'Brave soldier' gets permanent recognition

The famous Army-Navy rivalry may have come to term yet again with the 102nd football classic Dec. 1 in Philadelphia, but it’s important to remember that both professional organizations are dedicated to the defense of our nation.

As a reminder of that solidarity, the U.S. Military Academy and U.S. Naval Academy Classes of 1951 recently joined together to honor a classmate who was killed in combat during the Korean War, and who is revered by both services for his valor.

Retired Col. Fred G. Rockwell Jr., former president of the USMA Class of 1951, recently recalled this classmate fondly.

Robert Adam Renneman graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy June 1, 1951, but at a height of 6-feet 7-inches, he had grown too tall for shipboard duty, Rockwell said.

For this reason, he took his commission in the Army and joined the Infantry. Specifically requesting command of a rifle platoon engaged in combat with the enemy, he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division -- a unit staffed with members of West Point’s Class of 1951.

Called the Blue Buffaloes, 3rd Battalion shared part of the 17th’s Main Line of Resistance in the Kumwah Valley near Chorwon -- a location where enemy troops had been causing severe problems for nearby U.S. forces, Rockwell recalled.

He went on to tell how 1st Lt. Renneman was ordered to assault the enemy’s position with the intent of destroying it and returning with prisoners for interrogation.

The attack began on the morning of July 16, 1952, and Renneman’s platoon led the assault. Taking massive small-arms fire from the entrenched Chinese troops, Renneman was injured several times as he fired his weapon with one hand and tossed enemy grenades back at them with the other.

When he finally fell from his injuries, he was so far ahead of his soldiers they were unable to retrieve his body before they withdrew.

The following day, when the U.S. troops were allowed to enter enemy lines unmolested to recover Renneman’s remains, they discovered that his body had been preserved.

Not only had their commander’s body not been booby-trapped, but he had been cleaned, his uniform repaired of damages. Both his boots and class ring were left intact.

With it they found a note inscribed, "Brave soldier. Take him home."

Renneman was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and his companions -- the West Point Class of 1951 -- inducted him as an honorary member

"Members of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of ’51 wished to memorialize Lt. Renneman for his valor as an infantry officer in Korea. We worked with them to create a display case and citation that has now been placed in Nininger Hall along with an existing plaque dedicated to the members of USMA ’51 who died as a result of military operations," Rockwell said.

"Lt. Renneman’s actions and our subsequent acceptance and display of a Navy sword at West Point underscore the importance of the relationship that will always exist between the two classes and between the two academies."

The display honoring Renneman can be viewed at Nininger Hall on the third floor just outside the "1851" room.