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{{Short description|United States Army Medal of Honor recipient}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
|name=James K. Okubo
|name=James Kazuo Okubo
|born= {{birth date|1920|5|30}}
|birth_date= {{Birth date|1920|5|30}}
|died= {{death date and age|1967|1|29|1920|5|30}}
|death_date= {{Death date and age|1967|1|29|1920|5|30}}
|birth_place= [[Anacortes, Washington]]
|placeofbirth= [[Anacortes, Washington]]<ref name="Penta">{{cite news |title=Japanese American Soldiers Celebrated |author=Mia Penta |newspaper=Asian Week |date=6 April 2001 |url=http://asianweek.com/2001_04_06/news8_medalofhonor.html |accessdate=6 December 2009 }}</ref>
|death_place= [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]
|placeofdeath=
|placeofburial= Woodlawn Cemetery, [[Detroit, Michigan]]
|placeofburial= [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)|Woodlawn Cemetery]], Detroit
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|placeofburial_label= Place of burial
|image= [[File:James K Okubo.jpg|200px|Technician James Okubo|alt=Head and shoulders of a young man with a bright smile and neatly combed hair wearing what appears to be a graduation gown over a shirt and tie.]]
|image= James K Okubo.jpg
|image_size= 200
|alt= Head and shoulders of a young man with a bright smile and neatly combed hair wearing what appears to be a graduation gown over a shirt and tie.
|caption= Technician James Okubo
|caption= Technician James Okubo
|nickname=
|nickname=
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch=[[United States Army]]
|branch=[[United States Army]]
|serviceyears=
|serviceyears= 1943–1945
|rank=[[Technician Fifth Grade]]
|rank=[[Technician Fifth Grade]]
|commands=
|commands=
|unit=[[442nd Regimental Combat Team]]
|unit=[[442nd Regimental Combat Team]]
|battles=[[World War II]]
|battles=World War II
|awards=[[Medal of Honor]]<br/>[[Silver Star]]
|awards={{unbulleted list| [[Medal of Honor]] | [[Silver Star]]}}
|relations=
|relations=
|laterwork=[[Dentist]]<br/>Faculty, [[University of Detroit]]<ref name="Penta"/>
|laterwork={{unbulleted list| [[Dentist]] | Faculty, [[University of Detroit]]}}
}}
}}
'''James K. Okubo''' (May 30, 1920 &ndash; January 29, 1967) was a [[United States Army]] soldier and [[Posthumous recognition|posthumous]] recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions in [[World War II]].
'''James Kazuo Okubo''' ({{langx|ja|大久保 和男}},<ref>[https://ddr.densho.org/media/ddr-densho-97/ddr-densho-97-191-mezzanine-22a33d0a83.pdf]</ref> May 30, 1920 – January 29, 1967) was a [[United States Army]] soldier.<ref name="kakesako">Kakesako, Gregg K. [http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/15/news/story6.html "AJA medic’s medal may be upgraded,"] ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin,'' September 15, 2009; 2012-12-29.</ref> He was a [[Posthumous recognition|posthumous]] recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions in [[World War II]].<ref name="moh">US Army Center of Military History (CMH), [http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-m-s.html "Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430113840/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-m-s.html |date=2008-04-30 }}; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref>


==Biography==
== Early life ==
Okubo was born in [[Anacortes, Washington]].<ref>Penta, Mia. [http://asianweek.com/2001_04_06/news8_medalofhonor.html "Japanese American Soldiers Celebrated,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202175853/http://www.asianweek.com/2001_04_06/news8_medalofhonor.html |date=2008-12-02 }} ''Asian Week.'' April 6, 2001; retrieved 2012-12-29,</ref> and graduated from [[Bellingham High School (Washington)|Bellingham High School]].<ref name=lange>{{citation |last=Lange|first=Katie |title=Medal of Honor Monday: Army Tech. 5th Grade James K. Okubo | newspaper=DOD News |date=October 30, 2023 |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3568725/medal-of-honor-monday-army-tech-5th-grade-james-k-okubo/}}</ref> His parents were [[Japan]]ese immigrant parents. He was a ''[[Nisei]]'', which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.
On October 28, 1944, Okubo was a [[technician fifth grade]] serving as a [[combat medic]] in the [[442nd Regimental Combat Team]]. During a battle on that day and the following day, in the Foret Domaniale de Champ near [[Biffontaine]], [[France]], he carried wounded soldiers to safety and treated over two dozen men despite intense enemy fire. One week later, on November 4, he again braved enemy fire to rescue a man from a burning tank. For his actions, Okubo was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but was instead given the [[Silver Star]] under the mistaken belief that medics were not eligible for higher awards.


