World War II
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict, the joining of what had initially been two separate conflicts. The first began in Asia in 1937 as the Second Sino-Japanese War; the other began in Europe in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. This global conflict split the majority of the world's nations into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. It involved the mobilization of over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history, and placed the participants in a state of total war, erasing the distinction between civil and military resources. This resulted in the complete activation of a nation's economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities for the purposes of the war effort. Over 60 million people, the majority of them civilians, were killed, making it the deadliest conflict in human history. The Allies were victorious, and, as a result, the United States and Soviet Union emerged as the world's two leading superpowers.
During this conflict 464 United States military personnel received the Medal of Honor, 266 of them posthumously. By the end of the war, only two Asian Americans had been awarded the Medal of Honor, Sergeant Jose Calugas of the Philippine Scouts and Private Sadao S. Munemori of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. A 1996 study commissioned by the United States Army by order of Congress investigated racial discrimination in the awarding of medals during World War II. The Command History Office at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey, California was tasked with identifying affected service-members and reviewing the records. After performing a review of the files, the study recommended that several Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II should be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On June 21, 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded the Medal to 22 Asian Americans, 21 from the aforementioned study, in a ceremony at the White House.
Of the 24 Asian American awardees, 21 earned the Medal while serving with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or its component unit, the 100th Infantry Battalion, making the 442nd the most decorated regiment-sized unit of the war. Only two Asian American officers received the Medal of Honor during World War II: Captain Francis B. Wai who received it for drawing enemy fire to himself to reveal their positions and Second Lieutenant Daniel Inouye who received his medal for destroying two machine gun nests and continuing to fight after being wounded. Inouye became the first U.S. Representative for Hawaii and the first Japanese American congressman; he served as one of Hawaii's U.S. Senators from 1963 continuously until his death in 2012.
This with the * indicates that the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously
Image | Name | Service | Rank | Date of action | Place of action | Unit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Calugas, JoseJose Calugas | Army | E-05 !Sergeant | 01942-01-16January 16, 1942 | Culis, Bataan Province, Philippines | 88-00-0088th Field Artillery Regiment, Philippine Scouts | Under heavy fire, organized and led a gun crew after the original crew had been killed or wounded | |
Davila, Rudolph B.Rudolph B. Davila | Army | E-06 !Staff Sergeant | 01944-05-28May 28, 1944 | Artena, Italy | 07-03-007th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division | Led his unit by example and, although wounded, single-handedly attacked an enemy-held house | |
Hajiro, Barney F.Barney F. Hajiro | Army | E-01 !Private | 01944-10-19October 19, 1944, 01944-10-22October 22, 1944, and 01944-10-29October 29, 1944 |
near Bruyères and Biffontaine, eastern France | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Assisted an attack on a house, captured a numerically superior force, and single-handedly silenced two machine gun nests | |
Hasemoto, MikioMikio Hasemoto* | Army | E-01 !Private | 01943-11-29November 29, 1943 | Cerasuolo, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion | With his squad leader, destroyed an enemy force despite having to run through heavy fire twice to retrieve new weapons | |
Hayashi, JoeJoe Hayashi* | Army | E-01 !Private | 01945-04-20April 20, 1945 and 01945-04-22April 22, 1945 |
Cerasuolo, Italy | 442nd Regimental Combat Team | Led an attack on strongly defended positions and single-handedly silenced three machine guns | |
Hayashi, ShizuyaShizuya Hayashi | Army | E-01 !Private | 01943-11-29November 29, 1943 | Cerasuolo, Italy | 00-100-00100th Infantry Battalion | Single-handedly silenced a machine gun nest and an anti-aircraft gun | |
Inouye, DanielDaniel Inouye | Army | O-01 !Second Lieutenant | 01945-04-21April 21, 1945 | near San Terenzo, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Single-handedly destroyed two machine gun nests, continued to fight and lead his platoon after being wounded | |
