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FReeper Canteen ~ Hallof Heroes: Barney F. Hajiro ~ 28 February 2016
Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !!
| StarCMC and The Canteen Crew
Posted on 02/28/2016 5:01:08 PM PST by Kathy in Alaska
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~ Hall of Heroes ~ Barney F. Hajiro Info from here. |
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Barney F. Hajiro (September 16, 1916 January 21, 2011) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decorationthe Medal of Honorfor his actions in World War II. |
Hajiro was born in Hawaii, the eldest of nine children born to Japanese immigrant parents who had moved from Hiroshima to Maui during World War I. Two of his siblings died in infancy. The family was poor, and Hajiro left school to work, first in the sugarcane fields of Maui and later as a stevedore in Honolulu. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and performed menial labor as part of an engineering battalion. In March 1943, he volunteered to join the newly-formed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed of Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) like himself. The unit was sent to Europe and in May 1944 fought the Germans in Italy, north of Rome. From there the 442nd was redeployed to France, and on October 19, 1944 was fighting near Bruyères and Biffontaine in the eastern part of that country. Over the next ten days, Hajiro, a private in Company I, repeatedly distinguished himself in battle. He exposed himself to enemy fire while assisting an allied attack on October 19, and three days later he and a comrade ambushed an 18-man enemy patrol. On October 29, during the rescue of the so-called "Lost Battalion", which had been surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, he single-handedly destroyed two German machine gun emplacements before being wounded. Shot in the shoulder and wrist, Hajiro's left arm was partially paralyzed. He was able to rejoin the 442nd in Monte Carlo, but was barred from further combat duty. He was then sent back to the United States to recover. For his actions during October 1944, Hajiro received the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross and the World War II Victory Medal (United States), before being discharged. In 1948, he was awarded the Military Medal by the British government for his part in rescuing the Lost Battalion. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who had received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Hajiro's award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, he was presented with the 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. Four years later, in 2004, the French awarded Hajiro the Légion d'honneur. Following the death of John William Finn on May 27, 2010, Hajiro became the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. Hajiro died January 21, 2011 in Waipahu, Hawaii. |
Hajiro's official Medal of Honor citation reads: Private Barney F. Hajiro distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19, 22, and October 29, 1944, in the vicinity of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, eastern France. Private Hajiro, while acting as a sentry on top of an embankment on October 19, 1944, in the vicinity of Bruyeres, France, rendered assistance to allied troops attacking a house 200 yards away by exposing himself to enemy fire and directing fire at an enemy strong point. He assisted the unit on his right by firing his automatic rifle and killing or wounding two enemy snipers. On October 22, 1944, he and one comrade took up an outpost security position about 50 yards to the right front of their platoon, concealed themselves, and ambushed an 18-man, heavily armed, enemy patrol, killing two, wounding one, and taking the remainder as prisoners. On October 29, 1944, in a wooded area in the vicinity of Biffontaine, France, Private Hajiro initiated an attack up the slope of a hill referred to as "Suicide Hill" by running forward approximately 100 yards under fire. He then advanced ahead of his comrades about 10 yards, drawing fire and spotting camouflaged machine gun nests. He fearlessly met fire with fire and single-handedly destroyed two machine gun nests and killed two enemy snipers. As a result of Private Hajiro's heroic actions, the attack was successful. Private Hajiro's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit, and the United States Army. |
Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families. This is a politics-free zone! Thanks for helping us in our mission! |
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: canteen; heroes; military; troopsupport
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To: Kathy in Alaska; StarCMC
Whew! Reading about the actions of these heroes each week always gives me shivers. Reading about Barney Hajiro’s heroism this week is no exception.
21
posted on
02/28/2016 5:45:59 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: ConorMacNessa
How are you this evening? Had a good weekend?
22
posted on
02/28/2016 5:52:40 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: StarCMC; MoJo2001; 007; 1 FELLOW FREEPER; 11B3; 1FreeAmerican; 1stbn27; 2111USMC; 2LT Radix jr; ...
Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC.
Sending out prayers for Arrowhead1952 as he recovers from his horrible fall.
~ Hall of Heroes: Barney F. Hajiro ~
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23
posted on
02/28/2016 5:53:20 PM PST
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: PROCON
Howdy, PRO.
