PRESIDENT OBAMA AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO FAMILY OF NATIVE HAWAIIAN KOREAN HERO ANTHONY T. KAHO’OHANOHANO
Born on Maui in 1930, Anthony was one of six brothers who served in the U.S. military. On September 1, 1951, Army Private First Class Kahoʻohanohano was serving in Korea, near Chup’a-ri, in charge of a machine gun squad. When a large enemy force attacked, he moved his squad to a more defensible position. Wounded in the shoulder, Anthony ordered his men to hold their ground while he returned to the original post. From there, he single-handedly held off the enemy, fighting hand-to-hand after running out of ammunition, until he was killed. When Americans retook the position, they found 13 dead Chinese soldiers around his body. For this, he was posthumously awarded the Army’s second-highest military decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) which was presented to his parents in 1952. In the 1990s, Anthony’s family sought to upgrade the DSC. A decade-long effort led to a Medal of Honor nomination approved in March 2009 and formally presented to his family at the White House.
Source: “Heroes Of The Korean War: Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano,” Rok Drop: Korea From North To South, 8/31/2012. Retrieved 6/29/2019, http://Www.Rokdrop.Net/2012/08/Heroes-Of-The-Korean-War-Private-First-Class-Anthony-T-Kahoohanohano/
Picture: Official U.S. Army photograph. Public Domain. Photograph taken by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.