Private First Class Herbert Pilila‘au

Herbert Kailieha Pililaʻau was a United States Army soldier and went on to receive the United States military’s highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his contribution to the Korean War.

He became part of the military as a young man. He began his journey as a soldier in 1951 as an automatic rifleman in the Battle of Bloody Ridge. After the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, he continued to protect the unit putting up a brave front before an intense attack by North Korean soldiers. When people found his dead body, 40 dead North Koreans were surrounding it.

With only his automatic rifle and hand grenades he engaged in hand-to-hand combat and breathed his last fighting. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. He became the first Hawaiian to receive the Medal of Honor. The United States Navy named a Military Sealift Command cargo ship, the USNS Pililaau in his honor in New Orleans.