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| Oldest living Medal of Honor recipient dies in Hawaii - 442nd Regimental Combat Team | |
| 2011-01-24 | |
| Hawaii is mourning the loss of World War II veteran Barney Hajiro. The Oahu man was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient in America. "He wants to be remembered as a simple person," said son Glenn Hajiro. Barney Hajiro, 94, served in the Army's famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He single-handedly destroyed two German machine gun nests during the rescue of the "Lost Battalion" in France. He was shot in the cheek, shoulder and wrist, leaving his left arm paralyzed. "There were snipers, lot of shooting, and people were saying it's going to be suicide, but he said he had a duty to do," recalled Glenn Hajiro. More than half a century after the bloody battle, President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to the Nisei veteran in 2000. "He said he was a little bit excited and he was proud to receive the medal for the boys. He said, 'It's not for me. It's for the boys.' He would always say that," said Glenn Hajiro. Glenn Hajiro was by his father's side for the final moments on Friday morning. "His dream was to be a track star, but he only went to the 8th grade. He never got to do his thing, so I told him, on his death bed, to run," said Hajiro's son. Funeral services are still pending. In World War II, the 442nd RCT became the most highly decorated regiment in the history of the United States armed forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients. The motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was "Go for broke."
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| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #2 The 442nd in WWII, the most decorated unit in American history, were mostly Japanese Americans. |
| Posted by: wr 2011-01-24 20:45 |
| #1 RIP. * FYI PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > OLDEST LIVING MEMBER OF "BAND OF BROTHERS" DIES. Ed Mauser, whom like Dick Winters preferred to downplay = not mention his Military Service from Family + Friends. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-01-24 01:15 |