The Chaplain–Medic massacre took place in the Korean War on July 16, 1950, on a mountain above the village of Tuman (current Duman-ri, Geumnam-myeon, Sejong City).

The same month, the KPA commanders, concerned about the way their soldiers were treating prisoners of war, laid out stricter guidelines for handling enemy captives.

However, the number of US forces in the Far East available to support this effort had been steadily decreasing since the end of World War II, five years earlier.

[8] These American soldiers, most of whom had experienced only occupation duty in Japan and no actual combat, were unprepared compared to the more disciplined North Korean units.

[12] The Geum River wrapped north and west around the city, providing a defensive line 10–15 miles (16–24 km) from the outskirts of Daejon, which is protected on the south by the Sobaek Mountains.

[18] Stretched thin, the 19th Infantry was unable to hold the line at the Kum River and simultaneously repel the KPA forces.

[19] KPA troops promptly set up a roadblock directly behind the 19th Infantry's line in its main route of supply along the road near the village of Tuman, just south of Yusong on Taejon's western outskirts.

[24][25] Five hundred men from the regiment were gathered waiting to break the roadblock while heavy armor units from Taejon moved against it from the other side.

Captain (Chaplain) Felhoelter distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces on the Kum River, north of Taejon, Korea, on 16 July 1950.

When seriously wounded men of the 19th Infantry could not be evacuated in the face of an overwhelming night attack by superior enemy forces who had cut off the main route of withdrawal, Chaplain Felhoelter, without regard for his own personal safety, voluntarily remained behind to give his wounded comrades spiritual comfort and aid.

—Citation[31] The regimental medical officer, Captain Linton J. Buttrey, and Chaplain Herman G. Felhoelter[32] remained behind with the wounded, intending to move them when another group of troops came through who could carry them.

[38] He served as an Army chaplain in World War II and received a Bronze Star for service under fire.

After the Chaplain–Medic, Hill 303 and Bloody Gulch massacres, US commanders established a commission on July 27 to investigate allegations of war crimes and collect evidence.

[44] Buttrey, the lone survivor of the executions, was called to testify before the committee, and the US government concluded that the KPA violated the terms of the Geneva Convention, and condemned its actions.

[46] Subsequent research has found the KPA command did not directly order its troops to mistreat prisoners[47] or unarmed wounded during the early phase of the war.

[42] The Chaplain–Medic massacre and similar atrocities are believed to have been conducted by "uncontrolled small units, by vindictive individuals, or because of unfavorable and increasingly desperate situations confronting the captors".

[48] T. R. Fehrenbach, a military historian, wrote in his analysis of the event that KPA troops committing these acts were probably accustomed to torture and execution of prisoners due to decades of rule by oppressive armies of the Empire of Japan up through World War II.

The document was signed by Kim Chaek, Commander-in-Chief,[47] and Choi Yong-kun, commander of the KPA Advanced General Headquarters, and stated that killing prisoners of war was "strictly prohibited".

The higher-profile Hill 303 massacre the next month prompted KPA division commanders to issue sterner orders on the treatment of prisoners of war.