PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Herbert K. Pililaau
rdfs:comment
  • Herbert Kaili Pililaau (October 10, 1928 – September 17, 1951) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A Native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the island of Oahu, he was drafted into the military as a young man. Sent to Korea in early 1951, he participated as an automatic rifleman in the Battle of Bloody Ridge. During the subsequent Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, he voluntarily stayed behind to cover his unit's withdrawal in the face of an intense attack by North Korean forces. Alone, he held off the assault using his automatic rifle and hand grenades and, after exhausting all available ammunition, engaged the attackers in hand to hand combat until being overrun and killed.
owl:sameAs
Unit
  • 1987200.0
dcterms:subject
dbkwik:military/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
serviceyears
  • to 1951
Birth Date
  • 1928-10-10
Branch
  • 20
death place
  • Near Pia-ri, Korea
Name
  • Herbert K. Pililaau
Caption
  • Medal of Honor recipient Herbert Pililaau
placeofburial label
  • Place of burial
Birth Place
  • Waianae, Hawaii
Awards
death date
  • 1951-09-17
Rank
  • 20
Allegiance
Battles
  • Korean War
  • Battle of Bloody Ridge
  • Battle of Heartbreak Ridge
placeofburial
abstract
  • Herbert Kaili Pililaau (October 10, 1928 – September 17, 1951) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A Native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the island of Oahu, he was drafted into the military as a young man. Sent to Korea in early 1951, he participated as an automatic rifleman in the Battle of Bloody Ridge. During the subsequent Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, he voluntarily stayed behind to cover his unit's withdrawal in the face of an intense attack by North Korean forces. Alone, he held off the assault using his automatic rifle and hand grenades and, after exhausting all available ammunition, engaged the attackers in hand to hand combat until being overrun and killed. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.