Anthony Thomas Kahoʻohanohano

When his comrades were forced to withdraw, one wounded Hawaiian soldier returned to face the advancing enemy alone. He fought until his ammunition was exhausted, then continued in hand-to-hand combat. His final stand near Chupa-ri, Korea, on 1 September 1951, became one of the most extraordinary acts of courage of the Korean War.

Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano was a United States Army soldier from Maui, Hawaiʻi, born on 22 July 1930 in Wailuku. Before entering the Regular Army, he served in the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard. On 5 February 1951, he enlisted in the Regular Army and was assigned to Company H, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Serving as a Private First Class, he soon found himself on the front lines of the Korean War.

In August 1951, the 7th Infantry Division launched an operation to secure a series of hills near Chupa-ri. His battalion was tasked with assaulting Hill 682, which was secured on 30 August. The fighting, however, was far from over.

On 1 September 1951, Kahoʻohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad supporting the defensive positioning of Company F when a numerically superior enemy force launched a fierce attack. As American troops were forced to withdraw to more defensible positions, he directed his men to establish stronger positions and provide covering fire for their comrades. Although wounded in the shoulder, he gathered additional ammunition and grenades before making a decision that would cost him his life.

Kahoʻohanohano returned alone to his original machine-gun emplacement and confronted the advancing enemy. He delivered accurate fire against the attacking soldiers and continued fighting as the enemy concentrated its strength against his position. When his ammunition was exhausted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed.

His extraordinary resistance inspired his fellow soldiers to launch a counterattack that completely repulsed the enemy assault. When American troops reached his emplacement, they discovered eleven enemy soldiers dead in front of the position and two more inside, killed in hand-to-hand combat.

For his conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism and selfless devotion to duty, Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Following a decades-long effort by his family to secure recognition of his actions, the award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor posthumously to his family at the White House on 2 May 2011.

Kahoʻohanohano was only twenty-one years old when he made his final stand. He is buried at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Hawaiʻi, the homeland from which his journey of military service began.

His story is more than a record of battlefield courage. It is a testament to a soldier who refused to abandon his comrades, even when facing overwhelming odds. Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano remains an enduring symbol of courage, sacrifice and the highest traditions of the United States Army.

Full Medal of Honor citation:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano, Company H, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy in the vicinity of Chupa-ri, Korea, on 1 September 1951. On that date, Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad supporting the defensive positioning of Company F when a numerically superior enemy force launched a fierce attack. Because of the enemy’s overwhelming numbers, friendly troops were forced to execute a limited withdrawal. As the men fell back, Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano ordered his squad to take up more defensible positions and provide covering fire for the withdrawing friendly force. Although having been wounded in the shoulder during the initial enemy assault, Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano gathered a supply of grenades and ammunition and returned to his original position to face the enemy alone. As the hostile troops concentrated their strength against his emplacement in an effort to overrun it, Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano fought fiercely and courageously, delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the onrushing enemy. When his ammunition was depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed. Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano’s heroic stand so inspired his comrades that they launched a counterattack that completely repulsed the enemy. Upon reaching Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano’s emplacement, friendly troops discovered 11 enemy soldiers lying dead in front of the emplacement and two inside it, killed in hand-to-hand combat. Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano’s extraordinary heroism and selfless devotion to duty are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 7th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.”