THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

74

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

requesting that new state and county buildings be named in honor of Hawaii residents who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of heroism during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

 

WHEREAS, the Medal of Honor, first established in 1861, is awarded by the President in the name of Congress, to a person who, while a member of the Armed Services, distinguishes himself or herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while:

(1) Engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;

(2) Engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or

(3) Serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party;

and

WHEREAS, the deed performed must have been one of personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. Incontestable proof of the performance of the service is exacted and each recommendation for the award of this decoration is considered on the standard of extraordinary merit; and

WHEREAS, the Congressional Medal of Honor has been awarded only 3,456 times in its one hundred forty-one-year history, to 3,437 single recipients and nineteen double recipients, for acts of heroism during times of peace and times of war, from Big Shanty, Georgia to Mogadishu, Somalia; and

WHEREAS, seventeen Hawaii residents have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of heroism during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. These individuals are Private First Class Barney Hajiro, Private Mikio Hasemoto, Private Shizuya Hayashi, Second Lieutenant Daniel K. Inouye, Corporal Terry Kawamura, Technical Sergeant Yeiki Kobashigawa, Staff Sergeant Robert Kuroda, Sergeant Leroy Mendonca, Private First Class Kaoru Moto, Private First Class Masato Nakae, Private Shinyei Nakamine, Staff Sergeant Allan Ohata, Technical Sergeant Yukio Okutsu, Private First Class Herbert Pililaau, Sergeant Emelindo Smith, Captain Francis Brown Wai, and Sergeant First Class Rodney Yano; and

WHEREAS, the nation's war memorials are intended to remind future generations about the freedoms for which so many sacrificed so much for us all. They are a lasting tribute to our country's fallen heroes and their comrades-in-arms. Hawaii's war memorials are our promise to veterans that their deeds and names will not be forgotten. They are a reflection of the great esteem in which we hold the men and women who fought and, in many cases, died for this country; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, that new state and county buildings, especially public schools, be named in honor of Hawaii residents who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of heroism during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the Mayor and the Chairperson of the Council of each county.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Naming Buildings To Honor Residents Awarded The Medal Of Honor