Medal of Honor Monday: Army Tech. Sgt. Ted Takayuki Tanouye

July 27, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Army Tech. Sgt. Ted Takayuki Tanouye posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in western Italy during World War II.

Tanouye was born to Nikuma and Momoye Tanouye Nov. 14, 1919, in Torrance, California. He was the eldest of six children.

He graduated from Torrance High School in 1938, where he played on the football team and excelled in academics. After high school, he worked for a time in the grocery industry in Torrance.

Tanouye enlisted in the Army Feb. 20, 1942. His parents and siblings were interned in the Jerome War Relocation Center and later the Rohwer War Relocation Center, both in Arkansas, because of growing suspicion of Japanese Americans following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They were held until the end of the war.

After serving as a cook in several stateside locations, including at Camp Robinson in Arkansas — ironically, the state where his family was interned — he was deployed to Italy in May 1944.

On July 7, 1944, the day of his Medal of Honor action, Tanouye was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, in the hilly countryside near Molino a Ventoabbto, Italy, during the in the Rome-Arno Campaign. 

Tanouye led his platoon in an assault to seize the summit of a strategically important hill that had minimal natural cover. When he observed an enemy machine gun crew setting up, he quietly maneuvered into position and opened fire on the position, killing or wounding three and causing two others to flee. 

Then, shots came from an enemy position. Tanouye returned fire and killed or wounded three more enemy soldiers. A grenade burst came in quick succession, wounding his left arm. 

Sighting an enemy-held trench, Tanouye raked the position with a submachine gun and wounded several of the enemy.

His men were pinned down by enemy fire, so Tanouye crawled forward a few yards and threw a hand grenade into the position, silencing it. He then located another machine gun firing down the hillside and silenced that position as well.

Drawing fire from a machine pistol nest located above him, Tanouye opened fire on it and wounded three of its occupants. After securing his objective, he organized a defensive position on the reverse slope of the hill before accepting first aid treatment and evacuation.

Tanouye recovered from his wound and returned to the front lines. He was wounded again Sept. 1, 1944, after kneeling to inspect a landmine along the Arno River. Another soldier accidentally tripped the wire and Tanouye took most of the blast fragments, saving the life of the soldier beside him. He died Sept. 6, 1944, from wounds suffered from the explosion.

In a letter of condolence to his family from Tanouye's commanding officer, he was described as being an "excellent soldier, a loyal American who was respected and admired by everyone in the company."  

In the years after the war, only one Japanese American soldier received the Medal of Honor: Army Pfc. Sadao Munemori, who died in battle. Tanouye posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest military award for valor. 

During the war, the approximately 14,000 Japanese American soldiers who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team received 18,143 awards, including seven Presidential Unit Citations. 

In 1996, legislation sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii and others led to an official review of the many Distinguished Service Cross awards received by Black and Japanese American troops for their heroics during World War II. The review resulted in the military upgrading 19 of the 52 Distinguished Service Crosses to Medals of Honor, which included Tanouye. 

The Medal of Honor was presented to several Japanese American soldiers assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during the June 21, 2000, White House ceremony. President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to Tanouye's younger brother, Isao Tanouye.

Tanouye is buried in Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, alongside a battle buddy, Army Staff Sgt. Akira Shimatsu, who was killed July 16, 1944, in Italy. Also buried nearby are Tanouye's parents and younger brother, Army Pvt. Yukiwo Tanouye, who was killed during the Korean War.

Tanouye's Medal of Honor is on display in the Torrance Historical Society Museum, along with his story.

The National Guard Armory in Torrance was renamed the Ted Tanouye National Guard Armory May 19, 2002. A memorial to him was dedicated in July 2004 at Triangle Park, California, near Torrance High School.

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011 through Public Law 111-254 that was signed by President Barack Obama Oct. 5, 2010.

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Pfc. William Kenzo Nakamura

July 13, 2026 | By David Vergun, Pentagon News |

Army Pfc. William Kenzo Nakamura was a World War II hero. He received the Medal of Honor for risking his life to save his platoon during combat in Italy, July 4, 1944.

Nakamura was born in Seattle, Jan. 21, 1922, and grew up with a brother and a sister. His parents worked as barbers in Seattle after immigrating from Japan.

After graduating from Garfield High School in 1939, he attended the University of Washington.

His mother died of cancer in January 1942, two months before Japanese Americans living in the Puget Sound area were moved to relocation centers.

Nakamura and the rest of his family arrived at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Jerome County, Idaho, Aug. 21, 1942, according to the final accountability roster from the War Relocation Authority.

His father and sister remained in the center until 1945, but Nakamura and his brother left the center for military service in July 1943.

On the day of his Medal of Honor action, Nakamura was assigned to Company G, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, in the hilly countryside near Castellina, Italy.

According to his Medal of Honor citation, his platoon became pinned down by enemy machine-gun fire from a concealed position during a firefight. On his own, he crawled 20 yards toward the hostile position with enemy machine-gun fire barely missing him.

After getting within 15 yards of the enemy, he threw four grenades, killing or wounding at least three of them. With their weapons silenced, Nakamura crawled back to his platoon, which was able to continue its advance thanks to his courageous action.

Later, his company withdrew from their position so a mortar barrage could occur. However, Nakamura remained in position to cover his comrades' withdrawal.

While moving toward the safety of a wooded area, his platoon again became pinned down by machine-gun fire. Nakamura acted quickly, crawling to a point where he could fire on the enemy. He engaged and pinned them down, allowing his platoon to withdraw safely.

Nakamura was not so lucky, he was killed during this heroic stand.

In the years after the war, only one Japanese American soldier received the Medal of Honor: Army Pfc. Sadao Munemori, who died in battle. Nakamura instead posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second-highest military award for valor.

During the war, the approximately 14,000 Japanese American soldiers who served in the 442nd received 18,143 awards, including seven Presidential Unit Citations.

In 1996, legislation sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii led to an official review of the many Distinguished Service Crosses received by Japanese Americans for their heroics during World War II, despite the discrimination they faced at the time. The review resulted in the military upgrading 19 of the 52 Distinguished Service Crosses to Medals of Honor, as well as one Silver Star Medal.

The Medal of Honor was awarded to several Japanese American soldiers assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during a June 21, 2000, White House ceremony.

June Oshima, Nakamura's sister, was at the ceremony to accept the medal on his behalf from President Bill Clinton.

She gave an interview to the Longview Daily News newspaper, which was published in the May 29, 2000, issue.

They, Nakamura and his brother, "thought if they joined, they could get rid of the prejudice," she said. "They wanted to show that Japanese Americans were not the enemy. It makes me sad to think of it."

Decades since Nakamura's brave actions, tributes have continued. In 2000, Congress voted unanimously to pass legislation officially naming the Seattle federal courthouse the William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse. There's also a memorial for him at the University of Washington.

Nakamura is buried at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park in Seattle.