Lihue, Hawaii, US
U.S. Army
PFC, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion
09/04/1998, Honolulu, US
Medal of Honor awardee:
Private Masato Nakae, a Medal of Honor recipient, distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on August 19, 1944, near Pisa, 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’s M-1 rifle and fired rifle 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 enemy mortar 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.