Shinyei Nakamine

Shinyei Nakamine (January 21, 1920 – June 2, 1944) was a United States Army soldier. He is best known for receiving the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.[1]

Shinyei Nakamine
Pvt. Shinyei Nakamine
Born(1920-01-21)January 21, 1920
Waianae, Oahu, Territory of Hawaii (now Hawaii)
DiedJune 2, 1944(1944-06-02) (aged 24)
La Torreto, Italy
Place of burial
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1941 - 1944
RankPrivate
Unit100th Infantry Battalion
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsMedal of Honor, Purple Heart

Early life

Nakamine was born in Hawaii to Okinawan immigrant parents. He was a Nisei, which means that he is a second generation Japanese-American.

Soldier

One month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Nakamine joined the US Army in November 1941.[2]

Nakamine volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion.[3] This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.[4]

For his actions in June 1944, Nakamine was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross.[5]

Medal of Honor citation

Nakamine received the medal for advancing on enemy forces when his own unit was pinned down. He was subsequently killed during this engagement and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross which was eventually upgraded to the Medal of Honor upon military review in June 2000.

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate). Place and date: La Torreto, Italy, June 2, 1944. Entered service at: Honolulu, Hawaii. Born: January 21, 1920, Waianae, Oahu

Citation:

Private Shinyei Nakamine distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 2 June 1944, near La Torreto, Italy. During an attack, Private Nakamine's platoon became pinned down by intense machine gun crossfire from a small knoll 200 yards to the front. On his own initiative, Private Nakamine crawled toward one of the hostile weapons. Reaching a point 25 yards from the enemy, he charged the machine gun nest, firing his submachine gun, and killed three enemy soldiers and captured two. Later that afternoon, Private Nakamine discovered an enemy soldier on the right flank of his platoon's position. Crawling 25 yards from his position, Private Nakamine opened fire and killed the soldier. Then, seeing a machine gun nest to his front approximately 75 yards away, he returned to his platoon and led an automatic rifle team toward the enemy. Under covering fire from his team, Private Nakamine crawled to a point 25 yards from the nest and threw hand grenades at the enemy soldiers, wounding one and capturing four. Spotting another machine gun nest 100 yards to his right flank, he led the automatic rifle team toward the hostile position but was killed by a burst of machine gun fire. Private Nakamine'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.[6]

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See also

References
  1. US Army Center of Military History, "Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)"; retrieved 2012-12-7.
  2. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), WWII Army Enlistment Record #30101852 (Nakamine, Shinyei); retrieved 2012-12-7.
  3. Go for Broke National Education Center, "Medal of Honor Recipient Private Shinyei Nakamine" Archived 2013-04-14 at Archive.today; retrieved 2012-12-7.
  4. "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry" at Global Security.org; retrieved 2012-12-7.
  5. "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History; retrieved 2012-12-7.
  6. Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008). Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979-2008, "Nakamine, Shinyei," pp. 14-15 [PDF 18-19 of 44]; retrieved 2012-12-7.
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