proved to be.
The Forgotten War was just as brutal and deadly as its more famous brothers, but oftentimes doesn’t get the publicity. One of the greatest battles in American military history happened at the Chosin Reservoir in December 1950, where outnumbered American troops held off a Chinese offensive for more than two weeks in bitter cold.
Surrounded and faced with overwhelming defeat, the American fighting spirit allowed the U.S. soldiers to survive long enough to break the encirclement.
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The Korean War witnessed other feats that are not often taught in schools. Bravery, heroism, and historic actions all happened through the course of this world-changing war.
A perfect example is the brilliant offensive strategy that turned the tide of the war. Everyone knows about the American invasion of Normandy, where American forcess entered Occupied France with a bang. Not many know about General Douglas MacArthur’s landing at Inchon.
It involved twice the number of American troops that were at Utah Beach. It is credited as being a brilliant maneuver that kept the Korean Peninsula from being completely under communist control.
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There’s a lesson in all this, one Lutz was more than happy to teach when he had to: Don’t mess with a Korean War vet.
When told that his bullet possibly went through the first thief and into the second one, Lutz responded, “I hope so.”
Police have said the shooting is justified, and no charges will be leveled against Lutz.
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