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Allan Ohata facts for kids

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In this Japanese name, the family name is Ohata.

Allan Masaharu Ohata was a brave soldier in the United States Army during World War II. He is famous for receiving the Medal of Honor, which is the highest award for military bravery in the U.S.

Early Life

Allan Ohata was born in Hawaii on September 13, 1918. His parents had moved to Hawaii from Japan. Allan was a Nisei, which means he was a second-generation Japanese-American. This means his parents were born in Japan, but he was born in the U.S.

A Soldier's Courage

In November 1941, Allan Ohata joined the U.S. Army. This was just one month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Ohata chose to join a special army unit called the 100th Infantry Battalion. This unit was made up almost entirely of Nisei soldiers, like him. Most of these soldiers were Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the U.S. mainland.

In November 1943, Ohata showed incredible bravery. For his actions, he first received the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). This was the Army's second-highest award.

Many years later, in the 1990s, the U.S. government reviewed the records of Asian American soldiers who had received the DSC during World War II. They found that many of these brave soldiers deserved an even higher honor.

Because of this review, Allan Ohata's Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On June 21, 2000, his family received the medal from President Bill Clinton at the White House. Twenty-one other Asian American soldiers also received the Medal of Honor that day.

Allan Ohata once shared a story with his brother about his bravery. He said he "held a hill by himself." He explained that enemy soldiers came from both sides. He survived because he saw one enemy soldier first. This shows how incredibly brave and quick-thinking he was.

Allan Masaharu Ohata passed away on October 17, 1977.

See Also

Images for kids

  • Cmoh army

    The Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery.

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