Following the signing of [[Executive Order 9066]], the Okubo family was interned at the [[Tule Lake War Relocation Center]] in [[California]];<ref>{{cite web | title=Japanese American Internee Data File: James Okubo|url=https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=3099&mtch=157&tf=F&q=Okubo&bc=&sort=30012%20desc&rpp=50&pg=1&rid=68092&rlst=68058,68131,68094,68055,68107,68146,68092,68066,68101,68051| publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]]| accessdate=2019-08-17}}</ref> and then they relocated to the camp at [[Heart Mountain War Relocation Center|Heart Mountain]] in [[Wyoming]].<ref name="kakesako"/>
Okubo left the Army while still a technician fifth grade. He died at age 47 in a traffic collission,<ref name="Penta"/><ref>{{cite news |title=AJA medic’s medal may be upgraded |author=Gregg K. Kakesako |newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date=15 September 2009 |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/09/15/news/story6.html |accessdate=6 December 2009 }}</ref> and was buried in [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit, Michigan)|Woodlawn Cemetery]], [[Detroit, Michigan]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}


==Military service==
Okubo was interned with his family at the [[Tule Lake War Relocation Center]].<ref name=archives>{{cite web | title=National Archives: James Okubo|url=http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=2003&mtch=1&tf=F&q=James+Okubo&bc=,sl,fd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=68092| accessdate=2010-04-30}}</ref>
Okubo joined the [[United States Army|US Army]] in May 1943.<ref>NARA, [https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=james+okubo&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=8189774 WWII Army Enlistment Record #39914547 (Okubo, James K.)]; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref>


Okubo volunteered to be part of the all-''Nisei'' 442nd Regimental Combat Team.<ref>Go for Broke National Education Center, [http://www.goforbroke.org/history/history_historical_medal_okubo.asp "Medal of Honor Recipient Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022113904/http://www.goforbroke.org/history/history_historical_medal_okubo.asp |date=2012-10-22 }}; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref> This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/100-442in.htm "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry" at Global Security.org]; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref>
A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who were decorated in World War II led to Okubo being awarded the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the [[White House]] on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President [[Bill Clinton]]. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously.<ref>{{cite web
|last = Williams
|first = Rudi
|publisher = American Forces Press Service
|title = 21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor
|date = May 19, 2000
|url = http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=45192
|accessdate = 2007-11-20}}</ref>


For his actions in October 1944, Okubo was awarded the Army's third-highest decoration, the [[Silver Star]]. After the war, he became a dentist in [[Detroit]], and was killed in a car accident on January 29, 1967.
==Medal of Honor citation==
Okubo's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
⚫
<blockquote>Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 28 and 29 October and 4 November 1944, in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, eastern France. On 28 October, under strong enemy fire coming from behind mine fields and roadblocks, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo, a medic, crawled 150 yards to within 40 yards of the enemy lines. Two grenades were thrown at him while he left his last covered position to carry back wounded comrades. Under constant barrages of enemy small arms and machine gun fire, he treated 17 men on 28 October and 8 more men on 29 October. On 4 November, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo ran 75 yards under grazing machine gun fire and, while exposed to hostile fire directed at him, evacuated and treated a seriously wounded crewman from a burning tank, who otherwise would have died. Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.</blockquote><ref>{{cite web
|publisher = U.S. Army Center of Military History
|title = Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II (M-S)
|work = Medal of Honor Citations
|date = June 8, 2009
|url = http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/wwII-m-s.html
|accessdate = 2007-11-20}}</ref>


In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the Silver Star during World War II. Okubo's award was one of those upgraded to the Medal of Honor and in a ceremony at the [[White House]], on June 21, 2000, the formal presentation was made by President [[Bill Clinton]]. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the nation's highest military honor during the ceremony, but unfortunately, only seven were still alive to receive it.<ref>[http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/japanese_internment/medal_of_honor.cfm "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317120442/http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/japanese_internment/medal_of_honor.cfm |date=2012-03-17 }}; retrieved 2012-12-27.</ref>
==Legacy==
In 2002, a medical clinic was named after him in [[Fort Lewis]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Fort Lewis clinic named after Okubo |author= |newspaper=International Examiner |date=19 March 2002 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79297606.html |accessdate=6 December 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/Okubo/History.htm |title=OKUBO HEALTH CLINIC |author= |date=5 May 2009 |work=Madigan Army Medical Center |publisher=United States Army |accessdate=6 December 2009}}</ref>


