Ted Tanouye facts for kids
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Tanouye.
Ted Takayuki Tanouye (November 14, 1919 – September 6, 1944) was a United States Army soldier. He received the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.
Early life
Tanouye was born in Torrence, California. His parents were Japanese immigrant parents. He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.
The Tanouye family was interned at the Jerome War Relocation Center near Jerome, Arkansas. and then they were moved to the camp at Rohwer War Relocation Center near Rohwer, Arkansas.
Soldier
Two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Tanouye joined the US Army in February 1942.
Tanouye 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.
For his actions in July 1944, Tanouye was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II. Tanouye's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, he was presented with his medal by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, but only seven of them were still alive.
Namesake
Tanouye is the namesake of the Torrance National Guard Armory in California.
Related pages
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients
- Posthumous recognition
Images for kids
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Medal of Honor
