Background
Ono was born in Colorado. His father was an immigrant from Japan while his mother was from Ireland.
Ono was born in Colorado. His father was an immigrant from Japan while his mother was from Ireland.
He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American. Ono joined the United States Army in September 1943. He 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.
He then braved intense hostile fire to aid two wounded comrades and, when it became necessary to retreat, voluntarily covered his unit"s withdrawal. Ono left the Army while still a private first class.
He died at age 56 and was buried in Highland Cemetery, North Judson, Indiana. Private First Class.
Foreign his actions during the battle, he was awarded the Army"s second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World World War II led to Ono"s award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously. Private First Class Ono"s official reads: Hurling hand grenades, Private First Class Ono forced the enemy to abandon the attempt, resolutely defending the newly won ground until the rest of the platoon moved forward.
During a battle on July 4, 1944, near Castellina Marittima, Italy, Ono advanced ahead of his unit and single-handedly defended his position against an enemy counter-attack. In attacking a heavily defended hill, Private First Class Ono"s squad was caught in a hail of formidable fire from the well-entrenched enemy. Advancing through incessant fire, he killed a sniper with another burst of fire, and while his squad leader reorganized the rest of the platoon in the rear, he alone defended the critical position.
