Herbert K. Pililaau
Military Person
1928 – 1951
Who was Herbert K. Pililaau?
Herbert Kailieha Pililaʻau 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 Oʻahu, he was drafted into the military as a young man. Sent to Korea in early 1951, he participated as an automatic rifleman 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 grenades 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.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Oct 10, 1928
Waianae - Also known as
- Herbert Pililaau
- Died
- Sep 17, 1951
Korea - Resting place
- National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Herbert K. Pililaau." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/herbert_k_pililaau>.
Discuss this Herbert K. Pililaau biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In