Barney F . Hajiro Barney Fushimi Hajiro ( September 16 , 1916 – January 21 , 2011 ) was a United States Army soldier . He is best known as a recipient of the United States military ' s highest decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his actions in World War II . Biography . Hajiro was born in Hawaii , the eldest of nine children born to Japan ese immigrant parents His parents had moved from Hiroshima to Maui during World War I . Two of his siblings died in infancy . The family was poor , and Hajiro left school to work , first in the sugarcane fields of Maui and later as a stevedore in Honolulu . Two months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , he was drafted into the U . S . Army and performed menial labor as part of an engineering battalion . In March 1943 , Hajiro volunteered to be part of the all - " Nisei " 442nd Regimental Combat Team . This army unit was mostly made up of second - generation Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland . The unit was sent to Europe and in May 1944 fought the Germans in Italy , north of Rome . From there the 442nd was redeployed to France , and on October 19 , 1944 was fighting near Bruyères and Biffontaine in the eastern part of that country . Over the next ten days , Hajiro , a private in Company I , repeatedly distinguished himself in battle . He exposed himself to enemy fire while assisting an allied attack on October 19 , and three days later he and a comrade ambushed an 18 - man enemy patrol . On October 29 , during the rescue of the so - called " Lost Battalion " , which had been surrounded by German forces in the Vosges Mountains , he single - handedly destroyed two German machine gun emplacements before being wounded . Shot in the shoulder and wrist , Hajiro ' s left arm was partially paralyzed . He was able to rejoin the 442nd in Monte Carlo , but was barred from further combat duty . He was then sent back to the United States to recover . For his actions in October 1944 , Hajiro received the Army ' s second - highest decoration , the Distinguished Service Cross . He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal ( United States ) , before being discharged . In 1948 , he was awarded the Military Medal by the British government . A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who had received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Hajiro ' s award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor . In a ceremony at the White House on June 21 , 2000 , he was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton . Twenty - one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony , all but six of them posthumously . Four years later , in 2004 , the French awarded Hajiro the Légion d ' honneur . For seven months , Hajiro was the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient . Hajiro died January 21 , 2011 in Waipahu , Hawaii . Honors and awards . Medal of Honor < br > Medal of Honor citation . Hajiro ' s Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in frontline fighting in eastern France in 1944 . Hajiro ' s official Medal of Honor citation reads : Private Barney F . Hajiro distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19 , 22 , and October 29 , 1944 , in the vicinity of Bruyeres and Biffontaine , eastern France . Private Hajiro , while acting as a sentry on top of an embankment on October 19 , 1944 , in the vicinity of Bruyeres , France , rendered assistance to allied troops attacking a house 200 yards away by exposing himself to enemy fire and directing fire at an enemy strong point . He assisted the unit on his right by firing his automatic rifle and killing or wounding two enemy sniper s . On October 22 , 1944 , he and one comrade took up an outpost security position about 50 yards to the right front of their platoon , concealed themselves , and ambushed an 18 - man , heavily armed , enemy patrol , killing two , wounding one , and taking the remainder as prisoners . On October 29 , 1944 , in a wooded area in the vicinity of Biffontaine , France , Private Hajiro initiated an attack up the slope of a hill referred to as " Suicide Hill " by running forward approximately 100 yards under fire . He then advanced ahead of his comrades about 10 yards , drawing fire and spotting camouflaged machine gun nests . He fearlessly met fire with fire and single - handedly destroyed two machine gun nests and killed two enemy snipers . As a result of Private Hajiro ' s heroic actions , the attack was successful . Private Hajiro ' s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him , his unit , and the United States Army .