Defending Till the End: PFC Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano

Medal of Honor Podcast

Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano was a native Hawaiian who served in the Army in the Korean War before Hawaii was even a state. When an overwhelming enemy force attacked their defensive position, Kaho’ohanohano ordered his men to fall back, but he stayed behind. Kaho’ohanohano laid down deadly coverfire to protect his men as they retreated, firing a machine gun and throwing grenades. He was hit in the shoulder, but held his position until he had completely exhausted all of his ammo and grenades. Armed only with a shovel, Kaho’ohanohano was overwhelmed by enemy forces, but killed two in hand-to-hand combat.

Seeing Kaho’ohanohano’s fierce dedication and bravery, his squad was inspired. They rallied and launched a successful counter attack, pushing out the enemy. When the dust cleared, they found that Kaho’ohanohano’s machine gun had bent because it had fired so many bullets.

Kaho’ohanohano was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his sacrifice, but decades later, it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On May 2nd, 2011, Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and it was received by his nephew. He’s buried at the Maui Veterans cemetery in Maui, and a National Guard Armory in Maui was named after him.