U.S. Army Private First Class Frank H. Ono of Delta, Colorado, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on July 4, 1944, near Castellina Marittima, Italy.
Ono’s father was an immigrant from Japan, while his mother was from Ireland. He was a Nisei, which means he was a second-generation Japanese-American.
He joined the Army in September 1943 and volunteered to be a part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team, mostly made up of Japanese-Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. During a battle on July 4, 1944, near Castellina Marittima, Italy, Ono advanced ahead of his unit and single-handedly defended his position against an enemy counter-attack. He then braved intense hostile fire to aid two wounded comrades and voluntarily covered his unit’s withdrawal when it became necessary to retreat.
Ono left the Army while still a private first class. He died in 1980 at age 56 and was buried in Highland Cemetery, North Judson, Indiana.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions during the battle. A 1990’s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Ono’s award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
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