Sounds like you’ve been lazy like I was today. Good to do that every now and then. aaaaaaah
I’ve been awake for quite a while, I’ll have you know. LOL! Been watching a little tv and of course, keeping an eye on the owls. Both eggs hatched and Momma’s feeding the kiddos now. First meal for the newly-hatched one.
24
posted on
02/28/2016 5:57:57 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: Kathy in Alaska
Ugh! The office space is that bad, huh? Drat!!!
25
posted on
02/28/2016 5:58:57 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: radu
Good evening, Radu! A good weekend, thanks!
How are things with you?
26
posted on
02/28/2016 6:00:31 PM PST
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN - 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle!)
To: Kathy in Alaska
I read a story many years ago about the “Mo Betta” Battalion. It sounds like it was the same outfit. Japanese Americans from Hawaii.
Of course mo betta was how they pronounced more better. It was their way of saying they were good.
27
posted on
02/28/2016 6:02:34 PM PST
by
yarddog
(Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
To: ConorMacNessa
Hi Conor, did you get a chance to see that video I sent you a few days ago?
28
posted on
02/28/2016 6:03:45 PM PST
by
PROCON
To: ConorMacNessa
Glad to hear your weekend’s been a good one.
Been a quiet one here, with beautiful weather. Makes us antsy for Spring to arrive and stay!
29
posted on
02/28/2016 6:06:12 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: PROCON
I did indeed Army Bro and loved it! I am remiss not having thanked you earlier.
30
posted on
02/28/2016 6:19:12 PM PST
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN - 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle!)
To: ConorMacNessa
I've seen a lot of remakes of that great Vietnam era song, but that one was the BEST!
Greetings from the left coast!
31
posted on
02/28/2016 6:23:00 PM PST
by
PROCON
To: Kathy in Alaska; LUV W; PROCON; The Mayor; AZamericonnie
32
posted on
02/28/2016 6:25:01 PM PST
by
SandRat
(Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
To: PROCON
It was indeed!
Sorry if I'm slow on the uptake - still on the tablet and its quirks are driving me nuts.
33
posted on
02/28/2016 6:32:55 PM PST
by
ConorMacNessa
(HM/2 USN - 3/5 Marines RVN 1969 - St. Michael the Archangel defend us in battle!)
To: Kathy in Alaska; All
34
posted on
02/28/2016 6:35:40 PM PST
by
mylife
(The roar of the masses could be farts)
To: radu
I saw momma owl today but not the chicks. What does she feed them?
35
posted on
02/28/2016 6:45:58 PM PST
by
PROCON
To: y'all
36
posted on
02/28/2016 6:48:18 PM PST
by
mylife
(The roar of the masses could be farts)
To: PROCON
Momma won't get up very often for several days since the owlets need to be kept warm. I was lucky enough to have the site up in one window when she left to get supper from Dad a little while ago and saw the owlets then, and popped off several screen caps.
As for what they eat, well, pretty much anything. Squirrels, birds, snakes, rats, etc.
Tonight's supper was rat.
37
posted on
02/28/2016 6:57:24 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
To: radu
How can those little owlets eat that big rat?
38
posted on
02/28/2016 6:59:16 PM PST
by
PROCON
To: radu
Good evening, radu...well, I've seen the new digs set up, sort of....none are set up where expected. While I was there a gentleman came in and introduced himself as the President.
"How are things?"
"We need to rearrange as nothing is in the right place."
"Was no one here yesterday to direct?"
"No, we were told we couldn't be here until Sunday, and we've never seen the layout "map"."
"Well, I will have several IT guys here early Monday to make everything right and have payroll up and running."
One to the left, one in the middle, and one at the chair to the right. Right now my stuff is on the right, but the other 2 can pick where they want to be. No way to get things organized today because that may not be my spot. LOL!
39
posted on
02/28/2016 7:03:55 PM PST
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~RIP Brian...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: PROCON
In itty bitty pieces. LOL! Momma tears pieces off and feeds them to the owlets. They can't self-feed until they're several weeks old.
There's still a lot of it left over for later snacking.
Here's a good feeding shot I got yesterday....
40
posted on
02/28/2016 7:08:01 PM PST
by
radu
(May God watch over our troops and keep them safe)
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