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Colonel Young-Oak Kim (, 1919 – December 29, 2005), a highly decorated U.S. Army combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He was a member of the U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and a combat leader in Italy and France during World War II. He was awarded 19 medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Medal of Military Valor, a Légion d'honneur, a Croix de guerre, and (posthumously) the Korean Taeguk Cordon of the Order of Military Merit. He died of cancer at the age of 86.〔 〕〔 adapted from Myrna Oliver, LA Times. Jan 4, 2006, page B8 obituaries〕 ==Early years== Kim was born in Los Angeles in 1919.〔Possibly Young Kim, born in Los Angeles on February 24, 1920. Source Information: Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905–1995 (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: State of California. California Birth Index, 1905–1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.〕 His parents were Soon Kwon Kim and Nora Koh. He had three brothers, two sisters, and one adopted brother, Andy Kil. His father was a member of Daehanin-dongjihwe (대한인 동지회, literally: "The Great Korean Association"), the group Syngman Rhee established in Hawaii to help liberate Korea from Japan. This background helped Kim build a strong cultural identity. He grew up in Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California, where his father operated a grocery store at the intersection of Temple Street and Figueroa Street. Kim graduated from Belmont High School and proceeded to Los Angeles City College. He dropped out after a year. He tried various jobs, but racial discrimination prevented him from staying long at any job. The U.S. Army refused his enlistment for the same reason. But after the U.S. Congress enacted a law subjecting Asian Americans to conscription, Kim was drafted into the Army. He entered service on January 31, 1941,〔National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946 (on-line ). Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938–1946 (Database ); World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.〕 three months before his father died. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Young-Oak Kim」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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