Masato Nakae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Curly |
| Born | (1917-12-20)December 20, 1917 Lihue, Hawaii |
| Died | September 4, 1998(1998-09-04) (aged 80) |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942 - 1945 |
| Rank |  Private First Class |
| Unit | 100th Infantry Battalion |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards |  Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Masato Nakae (Japanese:中江 正人, December 20, 1917 – September 4, 1998) was aJapanese AmericanUnited States Army soldier.[1] He is best known for receiving theMedal of Honor because of his actions inWorld War II.[2]
Nakae was born inHawaii toJapanese immigrant parents. He was aNisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.[1]
Two months after the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor, Nakae joined theUS Army in February 1942.[3]
Nakae volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion.[4] This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii.[5]
For his actions in August 1944, he was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross.[6] This award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor after Congress directed theSecretary of the Army to review all awards of the DSC to Americans of Japanese and Pacific Islands descent to determine if racial bias had influenced the awards process. Nakae was one of 22 Americans of Japanese descent who received theMedal of Honor on June 21, 2000 (about two years after his death) by PresidentBill Clinton.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act ofCongress, March 3, 1963, has awarded in the name of The Congress theMedal of Honor to
for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty:
Private Masato Nakae distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on August 19, 1944, nearPisa,Italy. When his submachine gun was damaged by a shell fragment during a fierce attack by a superior enemy force, Private Nakae quickly picked up his wounded comrade’sM-1 rifle and firedrifle grenades at the steadily advancing enemy. As the hostile force continued to close in on his position, Private Nakae threw six grenades and forced them to withdraw. During a concentrated enemymortar barrage that preceded the next assault by the enemy force, a mortar shell fragment seriously wounded Private Nakae. Despite his injury, he refused to surrender his position and continued firing at the advancing enemy. By inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy force, he finally succeeded in breaking up the attack and caused the enemy to withdraw. Private Nakae’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.
