Gallery of Heroes
The Gallery of Heroes at U. S. Army Museum of Hawaii was conceived in 1980 by Major General Herbert E. Wolff, US Army, Ret., to honor Hawaii's citizens who served in the Nation's defense. The focus of the Gallery is on the recipients of the Nation's two highest awards of valor, the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross, or its equivalents, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Eligibility for induction and memorialization into the Gallery of Heroes is defined as "a person who was born in Hawaii, or entered the service from Hawaii, or who has permanently resided in Hawaii for at least ten years".
The initial search to identify candidates for induction into the Gallery of Heroes produced six Medal of Honor recipients and eighteen Distinguished Service Cross recipients. There are twenty-one Medal of Honor recipients and, as of today's ceremony, fifty-eight recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross memorialized in the Gallery of Heroes. Included in the fifty-eight inductees are three recipients of the Navy Cross.
Of the 58 Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) awardees, thirty DSC's were received for valor during World War II, eighteen for valor during the Korean War, and ten for valor during the Vietnam War.
The Gallery of Heroes exhibit was dedicated on Memorial Day 1988 and is located on the upper deck of Battery Randolph in the U. S. Army Museum of Hawaii on Fort DeRussy in Waikiki. Funds for the construction of the exhibit were subscribed through the Hawaii Army Museum Society (HAMS).
2006 Update
Four more World War II veterans from Hawaii were inducted into The Gallery of Heroes, each awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for
extraordinary heroism in action:
- PFC Irving M. Akahoshi
- Technician 3rd Grade Hoichi Kubo
- Sergeant Larry T. Tanimoto
- PFC Matsuichi Yogi
Although these heroes are now deceased, their family members received the award on their behalf in an impressive formal ceremony. Details on the soldiers' heroic acts and the
inductee ceremony can be found on pages 4-6 of the Summer 2006 HAMS Newsletter.
Original text for the exhibit pages was provided
by Barbara Mills.
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