The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished himself at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an enemy of the United States. Due to the nature of this medal, it is commonly presented posthumously. Of the 3,515 Medals of Honor awarded as of 2023, 36 have been awarded to Asian-American recipients.
The first Asian/Pacific Islander to receive the Medal was James Smith, a native Hawaiian, who was awarded the medal in 1872 in peacetime. The first Asian-American Medal of Honor recipient was Charles J. Simons, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1896 for his actions in the Battle of the Crater in 1864 during the American Civil War.
In 1996, a study determined that Asian Pacific Americans were discriminated against in the awarding of medals during World War II; consequently, 22 had their medals upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Except for those awarded during the 1996 discrimination study the most recent Asian-American recipient of the Medal of Honor was Rodney Yano, who received it for his actions during the Vietnam War.
In 2022, President Joe Biden awarded four Medal of Honors to Vietnam War veterans, two of which are Asian-American veterans Edward N. Kaneshiro and Dennis Fujii, the first awarded to Asian-American soldiers in 26 years (since 1996).
Dennis Fujii is the only currently living Asian-American Medal of Honor recipient as of 2023.
American Civil War and peacetime Sergeant Charles J. Simons, an Anglo-Indian-American, was the first person of Asian descent to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Simons was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1896 for his actions during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864.
Image Name Service Rank Date of action Place of action UnitNotesArmyPetersburg, Virginia9th New Hampshire Infantry RegimentWas the first into the exploded crater at Petersburg, captured a number of prisoners, and was captured but later escaped.
Philippine–American War and peacetime The Philippine–American WarThis conflict is also known as the Philippine Insurrection. This name was historically the most commonly used in the U.S., but Filipinos and some American historians refer to these hostilities as the Philippine–American War, and, in 1999, the U.S. Library of Congress reclassified its references to use this term. was an armed military conflict between the United States and the internationally unrecognized First Philippine Republic, fought between 1899 and least 1902, which arose from a Filipino political struggle against U.S. occupation of the Philippines. Although the conflict was officially declared over on July 4, 1902,. American troops continued hostilities against remnants of the Philippine Army and other resistance groups until 1913, and some historians consider these unofficial extensions part of the war.
During this conflict one Asian American, José Nísperos, received the Medal of Honor for continuing to fight after being seriously wounded.
Telesforo Trinidad received a Medal of Honor after rescuing two men from a boiler explosion and was the second and last Asian-American serviceman to receive the Medal during peacetime.
Image Name Service Rank Date of action Place of action UnitNotesArmyLapurap, BasilanPhilippine ScoutsAlthough seriously wounded, continued to fight until the enemy was repulsedNavyaboard Rescued two men after a boiler explosion despite being injured. and Ensign Cary received a Medal of Honor for the same event.
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:In the United States military an enlisted rank is below a commissioned officer and warrant officer and in most cases perform specific jobs. The warrant officer ranks are between enlisted and commissioned officers and are usually highly skilled, single-track specialty officers. Although warrant officers can serve at varying levels and in many jobs the warrant officer's primary task as a leader is to serve as a technical expert, providing skills, guidance, and expertise to commanders and organizations in their particular field. Commissioned officers are typically the only persons, in a military environment, able to act as the commanding officer of a military unit. They generally receive training in leadership, managerial skills and general skills training in career field. Commissioned officers are typically assigned as leaders in a given field with a general title such as infantry officer. 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.
Image Name Service Rank Date of action Place of action UnitNotes ArmyCulis, Bataan Province, Philippines88-00-0088th Field Artillery Regiment, Philippine ScoutsUnder heavy fire, organized and led a gun crew after the original crew had been killed or wounded ArmyArtena, Italy07-03-007th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry DivisionLed his unit by example and, although wounded, single-handedly attacked an enemy-held house Army –,andnear Bruyères and Biffontaine, eastern France442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamAssisted an attack on a house, captured a numerically superior force, and single-handedly silenced two machine gun nests*ArmyCerasuolo, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry BattalionWith his squad leader, destroyed an enemy force despite having to run through heavy fire twice to retrieve new weapons*Army,andCerasuolo, Italy442nd Regimental Combat TeamLed an attack on strongly defended positions and single-handedly silenced three machine guns ArmyCerasuolo, Italy00-100-00100th Infantry BattalionSingle-handedly silenced a machine gun nest and an anti-aircraft gun Armynear San Terenzo, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamSingle-handedly destroyed two machine gun nests, continued to fight and lead his platoon after being wounded Armynear Lanuvio, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry BattalionLed successful attacks on four machine gun positions*Armynear Bruyeres, France442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamSingle-handedly destroyed two machine gun emplacements*Armynear Castellina, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry BattalionSingle-handedly attacked two machine guns and, although wounded, captured a third*Armynear Seravezza, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat TeamSingle-handedly attacked two machine guns before smothering a grenade blast with his body*Armynear Suvereto, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamEngaged an artillery gun alone, using a mortar*Armynear Pisa, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat TeamHeld off an enemy attack and continued to fight after being wounded*Armynear La Torreto, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry BattalionSingle-handedly destroyed a machine gun nest and led attacks on two others*Armynear Castellina, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamSilenced a machine gun nest and stayed behind to provide covering fire as his unit withdrew*Armynear La Houssiere, France442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamSingle-handedly neutralized three machine gun positions*Army –near Cerasuolo, Italy00-00-100100th Infantry BattalionTogether with a rifleman, held back an attack by a numerically superior force*Army –,andForet Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, France442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamRepeatedly exposed himself to intense fire to treat and evacuate wounded menArmyMount Belvedere, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamSingle-handedly silenced three machine gun positions*Armynear Castellina, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamHeld an advance position alone, treated wounded men, and remained behind to provide covering fire as his unit withdrew*Armynear Pieve Di St. Luce, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamDrew fire onto himself so his platoon could reach cover, killed while rescuing a wounded man ArmyHill 617, near Biffontaine, France442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamCharged an enemy strongpoint, took command of his platoon and led it in defense of their position*Armynear Molino A Ventoabbto, Italy442-00-00442nd Regimental Combat TeamAlthough wounded, single-handedly attacked a series of enemy positions*ArmyLeyte, Philippine Islands34-00-0034th Infantry RegimentTook command of four assault waves and led by example, drew fire onto himself to reveal enemy positions
Korean War