Thread by @MikeBosack

Young Oak Kim, the gentleman in the picture—ever heard of him?

He’s only one of the best Americans ever to live and a personal hero of mine.

If you don’t already know of him, get ready for a helluva story...1/

2/The son of Korean immigrants, Kim grew up in Los Angeles with less than modest means. He was a hard worker, and after high school, he attended LA City College until he made the tough choice to drop out to support his family financially.

Then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor...

3/Kim tried to join the Army but was refused enlistment until Congress opened the door to conscripting Asian Americans.

Kim joined the service in 1941, and after spending just 6 months as an enlisted engineer, he was selected for Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning.

4/When Young Oak Kim graduated OCS, he was sent directly to lead the Japanese-American soldiers of the 100th Battalion.

Upon reporting for duty, the commander offered Kim a transfer, believing that “Koreans and Japanese don’t always get along.”

What was Kim’s response?

5/Kim told his commander, “You’re wrong. They’re Americans, I’m American, and we’re going to fight for America.”

We need more of that sentiment these days.

And fight they did. The 100th Bn went on to become one of the most decorated units in WWII. #GoForBroke

6/When #WWII ended, Kim left the Army to open his own private business in LA. It turned out to be a very profitable enterprise for him, but then war broke out on the Korean Peninsula.

Did Kim stay to make money?

Nope.

He sold his business and went back to the fight.

7/Why did he do it?

In his own words: "As a Korean, the most direct way to help my father’s country even a little, and as a U.S. citizen, the most direct way to repay even a little the debt owed to Korea by the U.S. was to go to Korea, pick up a gun and fight.”

8/There was one thing that would have prevented Kim from getting back to the front though: his Korean language ability. At the time, the Army was scooping up all Korean speakers for Intel assignments.

No problem--Kim feigned ignorance, eschewing a desk job for the frontlines.

9/In August 1951, Kim’s unit was mistakenly bombed because they had advanced so far north that US pilots couldn’t believe they were friendly forces. Kim was severely injured in the incident.

After 2 months convalescence it was back home, right? Nope, straight back to the front.

10/It was when he returned to the War that Kim was given his first battalion command.

This would earn Kim a little discussed but meaningful distinction:

Young Oak Kim became the first minority to command a US battalion in combat.

11/More than just distinction in combat, under Kim’s command, the battalion adopted an orphanage in Seoul. They facilitated the care for more than 500 war orphans.
(2nd pic shows Kim with two of the orphans his battalion supported, fifty years later)

12/After retiring from the Army, COL Kim continued his service in the form of humanitarian efforts, particularly in his (and my) hometown of LA.

There, he remained a leader in civic efforts and a symbol for the entire Asian American community until his passing in 2005.

13/Young Oak Kim is now laid to rest in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (aka the Punchbowl cemetery) in Hawaii, but his legacy lives on through the numerous programs & centers named in his honor.

After all, with a life like that, it’s a legacy worth carrying on.