Herbert K . Pililaau Herbert Kaili Pililaau ( October 10 , 1928 – September 17 , 1951 ) 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 the Korean War . A Native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the island of Oahu , he was drafted into the military as a young man . Sent to Korea in early 1951 , he participated as an automatic rifle man in the Battle of Bloody Ridge . During the subsequent Battle of Heartbreak Ridge , he voluntarily stayed behind to cover his unit ' s withdrawal in the face of an intense attack by North Korean forces . Alone , he held off the assault using his automatic rifle and hand grenade s and , after exhausting all available ammunition , engaged the attackers in hand to hand combat until being overrun and killed . For these actions , he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Early life . Pililaau was born and raised in Waianae , a working - class suburb of Honolulu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii . He was the ninth of fourteen children , nine brothers and five sisters . His parents were both Native Hawaiians and his mother , Abigail , spoke English and Hawaiian . She was the daughter of Luka ( Kailieha ) Norton . Pililaau was a talented singer and ukulele player and an avid reader . After graduating from Waipahu High School in 1948 , he studied administration , secretarial work , and accounting at Cannon Business School . Military service . Drafted into the Army , he attended basic training at Fort Shafter . He briefly considered declaring himself a conscientious objector , as his Christian faith made him unsure of killing others , but decided against this idea . He was sent to Korea in March 1951 and served as a private first class with Company C , 23rd Infantry Regiment , 2nd Infantry Division . Volunteering to be his squad ' s automatic rifleman , Pililaau carried a Browning Automatic Rifle ( BAR ) . In August he participated in the Battle of Bloody Ridge , in which the 2nd Infantry Division attacked and captured a ridge in east central Korea . Their next objective was a hill mass just to the north , near Pia - ri , which would come to be known as Heartbreak Ridge . On September 17 , 1951 , Company C and two other companies were tasked with capturing Hill 931 , one of Heartbreak Ridge ' s two identifiable peaks , from North Korean forces . When Company C ' s attack stalled on a ridgeline which ran south from the main peak , Pililaau ' s platoon set up a defensive perimeter ahead of the rest of the company . With the help of artillery , mortar , and heavy machine gun support , the platoon easily held off a series of probing assaults which began in the mid - afternoon . At about 10 : 00 p . m . , two battalion s of the 13th Infantry Regiment , 6th Division , Korean People ' s Army , began a concerted attack on the position . With North Korean artillery striking close by and ammunition running low , the platoon received permission to withdraw and rejoin the main body of the company as quickly as possible . Pililaau ' s squad was assigned to stay back momentarily and cover the retreat . Eventually , only Pililaau and his squad leader remained at the platoon ' s original position ; when the squad leader left , Pililaau continued to fight off the attack alone . After exhausting the ammunition for his BAR , he began throwing hand grenades until those too were gone . As some of his comrades watched from their new position further down the ridge , Pililaau threw rocks at the attackers before charging at them , wielding his trench knife with one hand and punching with the other . He was soon surrounded and killed by bayonet . When his platoon retook the position the next day , they found forty dead North Korean soldiers around his body . Legacy and honors . Aged 22 at his death , Pililaau was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on February 26 , 1952 . For his actions on Heartbreak Ridge , he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor later that year , on June 18 . He was the first Hawaiian to receive the Medal of Honor . In January 2000 in New Orleans , the United States Navy christened a Military Sealift Command cargo ship , the , in his honor . Thirty - one members of his extended family were given a tour of the ship on December 10 , 2003 , when it made its first docking in Hawaii . Also named for Pililaau are a live - fire range at Makua Military Reservation , a park in his hometown of Wai ' anae , and the Wai ' anae Army Recreation Center . Medal of Honor citation . Pililaau ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : Pfc . Pililaau , a member of Company C , distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy . The enemy sent wave after wave of fanatical troops against his platoon which held a key terrain feature on " Heartbreak Ridge . " Valiantly defending its position , the unit repulsed each attack until ammunition became practically exhausted and it was ordered to withdraw to a new position . Voluntarily remaining behind to cover the withdrawal , Pfc . Pililaau fired his automatic weapon into the ranks of the assailants , threw all his grenades and , with ammunition exhausted , closed with the foe in hand - to - hand combat , courageously fighting with his trench knife and bare fists until finally overcome and mortally wounded . When the position was subsequently retaken , more than 40 enemy dead were counted in the area he had so valiantly defended . His heroic devotion to duty , indomitable fighting spirit , and gallant self - sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself , the infantry , and the U . S . Army .