Kazuo Otani Kazuo Otani ( June 2 , 1918 – July 15 , 1944 ) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Early life . Ono was born in California . His parents were immigrants from Japan . He was a " Nisei " , which means that he was a second generation Japanese - American . Otani ' s family was interned at the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona Soldier . Otani joined the US Army in 1943 . He volunteered to be part of the all - " Nisei " 442nd Regimental Combat Team . This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland . On July 15 , 1944 , Otani was serving as a staff sergeant in Company G of the all volunteer Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team . On that day , near Pieve di Santa Luce , Italy , his platoon became pinned down in a field by an enemy machine gun and sniper s . After killing one sniper , Otani shouted directions to his platoon and repeatedly exposed himself to the hostile fire , creating a distraction which allowed some of his men to reach cover . He then crawled to a wounded soldier who was lying in an exposed position and began rendering medical aid , but was killed by enemy fire in the process . For his actions in July 1944 , Otani was awarded the Army ' s second - highest decoration , the Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) . Otani , aged 26 at his death , was buried in Veterans Liberty Cemetery , Fresno , California . In the 1990s , there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II . Otani ' s award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor . In a ceremony at the White House on June 21 , 2000 , his family 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 . Medal of Honor citation . Staff Sergeant Otani ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : Staff Sergeant Kazuo Otani distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 15 July 1944 , near Pieve Di S . Luce , Italy . Advancing to attack a hill objective , Staff Sergeant Otani ' s platoon became pinned down in a wheat field by concentrated fire from enemy machine gun and sniper positions . Realizing the danger confronting his platoon , Staff Sergeant Otani left his cover and shot and killed a sniper who was firing with deadly effect upon the platoon . Followed by a steady stream of machine gun bullets , Staff Sergeant Otani then dashed across the open wheat field toward the foot of a cliff , and directed his men to crawl to the cover of the cliff . When the movement of the platoon drew heavy enemy fire , he dashed along the cliff toward the left flank , exposing himself to enemy fire . By attracting the attention of the enemy , he enabled the men closest to the cliff to reach cover . Organizing these men to guard against possible enemy counterattack , Staff Sergeant Otani again made his way across the open field , shouting instructions to the stranded men while continuing to draw enemy fire . Reaching the rear of the platoon position , he took partial cover in a shallow ditch and directed covering fire for the men who had begun to move forward . At this point , one of his men became seriously wounded . Ordering his men to remain under cover , Staff Sergeant Otani crawled to the wounded soldier who was lying on open ground in full view of the enemy . Dragging the wounded soldier to a shallow ditch , Staff Sergeant Otani proceeded to render first aid treatment , but was mortally wounded by machine gun fire . Staff Sergeant Otani ' 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 .