Joe Nishimoto
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Nishimoto.
Joe M. Nishimoto (February 21, 1919-November 15, 1944) was a United States Army soldier. He received the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.[1]
Early life
[change | change source]Nishimoto was born in California to Japanese immigrant parents. He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.
He was interned at the Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas,[2]
Soldier
[change | change source]Nishimoto joined the US Army in October 1943.[3]
Nishimoto volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team.[4] This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.[5]
For his actions in November 1944, Nishimoto was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II. Nishimoto's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his family was presented with his medal by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, but only seven of them were still alive.[6]
Medal of Honor citation
[change | change source]Nishimoto's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in frontline fighting in France in 1944.[1] Without help from others, he destroyed three machine gun positions.[7]
The words of Nishimoto's citation explain:
Private First Class Joe M. Nishimoto distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 7 November 1944, near La Houssiere, France. After three days of unsuccessful attempts by his company to dislodge the enemy from a strongly defended ridge, Private First Class Nishimoto, as acting squad leader, boldly crawled forward through a heavily mined and booby-trapped area. Spotting a machine gun nest, he hurled a grenade and destroyed the emplacement. Then, circling to the rear of another machine gun position, he fired his submachine gun at point-blank range, killing one gunner and wounding another. Pursuing two enemy riflemen, Private First Class Nishimoto killed one, while the other hastily retreated. Continuing his determined assault, he drove another machine gun crew from its position. The enemy, with their key strong points taken, were forced to withdraw from this sector. Private First Class Nishimoto's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.[8]
Related pages
[change | change source]- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients
- Posthumous recognition
References
[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 US Army Center of Military History (CMH), "Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)" Archived 2008-04-30 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Japanese-American Internee Data File, 1942-1946 #29517 (Nishimoto, Joe M.) Archived 2016-03-08 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑ NARA, WWII Army Enlistment Record #35229917 (Nishimoto, Joe M.); retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑ Go for Broke National Education Center, "Medal of Honor Recipient Private First Class Joe M. Nishimoto" Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑ "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry" at Global Security.org; retrieved 2012-12-7.
- ↑ "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-27.
- ↑ CMH, "Asian Pacific American Medal of Honor recipients" Archived 2009-07-29 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-28.
- ↑ Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008). Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2008, "Nishimoto, Joe M.," pp. 15-16 [PDF 19-20 of 44]; retrieved 2012-12-7.