Young-Oak Kim
American military officer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Young-Oak Kim (Korean: 김영옥; Hanja: 金永玉[3]; RR: Gim Yeong-ok; MR: Kim Yŏng'ok, 1919 – December 29, 2005) was a United States Army officer during World War II and the Korean War and a civic leader and humanitarian. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a combat leader in Italy and France during World War II. He was awarded 19 medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Medal of Military Valor, a Légion d'honneur, a Croix de Guerre, and (posthumously) the Korean Taeguk Cordon of the Order of Military Merit. After his military career, Kim dedicated his life to public service and was an active founder and leader of several non-profit organizations for underserved communities throughout Southern California. He died of cancer at the age of 86.[4][5][6] In May 2016, members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus held a press conference, organized by the Council of Korean Americans, to call on President Barack Obama to posthumously award Kim the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[7]
Young-Oak Kim | |
---|---|
Born | January 29, 1919[1] Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
Died | December 29, 2005(2005-12-29) (aged 86) Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
Place of burial | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1941–1946 1950–1972 |
Rank | Colonel[2] |
Commands held | 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star (2) Purple Heart (3) Bronze Medal of Military Valor (Italy) Légion d'honneur Croix de Guerre Taeguk Cordon of the Order of Military Merit (Korea) |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 김영옥 |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Kim Yeong-ok |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Yŏng'ok |