Kobashigawa, YeikiYeiki Kobashigawa | Army | E-07 !Technical Sergeant | 01944-06-02June 2, 1944 | near Lanuvio, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion | Led successful attacks on four machine gun positions | |
Kuroda, Robert T.Robert T. Kuroda* | Army | E-06 !Staff Sergeant | 01944-10-20October 20, 1944 | near Bruyeres, France | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Single-handedly destroyed two machine gun emplacements | |
Moto, KaoruKaoru Moto* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01944-07-07July 7, 1944 | near Castellina, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion | Single-handedly attacked two machine guns and, although wounded, captured a third | |
Munemori, SadaoSadao Munemori* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01945-04-05April 5, 1945 | near Seravezza, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team | Single-handedly attacked two machine guns before smothering a grenade blast with his body | |
Muranaga, KiyoshiKiyoshi Muranaga* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01944-06-26June 26, 1944 | near Suvereto, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Engaged an artillery gun alone, using a mortar | |
Nakae, MasatoMasato Nakae* | Army | E-01 !Private | 01944-08-19August 19, 1944 | near Pisa, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team | Held off an enemy attack and continued to fight after being wounded | |
Nakamine, ShinyeiShinyei Nakamine* | Army | E-01 !Private | 01944-06-02June 2, 1944 | near La Torreto, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion | Single-handedly destroyed a machine gun nest and led attacks on two others | |
Nakamura, WilliamWilliam Nakamura* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01944-07-04July 4, 1944 | near Castellina, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Silenced a machine gun nest and stayed behind to provide covering fire as his unit withdrew | |
Nishimoto, Joe M.Joe M. Nishimoto* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01944-11-07November 7, 1944 | near La Houssiere, France | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Single-handedly neutralized three machine gun positions | |
Ohata, Allan M.Allan M. Ohata* | Army | E-05 !Sergeant | 01943-11-29November 29, 1943 –01943-11-30November 30, 1943 | near Cerasuolo, Italy | 00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion | Together with a rifleman, held back an attack by a numerically superior force | |
Okubo, James K.James K. Okubo* | Army | E-04 !Technician Fifth Grade | 01944-10-28October 28, 1944 – 01944-10-29October 29, 1944 and 01944-11-04November 4, 1944 |
Foret Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, France | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Repeatedly exposed himself to intense fire to treat and evacuate wounded men | |
Okutsu, YukioYukio Okutsu | Army | E-07 !Technical Sergeant | 01945-04-07April 7, 1945 | Mount Belvedere, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Single-handedly silenced three machine gun positions | |
Ono, Frank H.Frank H. Ono* | Army | E-03 !Private First Class | 01944-07-04July 4, 1944 | near Castellina, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Held an advance position alone, treated wounded men, and remained behind to provide covering fire as his unit withdrew | |
Otani, KazuoKazuo Otani* | Army | E-06 !Staff Sergeant | 01944-07-15July 15, 1944 | near Pieve Di St. Luce, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Drew fire onto himself so his platoon could reach cover, killed while rescuing a wounded man | |
Sakato, George T.George T. Sakato | Army | E-01 !Private | 01944-10-29October 29, 1944 | Hill 617, near Biffontaine, France | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Charged an enemy strongpoint, took command of his platoon and led it in defense of their position | |
Tanouye, Ted T.Ted T. Tanouye* | Army | E-07 !Technical Sergeant | 01944-07-07July 7, 1944 | near Molino A Ventoabbto, Italy | 442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat Team | Although wounded, single-handedly attacked a series of enemy positions | |
Wai, Francis B.Francis B. Wai* | Army | O-03 !Captain | 01944-10-20October 20, 1944 | Leyte, Philippine Islands | 34-00-0034th Infantry Regiment | Took command of four assault waves and led by example, drew fire onto himself to reveal enemy positions |
Read more about this topic: List Of Asian American Medal Of Honor Recipients
Famous quotes containing the words world and/or war:
“The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:”
—William Wordsworth (17701850)
“The War was decided in the first twenty days of fighting, and all that happened afterwards consisted in battles which, however formidable and devastating, were but desperate and vain appeals against the decision of Fate.”
—Winston Churchill (18741965)