President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor for former U.S. Army Pfc. Wataru Nakamura to Gary Takashima, the nephew of Pfc. Nakamura, during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Jan. 3, 2025. Nakamura – one of seven U.S. Soldiers from the Korean and Vietnam Wars to receive the Medal of Honor at the White House today – was posthumously recognized and honored for his acts of heroism on May 18, 1951 that saved the lives of his comrades during enemy fire, and resulted in his death by an enemy grenade, near P’ungchon-in, Korea while serving with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Henry Villarama)
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WASHINGTON — During a tumultuous period for Japanese Americans and the relocation of his family by the U.S. government, Wataru Nakamura decided to serve his country and the American military.
His enlistment into the Army would eventually lead Nakamura into a vicious battle during the Korean War.
More than seven decades later, President Joe Biden honored Nakamura’s actions which took place on May 18, 1951, in P’ungch’ong-ni, North Korea.
During a maintenance mission to repair a pipe, Pfc. Nakamura found himself under fire from a threatening enemy force.
Armed only with his bayonet, Nakamura pushed back enemies that had captured U.S. bunkers. He destroyed a machine gun nest and then killed hostiles before suffering a mortal wound from a grenade.
“My uncle had a strong commitment to his service and to his fellow Soldiers,” said Nakamura’s nephew, Gary Takashima.
At one point during the battle. Nakamura exhausted all of his ammunition. He armed himself and went back into the fight.
For Nakamura’s actions, Takashima accepted the Medal of Honor from Biden on his uncle’s behalf, Jan. 3. Nakamura was then inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall the next day.
“My uncle was humble,” Takashima said. “He would have been greatly honored to receive the Medal of Honor, but he would have felt all of this was too much for doing what he was supposed to.”
Born in Los Angeles, Nakamura was the second of seven children. At the time of his Army enlistment, he had just joined his family at an internment camp in Arkansas.
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