Okubo's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in frontline fighting in eastern France in 1944.<ref name="moh"/>
In 2003, the United States Army named the barracks near [[Brooke Army Medical Center]] after Okubo in a ceremony which featured his widow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seattlenvc.org/newsletter/article.asp?aID=122 |title=Barracks Dedicated to James K. Okubo |author=Steve Finley |date=June 2003 |work=Newsletter |publisher=The NVC Foundation |accessdate=6 December 2009}}</ref> The barracks are now used for [[Fort Sam Houston]]'s [[Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2)|Warrior Transition]] [[battalion]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imcom.army.mil/hq/article.32938.htm |title=Barracks renovations ease daily living for wounded warriors |author=Cheryl Harrison |date=13 September 2007 |work=IMCOM |publisher=[[United States Army]] |accessdate=6 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wounded GIs get round-the-clock care |author=Sig Christenson |newspaper=San Antonio Express-News |publisher=Hearst Newspapers |date=7 September 2009 |url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/military/57619977.html |accessdate=6 December 2009 }}</ref>

The words of Okubo's citation explain:
⚫
<blockquote>Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 28 and 29 October and 4 November 1944, in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, eastern France. On 28 October, under strong enemy fire coming from behind mine fields and roadblocks, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo, a medic, crawled 150 yards to within 40 yards of the enemy lines. Two grenades were thrown at him while he left his last covered position to carry back wounded comrades. Under constant barrages of enemy small arms and machine gun fire, he treated 17 men on 28 October and 8 more men on 29 October. On 4 November, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo ran 75 yards under grazing machine gun fire and, while exposed to hostile fire directed at him, evacuated and treated a seriously wounded crewman from a burning tank, who otherwise would have died. Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.<ref>Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008). ''Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979–2008,'' [https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30011.pdf "Okubo, James K.," pp. 16–17 <nowiki>[PDF 20–21 of 44]</nowiki>]; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref></blockquote>

==Namesake==
Okubo is the [[wikt:namesake|namesake]] of the Okubo Family Health Clinic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in [[Washington (state)|Washington]].<ref>[http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/famprac/okubo.htm "Okubo Family Medical Health Clinic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218235958/http://www.mamc.amedd.army.mil/famprac/okubo.htm |date=2013-02-18 }}; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref>

The Okubo Barracks at the Fort Sam Houston in Texas are named after the ''Nisei'' soldier.<ref>Air Force Housing, [http://www.housing.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=10108 "JBSA-Fort Sam Houston," Okubo Barracks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116141659/http://www.housing.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=10108 |date=2013-01-16 }}; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref> The barracks are now used for wounded soldiers.<ref>Christenson, Sig. [http://www.mysanantonio.com/military/57619977.html "Wounded GIs get round-the-clock care,"] ''San Antonio Express-News,'' September 7, 2009; retrieved 2012-12-29.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal box|Biography|United States Army|World War II}}
{{Portal|Biography}}


*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients]]
*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients]]
Line 64: Line 60:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121028212638/http://www.defense.gov/specials/medalofhonor/ "Army Secretary Lionizes 22 World War II Heroes" at Defense.gov]
<div class="references-small">
*{{findagrave|7974416}} Retrieved on 2007-11-20
*{{Find a Grave|7974416|work=Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients|accessdate=2007-11-20}}

<!-- *{{cite web | last = Kakesako | first = Gregg | title=AJA medic’s medal may be upgraded: 'The late James K. Okubo of the 442nd is on track for the Medal of Honor|url=http://starbulletin.com/1999/09/15/news/story6.html| date=1999-09-15}} -->
{{Authority control}}
</div>


{{Persondata
|NAME= Okubo, James K.
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
⚫
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[United States Army]] [[Medal of Honor]] recipient
|DATE OF BIRTH= May 30, 1920
|PLACE OF BIRTH= Bellingham Washington
|DATE OF DEATH= January 29, 1967
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okubo, James K.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okubo, James K.}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:United States Army non-commissioned officers]]
[[Category:American people of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:Combat medics]]
[[Category:Japanese-American internees]]
[[Category:Japanese-American internees]]
[[Category:American military personnel of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:American military personnel of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:People from Bellingham, Washington]]
[[Category:People from Bellingham, Washington]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)]]

