Young-Oak Kim
Young-Oak Kim (; 1919 – December 29, 2005) was a
United States Army officer during
World War II and the
Korean War as well as 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. 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.
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