Young Oak Kim
Young Oak Kim was a prominent military leader known for his courageous service during World War II and the Korean War. Born around 1919 in Los Angeles to a Korean immigrant family, Kim faced significant challenges, including racial discrimination and economic hardship, which shaped his resolve to join the military. He was initially rejected by the U.S. Army but was later drafted in 1941, ultimately rising to prominence as a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion, recognized for its valor in combat, particularly during operations in Italy and France.
Kim's military achievements were remarkable; he earned nineteen medals from multiple nations, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre, and became the first Asian American to command an infantry battalion. After the wars, he transitioned to civilian life while remaining committed to social causes, particularly focusing on the Asian American community. He played a crucial role in founding the Go For Broke National Educational Foundation, which honors the contributions of Japanese American soldiers in World War II.
In his later years, Kim was honored for his societal contributions, receiving awards such as the Taeguk Order of Military Merit from South Korea before his passing in 2005. His legacy continues through initiatives like the Young Oak Kim Academy, celebrating his impact on education and community service.
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Subject Terms
Young Oak Kim
Military leader and activist
- Born: ca. 1919
- Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California
- Died: December 29, 2005
- Place of Death: Los Angeles, California
A combat leader in both Italy and France during World War II, as well as the Korean War, Young Oak Kim was a colorful and widely recognized hero, earning nineteen medals from three different nations. He spent the last thirty years of his life working in support of educational and social initiatives for Asian Americans.
Areas of achievement: Military, war, activism
Early Life
Young Oak Kim was born around 1919 in the Bunker Hill section of Los Angeles and was raised there in a family of seven children. His father, Soon Kwom Kim, a Korean immigrant, owned a grocery store, which enabled him to provide a solid middle-class life for his large family. He was also a Korean nationalist and member of the Hawaii-based Greater Korean Association, which was led by future South Korean president Syngman Rhee. At the time of Young Oak Kim’s birth, Korea was under Japanese occupation (1910–45). His mother, Nora Koh, helped raise her children with strong feelings about Korean independence from Japanese control.
Kim attended public school and earned a diploma from Belmont High School. He enrolled at Los Angeles City College but dropped out after his freshman year. Due to the Great Depression and the anti-Asian sentiment in California at the time, Kim found it difficult to find any lasting work. In 1940, he decided to pursue a military career but was rejected by the US Army. Ironically, several months later, congressional legislation required that Asian Americans be enrolled in the World War II military draft. Kim was subsequently drafted and began his military service on January 31, 1941. Three months after he was drafted, his father died.
Life’s Work
Although he originally trained as an engineer, Kim was selected to attend Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, after six months of service. He was particularly gifted in map reading and reconnaissance. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion, composed largely of Japanese Americans, who were permitted to fight only in the European and Mediterranean theaters of World War II due to Japan’s involvement in the Pacific theater. The 1,432 men of the 100th Battalion originally trained for action in North Africa, but when they entered combat on September 26, 1943, they were deployed to Italy. Kim soon gained notoriety and a Silver Star for leading an attack near Cassino and taking fifty-eight German prisoners. Continued heavy fighting earned the 100th Battalion the nickname the Purple Heart Battalion. Only 521 men from the battalion were still fit for combat by 1944. For its service in Italy and France in eight major campaigns, the 100th Battalion—which had by then been combined with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, another Japanese American unit—earned eight Presidential Unit Citations and more than eighteen thousand individual decorations. Of those soldiers, Kim was the most decorated.
Following the end of World War II, Kim left the military. In 1948, he opened a self-service laundromat in Los Angeles. As a business owner, he was earning five times his salary as an army captain. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. Although he had never been to Korea, Kim felt it his duty to enlist in the South Korean army. However, in the process, he received a recall draft notice from the United States military, which was desperate for anyone of Korean ancestry. Kim was ordered to report to the Office of Naval Intelligence and moved to army intelligence training in Tokyo, Japan. However, Kim’s main objective was to fight, as he had done in the infantry during World War II. Pretending not to be able to speak Korean, Kim was reassigned in April 1951 to the 31st Infantry Regiment of the Seventh Infantry Division, where he worked as both an intelligence officer and an operations officer.
Kim was assigned to combat position at a very critical period. The 31st Infantry played a major role not only in stopping the advance of Communist Chinese troops, but also in pushing them back behind the thirty-eighth parallel in Operation Pile Driver. Unfortunately, the push was too successful. Kim’s unit got so far beyond the Thirty-Eighth Parallel that it was mistaken as an enemy force and shelled by the 555th Artillery Battalion. Badly wounded by friendly fire, Kim was flown back to Tokyo for surgery by a special team from Johns Hopkins University. He returned two months later as a major in command of the First Battalion.
Kim left Korea in September 1952 but remained in the army until his retirement as colonel twenty years later. Before his retirement, Kim organized his unit’s sponsorship of an orphanage in Seoul, South Korea. In 2003, the government of South Korea presented Kim with an award for his social service.
During his retirement years, Kim worked as a social activist for the Asian American community. He helped found the Go For Broke National Educational Foundation, a group that educates teachers and students about Japanese American military service during World War II.
Significance
Kim was a highly decorated hero in two wars, earning nineteen medals for his heroism. Among these were the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest decoration of the US Army, and the Croix de Guerre from the French government. He also received two Purple Hearts. He was the first Asian American to become an infantry battalion commander. He gained the admiration of his colleagues due to his fearlessness and modesty. Kim is also remembered for his community work in support of Korean Americans and other Asian Americans.
Shortly before his death from cancer on December 29, 2005, Kim was awarded the Taeguk Order of Military Merit, South Korea’s highest military honor. Three years after his death, the Young Oak Kim Academy middle school was opened in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Bibliography
Caoile, Joyce. “Colonel Young Oak Kim: The Most Decorated Soldier of the 100th/442nd Continues to Inspire.” AsianLife. AsianLife, 4 Mar. 2009. Web. 25 Jan. 2012.
Healy, Caitlin. "Young Oak Kim." National Museum of the United States Army, 2021, www.thenmusa.org/biographies/young-oak-kim/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.
Sterner, Douglas. Go for Broke: The Nisei Warriors of World War II Who Conquered Germany, Japan, and American Bigotry. Clearfield: American Legacy Historical P, 2007. Print.
Yenne, Bill. Rising Sons: The Japanese Americans Who Fought for the United States in World War II. New York: Dunne, 2007. Print.
"Young O. Kim." Discover Nikkei, discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1014/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2024.