Latest revision as of 15:50, 28 October 2024

James Kazuo Okubo
Head and shoulders of a young man with a bright smile and neatly combed hair wearing what appears to be a graduation gown over a shirt and tie.
Technician James Okubo
Born(1920-05-30)May 30, 1920
Anacortes, Washington
DiedJanuary 29, 1967(1967-01-29) (aged 46)
Detroit, Michigan
Place of burial
Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1943–1945
RankTechnician Fifth Grade
Unit442nd Regimental Combat Team
Battles / warsWorld War II
Awards
Other work

James Kazuo Okubo (Japanese: 大久保 和男,[1] May 30, 1920 – January 29, 1967) was a United States Army soldier.[2] He was a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Okubo was born in Anacortes, Washington.[4] and graduated from Bellingham High School.[5] His parents were Japanese immigrant parents. He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American.

Following the signing of Executive Order 9066, the Okubo family was interned at the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California;[6] and then they relocated to the camp at Heart Mountain in Wyoming.[2]

Military service

[edit]

Okubo joined the US Army in May 1943.[7]

Okubo volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team.[8] This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.[9]

For his actions in October 1944, Okubo was awarded the Army's third-highest decoration, the Silver Star. After the war, he became a dentist in Detroit, and was killed in a car accident on January 29, 1967.

In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the Silver Star during World War II. Okubo's award was one of those upgraded to the Medal of Honor and in a ceremony at the White House, on June 21, 2000, the formal presentation was made by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the nation's highest military honor during the ceremony, but unfortunately, only seven were still alive to receive it.[10]

Okubo's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in frontline fighting in eastern France in 1944.[3]

The words of Okubo's citation explain:

Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 28 and 29 October and 4 November 1944, in the Foret Domaniale de Champ, near Biffontaine, eastern France. On 28 October, under strong enemy fire coming from behind mine fields and roadblocks, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo, a medic, crawled 150 yards to within 40 yards of the enemy lines. Two grenades were thrown at him while he left his last covered position to carry back wounded comrades. Under constant barrages of enemy small arms and machine gun fire, he treated 17 men on 28 October and 8 more men on 29 October. On 4 November, Technician Fifth Grade Okubo ran 75 yards under grazing machine gun fire and, while exposed to hostile fire directed at him, evacuated and treated a seriously wounded crewman from a burning tank, who otherwise would have died. Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.[11]

Namesake

[edit]

Okubo is the namesake of the Okubo Family Health Clinic at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.[12]

The Okubo Barracks at the Fort Sam Houston in Texas are named after the Nisei soldier.[13] The barracks are now used for wounded soldiers.[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b Kakesako, Gregg K. "AJA medic’s medal may be upgraded," Honolulu Star-Bulletin, September 15, 2009; 2012-12-29.
  3. ^ a b US Army Center of Military History (CMH), "Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)" Archived 2008-04-30 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  4. ^ Penta, Mia. "Japanese American Soldiers Celebrated," Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine Asian Week. April 6, 2001; retrieved 2012-12-29,
  5. ^ Lange, Katie (October 30, 2023), "Medal of Honor Monday: Army Tech. 5th Grade James K. Okubo", DOD News
  6. ^ "Japanese American Internee Data File: James Okubo". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  7. ^ NARA, WWII Army Enlistment Record #39914547 (Okubo, James K.); retrieved 2012-12-29.
  8. ^ Go for Broke National Education Center, "Medal of Honor Recipient Technician Fifth Grade James K. Okubo" Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  9. ^ "100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry" at Global Security.org; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  10. ^ "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-27.
  11. ^ Gomez-Granger, Julissa. (2008). Medal of Honor Recipients: 1979–2008, "Okubo, James K.," pp. 16–17 [PDF 20–21 of 44]; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  12. ^ "Okubo Family Medical Health Clinic" Archived 2013-02-18 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  13. ^ Air Force Housing, "JBSA-Fort Sam Houston," Okubo Barracks Archived 2013-01-16 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2012-12-29.
  14. ^ Christenson, Sig. "Wounded GIs get round-the-clock care," San Antonio Express-News, September 7, 2009; retrieved 2012-12-29.
[edit]
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