Frank H. Ono
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Frank H. Ono (June 5, 1923 – May 6, 1980) 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 and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—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. ...
—for 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 2012-12-26.


Early life

Ono was born in Delta, Colorado.National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
WWII Army Enlistment Record #35893759 (Ono, Frank H.)
retrieved 2012-12-26.
His father was an immigrant from
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 ...
while his mother was from Ireland. 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

Ono 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 September 1943. He volunteered to be part of the all-''Nisei'' 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. During a battle on July 4, 1944, near
Castellina Marittima Castellina Marittima is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. Geography The territory of Castellina Marittima borders the following ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Ono advanced ahead of his unit and single-handedly defended his position against an enemy counter-attack. He then braved intense hostile fire to aid two wounded comrades and, when it became necessary to retreat, voluntarily covered his unit's withdrawal. For his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, 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 ...
. Ono left the Army while still a private first class. He died at age 56 and was buried in Highland Cemetery,
North Judson, Indiana North Judson is a town in Wayne Township, Starke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 1,857 as of the 2020 census. History The area now known as North Judson was originally Brantwood, a town platted on October 1, 1859, less ...
. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Ono's award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously.


Medal of Honor citation

Private First Class Ono's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Private First Class Frank H. Ono distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 4 July 1944, near Castellina, Italy. In attacking a heavily defended hill, Private First Class Ono's squad was caught in a hail of formidable fire from the well-entrenched enemy. Private First Class Ono opened fire with his automatic rifle and silenced one machine gun 300 hundred yards to the right front. Advancing through incessant fire, he killed a sniper with another burst of fire, and while his squad leader reorganized the rest of the platoon in the rear, he alone defended the critical position. His weapon was then wrenched from his grasp by a burst of enemy
machine pistol A machine pistol is an autoloading pistol capable of fully automatic fire. The term can also be used to describe a stockless handgun-style submachine gun. The term is a calque of ''Maschinenpistole'', the German word for submachine guns. Machine ...
fire as enemy troops attempted to close in on him. Hurling hand grenades, Private First Class Ono forced the enemy to abandon the attempt, resolutely defending the newly won ground until the rest of the platoon moved forward. Taking a wounded comrade's rifle, Private First Class Ono again joined in the assault. After killing two more enemy soldiers, he boldly ran through withering automatic, small arms, and mortar fire to render first aid to his platoon leader and a seriously wounded rifleman. In danger of being encircled, the platoon was ordered to withdraw. Volunteering to cover the platoon, Private First Class Ono occupied virtually unprotected positions near the crest of the hill, engaging an enemy machine gun emplaced on an adjoining ridge and exchanging fire with snipers armed with machine pistols. Completely disregarding his own safety, he made himself the constant target of concentrated enemy fire until the platoon reached the comparative safety of a draw. He then descended the hill in stages, firing his rifle, until he rejoined the platoon. Private First Class Ono'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,'
_"Ono,_Frank_H.,"_pp._17-18_[PDF_21-22_of_44
/nowiki>.html" ;"title="DF 21-22 of 44"> "Ono, Frank H.," pp. 17-18 [PDF 21-22 of 44
/nowiki>">DF 21-22 of 44"> "Ono, Frank H.," pp. 17-18 [PDF 21-22 of 44
/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-26.


See also

*List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients *List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II#O, List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II


References


External links


"Army Secretary Lionizes 22 World War II Heroes" at Defense.gov
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ono, Frank H. 1923 births 1980 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army soldiers American military personnel of Japanese descent American people of Irish descent People from Starke County, Indiana Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Delta, Colorado