On April 24, 1951, while fighting in North Korea during the Korean War, U.S. Army Corporal Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura and his machine gun squad were attacked in a harrowing night assault by waves of Chinese soldiers who began to overrun their position.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura | Photo used with Permission ©Nick Delcalzo
Miyamura jumped up from his position and fought hand-to-hand with his attackers, killing about 10 enemy soldiers with his rifle and bayonet before ordering his men to withdraw. As they pulled back, he stayed behind to cover them, blasting away with their last operating machine gun until receiving a serious wound. His extraordinary bravery earned him a Medal of Honor but the official citation, drafted soon after the incident, presumed he had died in the fighting.
Hershey Miyamura's Medal of Honor | --Mark-- via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
“When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers,” his Medal of Honor citation says.
When the U.S. government learned that Miyamura had been captured, his Medal of Honor, which had not yet been publicly announced, was quickly classified as “top secret” to protect Miyamura from retribution by his captors.
“I remember all I could say was, ‘What?’”
The only Medal of Honor award to be classified as “top secret” remained so for more than two years as Miyamura suffered through 28 months of imprisonment that included torture, some 300 miles of forced marching, bad water, little food and conditions so horrid that hundreds of his fellow prisoners died.
Upon his release in August 1953, Miyamura was pulled aside as he reached Freedom Village and informed by his commanding general that he had been awarded the Medal of Honor. “I remember all I could say was, ‘What?’” Miyamura recalled years later.
A photograph showed him still wearing striped clothing as he sat beside the general in front of a cluster of microphones. He received the award from President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House that October.
President Dwight Eisenhower presented the Medal of Honor to Miyamura in 1953. | Department of Defense
Born in 1925 in Gallup, New Mexico, to Japanese immigrants, Miyamura wanted to fight for the United States in World War II but was deemed ineligible to serve because of his ancestry until 1945, when he enlisted in a unit entirely comprised of Japanese-Americans. Days before he was to be shipped off to Italy with his unit, the war ended.
Miyamura continued serving in the Army Reserve and was recalled to active duty when the Korean War started in 1950. Upon his release as a prisoner, he was promoted to sergeant in addition to being awarded the Medal of Honor.
Miyamura returned to Gallup and established a career as an automobile mechanic and service station owner. He was married for 66 years until his wife Terry’s death in 2014. Miyamura himself passed away on November 29, 2022. He is survived by his three children and four grandchildren, including one, Marisa, who is a U.S. Air Force officer.
Hershey Miyamura in 2014 | --Mark-- via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
“Cpl. Miyamura, a member of Company H, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. On the night of 24 April, Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked, threatening to overrun the position. Cpl. Miyamura, a machine-gun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men, unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat, killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machine gun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company Cpl. Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers. Cpl. Miyamura's indomitable heroism and consummate devotion to duty reflect the utmost glory on himself and uphold the illustrious traditions on the military service.”
MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION