Louis J. Sigmund was a Marine who fought in the Korean War, and like many soldiers, his story was short and violent.
A 1954 comic book, “New Heroic Comics,” issue 89, tells the story across three full-color pages.
Sigmund was patrolling the Chosin Reservoir on Nov. 28, 1951, a year after the deadliest battle of the Korean War was fought there. He and a fellow Marine, part of the First Marine Division, were holed up in a small foxhole they had dug themselves. Sigmund had a hunch that enemy Chinese soldiers were nearby and, against the advice of his companion, went to scout.
His hunch was correct. The enemy combatants came fast. Sigmund was attacked by bullet fire and bayonet strikes from at least three Chinese soldiers, who threw a grenade into the foxhole where Sigmund’s companion was still waiting. In just a few seconds, Sigmund killed the soldiers and rushed back to the foxhole, and just in time, tossed the grenade out.
Many of the details of that night are lost to time or have gotten muddy over the years. For example, the comic says that Sigmund threw two grenades out of the foxhole, but the official citation says there was just one. There is no official record of how many Chinese soldiers were killed that day, and Maria Sigmund, his daughter, said that she doesn’t know if the other Marine survived at all.
But a few things are undeniable: Sigmund’s left hand was blown off. He suffered deep bayonet wounds and a compound skull fracture from the grenade’s shrapnel. He lost his eyesight for six months. He found himself sprawled out on the battlefield, frozen, but not dead. He was awarded the Navy Cross, an honor bestowed by the president second only to the Medal of Honor.
Maria told the Herald: “My father just lay there until a Marine helicopter rescued him. My father told me that as he lay there freezing, he just played dead and prayed to God. They were standing over my father; the Chinese soldiers thought he was dead.”
Maria said that the comic book authors commonly scanned official military records, especially the files of soldiers who received high-ranking medals, to find stories. She fought for her father to receive the Medal of Honor, but was denied because there were not enough witnesses. “Of course there weren’t,” Maria said. “They were all dead!”
Sigmund spent over a year and a half in a hospital bed, first in Japan, then at a Naval hospital in Hawaii, and finally in Philadelphia, before he made a full recovery.
Maria brought out a whole stack of photos and memories of her father when she met with the Herald. She still has that original comic book, tattered and worn by repeat readings.
“New Heroic Comics” is a great example of an early American comic book. It was a sub-publication of Famous Funnies, commonly credited as the first American comic book. Early floppies emphasized patriotism and were largely targeted at boys.
The comic was published at a time when comics were sold at nearly every grocery newsstand. “New Heroic Comics” was an anthology series that told the stories of American heroes, who were sometimes soldiers but were just as often average folks who stepped up to help somebody in need.
“Not many people had stories like my dad’s. You either died, or didn’t return home, or if you did, you weren’t in the shape that my dad was in. My father’s story made it because he was a hero. He wasn’t drafted; he enlisted on his own. Not many people endured what my father did,” Maria said.
Despite the bravado and honors, Sigmund lived a humble life. “He wasn’t one to go around in the Marine hat, the Marine gear,” Maria said.
Sigmund died on June 17, 2025. Tom Golden, a lifelong family friend, said in a speech at his funeral that Sigmund covered his hand wound with a bandana so people couldn’t see his injury. He wasn’t one to brag about his service.
Golden said: “I remember my dad at the shore saying, ‘Lou, you lost your hand for your country, and there is no need to be so humble about your wounds- there is no need to wear that to hide anything.'” He joked that “to this day, I add ice to my red wine in honor of him.”
Sigmund operated a corner grocery store in Kensington, Philadelphia, for most of his life, carrying on the family tradition. “Lou’s Food Market” stood for many years and was one of the great loves of his life. “He poured his heart and soul into that place,” Maria said.
He retired to Wildwood, at Hildreth and Hudson avenues by the bay, in 2001, and spent the rest of his life at the shore. Maria, who lives in Villas, said that she thinks about her father every day.
“To us, he wasn’t just a Marine, a grocer, or a hero; he was daddy and pop. He was our protector, our provider, and our guiding light. To me, he was my anchor,” Maria told the Herald.
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600 ext. 156 or by email at chall@cmcherald.com
