Background
Okutsu was born in Koloa, Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
Okutsu was born in Koloa, Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American. Okutsu joined the United States Army in March 1943. Ohata 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.
On April 7, 1945, Okutsu was serving as a technical sergeant in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He was awarded the Army"s second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross, for his actions.
2, Hilo, Hawaii.
He is best known for receiving the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World World War World War II A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World World War II led to Okutsu"s award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, he 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 six of them posthumously. Okutsu died at age 81, three years after receiving the Medal of Honor, and was buried in East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery Number. His official reads:.
