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RETIRED COL. YOUNG O. KIM RECEIVES FRENCH
LEGION OF HONOR AWARD FROM GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE
LOS ANGELES (February 7, 2005) – The Consul
General of France Los Angeles presented the highly decorated World
War II and Korean War veteran Colonel Young O. Kim (Ret.) with
the National Order of The Legion of Honor award (“Légion
d’honneur”) from the government of France on Friday,
February 4. This award is the highest bestowed to its citizens
and foreign nationals. Colonel Kim is receiving this honor as
a token of gratitude for his heroism and valor in France during
its liberation by the Allied forces in 1944 - 45. The special
presentation made by Consul General, the Honorable Philippe Larrieu,
to Colonel Kim in Los Angeles at the Go For Broke Monument took
place in the context of the recent celebrations of the 60th anniversary
of the liberation of France, when more than 100 other American
veterans of WWII were awarded the French Legion of Honor.
To honor Colonel Kim, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, LA City Councilperson
Jan Perry, and U.S. Olympic Gold medalist Sammy Lee spoke about
their friend and colleague, Colonel Kim. In attendance to pay
their regards to Colonel Kim was WWII Medal of Honor recipient
of the D-Day campaign Lt. Walter Ehlers, Consul General of South
Korea, Youn-Bok Lee, and approximately other 150 friends, family
and veterans – including many Nisei WWII veterans with whom
he served and worked with to build the Go For Broke Monument.
Actor George Takei served as master of ceremonies o the event,
sponsored by the Go For Broke Educational Foundation.
Colonel Kim’s award was elevated to the rank of Officer
in the Order of the Legion of Honor as he served as an officer
in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion /442nd Regimental Combat
Team. He fought in France from September 1944 to February 1945
and participated in several battles, including the battle of Bruyeres
and Biffontaine. He was seriously wounded in Biffontaine (in the
French district of “Les Vosges”) and received his
second Purple Heart and the Croix de la Guerre from France. Because
of his extraordinary heroism, the people of Biffontaine dedicated
a commemorative plaque that honors his memory.
“On behalf of the French government and all the fellow
citizens, France will never forget Colonel Kim’s heroism
and courageousness along with the other men of the 100/442nd Regimental
Combat Team,” said Consul General Philippe Larrieu.
“It is an honor for me to receive the French Legion of
Honor award as it is not only for me, but for the entire regiment
and the Japanese American soldiers I fought with,” said
Colonel Kim. “I requested the award be presented at the
Go For Broke Monument today because it represents what the men
and I stood for as we fought in France – that of liberty
for all.”
After graduating as 2nd Lieutenant from Infantry Officer Candidate
School in Fort Benning, Georgia in January 1943, he joined the
100th Battalion, which with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team became
the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its size
and length of service. In Italy, he participated in the Cassino
and Anzio battles, until the 100th left for France in September
1944, where he participated in the Bruyeres and Biffontaine campaigns.
Of all his battles, Colonel Kim is best known for a daylight
mission in Anzio (Italy) in which he volunteered to capture German
soldiers for intelligence information. He and another soldier
crawled more than 600 yards located directly under German observation
posts with no cover. They captured two prisoners and obtained
information that significantly contributed to the fall of Rome.
For his actions, Colonel Kim received the Distinguished Service
Cross.
Colonel Kim is credited as being the first Asian American to
command a regular U.S. combat Battalion in a war when he commanded
the 1st Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th U.S. Army Division
during the Korean War. After 30 years of active duty, Colonel
Kim retired from the U.S. Army in 1972. He then became active
in the Asian American community, helping to found the Go For Broke
Educational Foundation, Japanese American National Museum, Korean
Health Education Information and Research Center, Korean American
Coalition, Korean American Museum, Korean Youth and Culture Center,
and the Center for Pacific Asian Families.
Today Colonel Kim is still very active with the Go For Broke
Educational Foundation, an organization he helped found to build
the Go For Broke Monument in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district
and to preserve and educate the public about the contributions
of the Japanese American segregated units. He currently serves
as its chairman emeritus. For more information about the Go For
Broke Educational Foundation, visit www.GoForBroke.org.
To date, more than 113,000 people are members of the Legion of
Honor. For the American WWII veterans alone, more than 100 received
the distinction in 2004. Last year, June 6, 2004, marked the 60th
anniversary of the D-Day landing that started the liberation of
France from Nazi occupation. Many ceremonies took place in the
summer of 2004 and will take place in 2005 to commemorate these
events. An international ceremony in Normandy was held in June
2004 and included French President Jacques Chirac, U.S. President
George W. Bush and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, marking
the French-German reconciliation and the building of a united
Europe. For more information, please visit www.liberation60.gouv.fr.
