Background
Nakae was born in Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
Nakae was born in Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
This award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor after Congress directed the Secretary of the Army to review all awards of the Distinguished Service Cross to Americans of Japanese and Pacific Islands descent to determine if racial bias had influenced the awards process.
He is a Nisei, which means that he is a second generation Japanese-American. Two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Nakae joined the United States Army in February 1942. Nakae volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion.
This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.
He is best known for receiving the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World World War World War II Foreign his actions in August 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Nakae was one of 22 Americans of Japanese descent who received the Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000 (about two years after his death) by President Bill Clinton. The President of the United States of America, authorized by Acting of Congress, March 3, 1963, has awarded in the name of The Congress the Medal of Honor to
