Allan Masaharu Ohata (September 13, 1918 – October 17, 1977) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

soldier.Vachon, Duane
"A Quiet Hero - Staff Sgt. Allan M. Ohata, U.S. Army, Medal of Honor, WW II (1918-1977),"
''Hawaii Reporter.'' December 4, 2011; retrieved 2012-12-7. He is best known for receiving the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

because of his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.US Army Center of Military History
"Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)"
retrieved 2012-12-7.

Early life

Ohata was born in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese immigrant parents. He was a ''

Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

'', which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.

Soldier

One month before the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

, Ohata joined the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in November 1941. Ohata volunteered to be part of the all-''Nisei'' 100th Infantry Battalion. which was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii. He was originally awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. According to the story he shared with his brother, " held a hill by himself and a lot of people died except him. He said the enemy came from both sides, and tone point he came from one side and the enemy soldier came from the other end. The only reason he lived was because he saw the guy first."

Medal of Honor citation

Sergeant Allan M. Ohata distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 29 and November 30, 1943, near Cerasuolo, Italy. Sergeant Ohata, his squad leader, and three men were ordered to protect his platoon's left flank against an attacking enemy force of 40 men, armed with machine guns, machine pistols, and rifles. He posted one of his men, an automatic rifleman, on the extreme left, 15 yards from his own position. Taking his position, Sergeant Ohata delivered effective fire against the advancing enemy. The man to his left called for assistance when his automatic rifle was shot and damaged. With utter disregard for his personal safety, Sergeant Ohata left his position and advanced 15 yards through heavy machine gun fire. Reaching his comrade's position, he immediately fired upon the enemy, killing 10 enemy soldiers and successfully covering his comrade's withdrawal to replace his damaged weapon. Sergeant Ohata and the automatic rifleman held their position and killed 37 enemy soldiers. Both men then charged the three remaining soldiers and captured them. Later, Sergeant Ohata and the automatic rifleman stopped another attacking force of 14, killing four and wounding three while the others fled. The following day he and the automatic rifleman held their flank with grim determination and staved off all attacks. Staff Sergeant Ohata's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008). ''Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2008,'
_"Ohata,_Alan_M.,"_p._16_
_"Ohata,_Alan_M.,"_p._16_[PDF_20_of_44
/nowiki>">DF_20_of_44">_"Ohata,_Alan_M.,"_p._16_[PDF_20_of_44
/nowiki>_retrieved_2012-12-7.

_See_also

*List_of_Medal_of_Honor_recipients_for_World_War_II#O.html" "title="DF_20_of_44
/nowiki>.html" ;"title="DF 20 of 44"> "Ohata, Alan M.," p. 16 [PDF 20 of 44
/nowiki>">DF 20 of 44"> "Ohata, Alan M.," p. 16 [PDF 20 of 44
/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-7.

Early life

Soldier

Medal of Honor citation

_See_also

See also

References

External links