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First Name: Anthony

Last Name: Kaho'ohanohano

Birthplace: Maui, HI, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Army (1784 - present)



Middle Name: T.



Date of Birth: 1930

Date of Death: 01 September 1951

Rank: Private First Class

Years Served: 1950 - 1951
Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano

   
Engagements:
•  Korean War (1950 - 1953)

Biography:

Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano
Private First Class, U.S. Army
Medal of Honor Recipient
Korean War

Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano was a Private First Class in the U.S. Army. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroic actions in the Korean War and the DSC was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor on 2 May 2011.

Early Life and Family

A native of Maui, HI, Kahoʻohanohano was the son of a police officer and one of six brothers. He lived in Wailuku and played football and basketball at St. Anthony's School for Boys (now known as St. Anthony High School) before graduating in 1949. All six of the Kahoʻohanohano brothers served in the U.S. military: Anthony and three others in the active duty Army, one in the Marine Corps, and one in the National Guard.

Distinguished Service Cross

Kahoʻohanohano's official Distinguished Service Cross citation reads:

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.

For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the U.S. Army's second-highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. This medal was presented to his family in 1952 on Maui.

Appeals for the Medal of Honor

In the late 1990s, Kahoʻohanohano's brother, Abel Kahoʻohanohano, Sr., began an effort to have the Distinguished Service Cross upgraded. Abel's son George took up the cause after his father's death. After an unsuccessful Medal of Honor nomination in 2001 by Representative Patsy Mink, which was rejected by the Army, the family enlisted the help of Senator Daniel Akaka. Akaka nominated Kahoʻohanohano for the medal again, and in March 2009 was informed by Secretary of the Army Pete Geren that, after "careful, personal consideration," the request was approved. A provision making the upgrade official was included in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R.2647), signed into law by President Barack Obama on 28 October 2009. The Medal of Honor is expected to be formally presented to the Kahoʻohanohano family at a future White House ceremony.

Awarding of the Medal of Honor

The Medal of Honor was issued to Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano and presented to George Kaho’ohanohano, nephew of PFC Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohanothe, on 2 May 2011 in an award ceremony at the White House.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Medal of Honor
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge

Honors

On 5 March 2010, the U.S. Army officially inducted PFC Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano into the Fort DeRussy (HI) Museum's Gallery of Heroes.

Death and Burial

Private First Class Anthony T. Kahoʻohanohano was killed in action on 1 September 1951. He is buried at Maui Veterans Cemetery in Makawao, HI.



Honoree ID: 1179   Created by: MHOH

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