Herbert Kailieha Pililaau (October 10, 1928 – September 17, 1951) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Korean War. A Native Hawaiian who was born and raised on the island of Oahu, he was drafted into the military as a young man. Sent to Korea in early 1951, Pililaau participated as an automatic rifleman in the Battle of Bloody Ridge. During the subsequent Battle of Heartbreak Ridge, he voluntarily stayed behind to cover his unit's withdrawal in the face of an intense attack by North Korean forces. Alone, Pililaau held off the assault using his automatic rifle and hand grenades and, after exhausting all available ammunition, engaged the attackers in hand to hand combat until being overrun and killed. For these actions, Pililaau was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
Early life
Pililaau was born and raised in Waianae to William Kaluhi Pililaʻau and Abigail Keolalani Kailieha, in a working-class suburb of the Leeward coast of Oahu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. He was the ninth of 14 children, nine brothers and five sisters. Pililaau's parents were both Native Hawaiians and his mother, Abigail, spoke English and Hawaiian. She was the daughter of Luka (Kailieha) Norton. Pililaau was a talented singer and ukulele player as well as an avid reader. After graduating from Waipahu High School in 1948, Pililaau studied administration, secretarial work, and accounting at Cannon Business School.
Military service
Drafted into the Army, Pililaau attended basic training at Fort Shafter. He briefly considered declaring himself a conscientious objector, as his Christian faith made him unsure of killing others but decided against this idea. Pililaau was sent to Korea in March 1951 and served as a private first class with Company C, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. Volunteering to be his squad's automatic rifleman, Pililaau carried a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). In August, Pililaau participated in the Battle of Bloody Ridge, in which the 2nd Infantry Division attacked and captured a ridge in east central Korea. Their next objective was a hill mass just to the north, near Pia-ri, which would come to be known as Heartbreak Ridge.
On September 17, 1951, Company C and two other companies were tasked with capturing Hill 931, one of Heartbreak Ridge's two identifiable peaks, from North Korean forces. When Company C's attack stalled on a ridgeline which ran south from the main peak, Pililaau's platoon set up a defensive perimeter ahead of the rest of the company. With the help of artillery, mortar, and heavy machine gun support, the platoon easily held off a series of probing assaults which began in the mid-afternoon. At about 10:00 p.m., two battalions of the 13th Infantry Regiment, 6th Division, Korean People's Army, began a concerted attack on the position. With North Korean artillery striking close by and ammunition running low, the platoon caught in cross fire in the rice paddies received permission to withdraw and rejoin the main body of the company as quickly as possible. Pililaau's squad was assigned to stay back momentarily and cover the retreat. Eventually, only Pililaau and his squad leader remained at the platoon's original position. The squad leader and forward observer Lt. Richard Hagar called in artillery fire continuously ahead of Pililaau, trying to cover him while he moved also calling fire on the two hill tops, while Pililaau continued to fight off the attack. At one point, Hagar became afraid that the artillery was too close and that he hit Pililaau. Hagar called out for him, and Pililaau said he was okay and told Hagar to keep going. After exhausting the ammunition for his BAR, Pililaau began throwing hand grenades until those too were gone. As some of his comrades watched from their new position further down the ridge, Pililaau threw rocks at the attackers before charging at them, wielding his trench knife with one hand and punching with the other. He was soon surrounded and killed by bayonet. At this point, Hagar fell back to rejoin his troops. When his platoon retook the position the next day, they found 40 dead North Korean soldiers around his body.
Legacy and honors
Aged 22 at his death, Pililaau was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on February 26, 1952. For his actions on Heartbreak Ridge, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor later that year, on June 18. He was the first Hawaiian to receive the Medal of Honor.