Yukio Okutsu facts for kids
- In this Japanese name, the family name is Okutsu.
Quick facts for kids
Yukio Okutsu
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Technical Sergeant Yukio Okutsu
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| Born | November 3, 1921 Koloa, Hawaii |
| Died | August 24, 2003 (aged 81) |
| Place of burial |
East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2,
Hilo, Hawaii |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943 - 1945 |
| Rank | Technical Sergeant |
| Unit | 442nd Regimental Combat Team |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
Yukio Okutsu (November 3, 1921 – August 24, 2003) was a United States Army soldier. He received the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.
Contents
Early life
Okutsu was born in Koloa, Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents. He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.
Soldier
Okutsu joined the US Army in March 1943.
Okutsu 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.
For his actions in April 1945, Okutsu 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. Okutsu's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, he 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.
Namesake
Okutsu is the namesake of the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home at Hilo. It is the first veterans home operated by the state government in Hawaii.
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