Korean War veterans gain honor
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Organizers of ceremonies this weekend honoring Hawai'i's Korean War veterans with a special medallion were pleasantly surprised by the number of people who want to receive one.
Nearly 700 aging veterans of the 1950s conflict responded to last month's call for applicants.
The medallions are being given by the Freedom League of the USA and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Both groups wanted to reach veterans who did not receive similar medallions from the Korean government when it commemorated the recent 50th anniversary of the Korean War.
"It's in honor of Americans who served in Korea from 1950 to 1953," said Chuck Turner, adjutant for the Purple Heart order.
"I think it was an enthusiastic response. I think a lot of these people who have applied didn't understand what the medallions were about until they saw fellow veterans wearing them."
There will be two ceremonies, one today at the Maui War Memorial Complex and another tomorrow at Punchbowl.
Based in Augusta, Ga., the Freedom League is composed of U.S. citizens of Korean descent. Eugene Chin Yu, president of the group, will give the keynote address at Punchbowl.
Among those Hawai'i veterans being honored posthumously are Medal of Honor recipients Herbert K. Pililaau and Leroy A. Mendonca.
A Wai'anae native and Army private, Pililaau died on "Heartbreak Ridge" in 1951. He had used all his ammunition and fought hand-to-hand with a bayonet before he was overwhelmed.
Mendonca was an Army sergeant who also died in 1951 in hand-to-hand combat. He killed 37 North Korean soldiers while covering his platoon's withdrawal.
Between 200 and 800 veterans and family members are expected for tomorrow's Punchbowl ceremony at 10 a.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
An estimated 17,000 Korean War veterans live in Hawai'i. U.S. troops from Hawai'i were among the first sent after North Korea invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Nearly 500 died in action.
The medallions will help the community — and the veterans — remember their contributions, said Korean War veteran Leonard K. Kaae, commander of the Purple Heart order's Honolulu chapter.
"These people making the medallion, I guess they really appreciate what us veterans did," Kaae said. "They are trying to show us their appreciation."
Reach Mike Gordon at 525-8012 or mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
