Ted T. Tanouye

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Ted T. Tanouye
November 14, 1919(1919-11-14) – September 6, 1944 (aged 24)
Ted T. Tanouye, Medal of Honor recipient
Place of birth	Torrance, California
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Technical Sergeant
Unit	442nd Regimental Combat Team
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Medal of Honor

Ted T. Tanouye (November 14, 1919 – September 6, 1944) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

1 Biography
2 Medal of Honor citation
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Biography

On July 7, 1944, Tanouye was serving as a technical sergeant in Company K of the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. During a battle on that day, near Molino a Ventoabbto, Italy, he repeatedly advanced forward of his unit to attack the German forces alone, despite intense return fire. Although severely wounded, he continued to fight until his platoon had succeeded in taking their objective, the crest of a hill. He died of his wounds two months later and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.

For his actions during the battle, he was posthumously awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Tanouye's award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously. A memorial to Tanouye was dedicated across from Torrance High School, Torrance, California in 2004.

[edit] Medal of Honor citation

Technical Sergeant Tanouye's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Technical Sergeant Ted T. Tanouye distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 7 July 1944, near Molino A Ventoabbto, Italy. Technical Sergeant Tanouye led his platoon in an attack to capture the crest of a strategically important hill that afforded little cover. Observing an enemy machine gun crew placing its gun in position to his left front, Technical Sergeant Tanouye crept forward a few yards and opened fire on the position, killing or wounding three and causing two others to disperse. Immediately, an enemy machine pistol opened fire on him. He returned the fire and killed or wounded three more enemy soldiers. While advancing forward, Technical Sergeant Tanouye was subjected to grenade bursts, which severely wounded his left arm. Sighting an enemy-held trench, he raked the position with fire from his submachine gun and wounded several of the enemy. Running out of ammunition, he crawled 20 yards to obtain several clips from a comrade on his left flank. Next, sighting an enemy machine pistol that had pinned down his men, Technical Sergeant Tanouye crawled forward a few yards and threw a hand grenade into the position, silencing the pistol. He then located another enemy machine gun firing down the slope of the hill, opened fire on it, and silenced that position. Drawing fire from a machine pistol nest located above him, he opened fire on it and wounded three of its occupants. Finally taking his objective, Technical Sergeant Tanouye organized a defensive position on the reverse slope of the hill before accepting first aid treatment and evacuation. Technical Sergeant Tanouye'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.