Shizuya Hayashi

On 29 November 1943, a lone American soldier charged an enemy machine-gun position through a storm of grenade, rifle and machine-gun fire. That soldier was Private Shizuya Hayashi, a Japanese American member of the legendary 100th Infantry Battalion whose extraordinary courage near Cerasuolo, Italy, would eventually earn him the United States Medal of Honor.

Born on 28 November 1917 in Puuiki near Waialua, Oahu, Hawaii, Hayashi grew up near the island's sugar plantations and worked before being drafted into the United States Army in March 1941. Initially assigned to the 65th Engineer Battalion in Hawaii, he was present during the period of the Japanese attack on Oahu on 7 December 1941. In June 1942, he became part of the Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), serving initially in Company E and subsequently in Company A. After training at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and Camp Shelby, Mississippi, he deployed through North Africa to Italy in 1943, where his battalion fought alongside the 34th Infantry Division.

As a Browning Automatic Rifleman, Hayashi experienced the fighting around Salerno, the Volturno River and the Italian campaign. His defining moment came near Cerasuolo on 29 November 1943. According to his official Medal of Honor citation, Hayashi rose alone under intense enemy fire, charged an enemy machine-gun position and killed seven soldiers in the gun nest and two more as they fled. When an enemy antiaircraft gun opened fire on his advancing platoon, he returned fire, killed nine additional enemy soldiers, captured four prisoners and forced the remaining defenders to withdraw. His extraordinary courage earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, which was subsequently upgraded to the Medal of Honor following a review of Japanese American World War II service under the FY1996 National Defense Authorization Act. On 21 June 2000, President Bill Clinton presented Hayashi with the nation's highest military decoration at the White House.

His military record also includes the Bronze Star Medal, awarded under the Army's retrospective World War II recognition program for qualifying Combat Infantryman Badge recipients. The 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education Center additionally reports that Italy recognized his battlefield heroism with the Medaglia al Valore Militare, although the grade of this Italian decoration remains to be independently established.

Hayashi continued serving with the 100th Battalion as it became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and moved into France. Reassigned to Headquarters Company for prisoner-guard duties, he eventually developed trench foot in the Bruyeres sector, requiring hospitalization and evacuation to Camp Carson, Colorado. His combat service ended before the battalion returned to Italy in 1945.

Returning to Hawaii in 1945, Hayashi built a successful civilian career as a heavy-equipment operator and crane specialist, contributing to major construction projects across Oahu. His commitment to service continued throughout his later life. He volunteered at Keehi Lagoon Memorial, helping maintain its gardens and supporting fellow veterans. Private Shizuya Hayashi died on 12 March 2008 in Hawaii and was laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

His story remains a powerful reminder that courage is measured not by a soldier's background, but by what he is willing to do when others are depending on him.