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State Funeral for War Veterans Announces 3rd Medal of Honor Recipient Joining Board of Directors: Hiroshi H. Miyamura

One of two living MOH holders from the Korean War, Hershey Miyamura

Photo of U.S. Army Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor holder from Korean pictured with his daughter and Grand Daughter

On July 14, 22 the last Medal of Honor recipient from WWII became the 1st Enlisted Man to Lie in State/Honor in the Capital The same honor sought for Korea MOH

"Susana, Rabel, Bill McNutt, and the 50 State Chairs for State Funeral for War Veterans will get the job done for the Last Medal of Honor Hero from the Korean War just as they did for WWII.”
— James McCloughan, Medal of Honor Recipient, Vietnam

DALLAS, TEXAS, USA, November 10, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The State Funeral for War Veterans organization announces the oldest holder of the Medal of Honor, Mr. Hiroshi H. Miyamura, of the Korean War, will become the third Medal of Honor recipient to join the National Board.

The mission statement of the organization is as follows:

"To convince Congress to pass legislation to grant a State Funeral for the last Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean and Vietnam Wars, as a final to salute to all the men and women who served."

146 United States military personnel received the Medal of Honor for valor in combat during the Korean War. Only two remain, Mr. Hiroshi Miyamura from New Mexico and Mr. Ralph Puckett of Georgia. Of the 248 Medals of Honor received for Vietnam, 46 remain, including two who serve on the board of State Funeral for War Veterans, Donald E Ballard, and James C. McCloughan.

The organization was formerly “State Funeral for World War II Veterans.” On July 14, 2022 it fulfilled its original objective when the last Medal of Honor recipient from World War II received a National Funeral in Washington, D.C. The first ceremony was in the Rotunda of the Capital where the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Senate Minority Leader spoke. The second service, later that day, was before a crowd of 1,000 at the World War II Memorial attended by seven Medal of Honor recipients.

“I am honored to join my friends and fellow Medal of Honor recipients, Donald Ballard and James McCloughan, on the National Board of State Funeral for War Veterans. Bill McNutt and his daughter Rabel are the co-founders of this organization that has already honored the World War II generation. I want the same honors bestowed upon our Korean War heroes.“

The successful effort for State Funeral for World War II took 5 years and was driven by the organization's 50 State Chairs who achieved the following:

- 16 state legislatures passed our resolution to encourage the final MOH recipient from WWII to have a national funeral at the Capitol in Washington
- 15 state Congressional Delegation letters of support
- 11 letters of endorsement from state Governors
- Resolution of support passed by the American Legion at their 100th convention
- Letters of support from the Marine Corps League, Military Order of the Purple Heart, many VFW posts, and other Veteran organizations

Mr. Miyamura concluded, “Our State Chairman must rededicate their efforts so that the last Medal of Honor holder from Vietnam and Korea received a State Funeral in Washington DC as a final salute to all the men and women who served during these difficult wars.”
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After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, Mr. Miyamura remained in the reserves. Called up for active duty in Korea, on April 24-25, 1951 as a corporal in the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division he had his Medal of Honor action.

During a fanatical night attack by Chinese soldiers, Cpl. Miyamura, the squad leader and machine gunner, unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter, wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat, killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. Another wave of enemy troops advanced. He manned his machine gun, slaughtering the enemy until he ran out of ammunition.

“Hershey” as he is known, ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When this second position was about to be overrun, he ordered all men to fall back while he remained to cover their retreat. All in all, he killed more than 50 of the enemy before he was wounded and captured.

He spent 28 months in a North Korean POW camp. The decision to present him with the Medal of Honor was made while he was a Prisoner of War. Miyamura's was the first Medal of Honor to be classified Top Secret. As Brigadier General Ralph Osborne explained to Miyamura and a group of reporters upon notifying them of his medal, "If the Reds knew what he had done to a good number of their soldiers just before he was taken prisoner, they might have taken revenge on this young man. He might not have come back."

Following the war “Hershey” was repatriated to the United States. His medal was presented to him by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in October 1953 at the White House

Mr. Miyamura has three children and four grandchildren. One grandchild, Marisa, is an officer in the United States Air Force. He lives with his daughter and son-in-law Kelly and Clay Hildhl, in Arizona.

The idea for a State Funeral for the last Medal of Honor recipients from American wars came from an unlikely source, a Texas public school student, Rabel McNutt. She originated the idea while preparing to attend the funeral of her Godfather, Walt Ehlers, who received his Medal of Honor fighting the Germans in Normandy, France following D- Day in 1944.

The State Funeral for War Veterans Organization is recruiting a board of directors in all 50 staters. Patriotic Americans who wish to honor Korean and Vietnam Veterans should contact our National Leadership recruitment chairman, Dr. Danny Reeves at danny@fbccorsicana.org

About State Funeral for War Veterans
Originally established as State Funeral for World War II Veterans, today the organization exits to convince Congress to pass legislation to designate a single state funeral for the last Medal of Honor holder from Korea and another for the last MOH recipient from Vietnam, as a final salute to the 3.5 million who served in Korea and the 2.6 million who served in Vietnam.

Bill McNutt
State Funeral for War Veterans
+1 2145379311
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