Word Celebrity Blog

Francis Brown Wai


Francis B. Wai was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the United States' second highest decoration for valor. After an extensive review of awards in 2000, his medal was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.


Early Life

Francis Wai was the son of a Native Hawaiian mother and a Chinese father.

He attended the Punahou School in Honolulu where he earned athletic letters in track, football and baseball.

Growing up, he often surfed with Duke Kahanamoku, regarded as the father of surfing, and Buster Crabbe, who later became an actor. 

He went to college at the Sacramento Junior College before transferring to UCLA. At UCLA, he was a four sport athlete and graduated in 1939 with a Bachelor's Degree in Banking and Finance.

After college, Francis Wai, intended to work  for his father, Kim, who worked in the real estate department for the Bishop National Bank, which would later become the Bank of Hawaii. Instead, he joined the military upon the outbreak of World War II.


 Military Service

























After his graduation, Francis Wai enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard  and was called into active duty before the United States' entrance into World War II. He received a commission as an officer and completed Officer Candidate School in 1941. His commission was rare at a time when few Asian Americans were allowed to serve in combat leadership roles.

Captain Francis Wai and was assigned to the General George MacArthur led 34th infantry regiment of the 24th infantry division, which was extremely active in combat in the Pacific. The 24th Infantry Division was an infantry division of the United States Army. Formed during World War II from the disbanding Hawaiian Division, the division saw action throughout the Pacific theater, first fighting in New Guinea before landing on the Philippine islands of Leyte and Luzon, driving Japanese forces from them

The Hawaiian Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Oahu, was among the first American units to be involved in the Pacific Theater, as they were guarding the north shore of Oahu, exchanging fire with Japanese aircraft during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
 
Unit decorations for the 24th infantry division included an arrowhead, which signified that they were the first to land in an amphibious assault.


Operation Reckless

























In May 1943, Captain Wai deployed to Australia with the 24th Infantry Division and by September 19, 1943, the unit was at Camp Caves, near Rockhampton, on the eastern coast of Australia. Captain Wai and the rest of the unit began intensive combat training.  With training completed, the division moved to Goodenough Island on January 31, 1944, to prepare for Operation Reckless, the amphibious invasion of Hollandia, Netherlands New Guinea (now Jayapura, in the Papua province of Indonesia).

The 24th landed at Tanahmerah Bay on April 22, 1944 and seized the Hollandia Airdrome despite torrential rain and marshy terrain.

Shortly after the Hollandia landing, the division's 34th Infantry Regiment moved to Biak to reinforce the 41st Infantry Division. Captain Wai's regiment captured the Sorido and Borokoe airdromes before returning to the division on Hollandia in July.

In two months, Captain Wai and his unit had crossed New Guinea and recaptured three airdromes from the Japanese.


Leyte

After occupying the Hollandia area, Capt. Francis Wai was assigned to X Corps of the Sixth United States Army in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines. On October 20, 1944, his division was paired with the 1st Cavalry Division within X Corps, and the two divisions made an assault landing at Leyte.

When Captain Wai landed at Red Beach, the Japanese forces stationed on the island concentrated their fire on the waves of incoming troops from gun positions located in a palm grove bounded by submerged rice paddies. When Captain Wai arrived on the beach in the fifth wave, he found the soldiers there to be leaderless, disorganized, and pinned down on the open beach.




















Captain Wai assumed command, shouted "Follow me!" and moved through the rice paddies without cover. Captain Wai's demeanor and example inspired the other men to follow him. He continued to advance without cover in order to draw Japanese machine gun and rifle fire, which exposed the locations of the entrenched Japanese forces.

Systematically, the Japanese positions were assaulted and overcome. Captain Francis Wai was killed leading an assault against the last Japanese pillbox in the area.





















The Allied Forces commanded by General Douglas MacArthur defeated the Japanese Army in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. This marked the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese invaders. It also marked the fulfillment of General MacArthur of his “I shall return” vow which he made in 1942 when the Japanese Army chased him out of Leyte.





















This monument stands on the same spot where General Douglas MacArthur and his  men walked ashore on the beach of Leyete.






















National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.



After the end of the war, Captain Wai's remains were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. His grave can be found in section Q, grave 1194.


















For his actions during the landing on Leyte, Wai was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1943.


Military Awards and Honors

In 1996, amid allegations of prejudicial treatment of Asian Americans in uniform in World War II, Congress directed Louis Caldera, then Secretary of the Army, to conduct a full review of military records.

The review concluded that 22 Asian Americans, including Capt. Francis Wai, did not receive full consideration for the Medal of Honor and in 2000, Wai's Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Of those whose medals were upgraded, Wai was one of only two who did not belong to the predominantly Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team/100th Infantry Battalion; the other being Rudolph B. Davila of the 7th Infantry.

At a White House ceremony June 20, 2000, President Bill Clinton presented the Medal of Honor to 22 Asian Americans whose Distinguished Service Crosses were upgraded to the Medal of Honor.


During the course of his short military career, Wai earned eight awards and decorations.
       
Combat Infantryman Badge
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Purple Heart    
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal    
World War II Victory Medal    
Philippine Liberation Medal



Medal Of Honor Citation
Rank and organization:
Captain, U.S. Army,
Headquarters,
34th Infantry

Place and date:
Leyte, Philippine Islands,
October 20, 1944

Entered service at:
Honolulu, Hawaii

Born:
Honolulu, Hawaii














Citation:

"Captain Francis B. Wai distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action, on 20 October 1944, in Leyte, Philippine Islands. Captain Wai landed at Red Beach, Leyte, in the face of accurate, concentrated enemy fire from gun positions advantageously located in a palm grove bounded by submerged rice paddies. Finding the first four waves of American soldiers leaderless, disorganized, and pinned down on the open beach, he immediately assumed command. Issuing clear and concise orders, and disregarding heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire, he began to move inland through the rice paddies without cover. The men, inspired by his cool demeanor and heroic example, rose from their positions and followed him. During the advance, Captain Wai repeatedly determined the locations of enemy strong points by deliberately exposing himself to draw their fire. In leading an assault upon the last remaining Japanese pillbox in the area, he was killed by its occupants. Captain Wai's courageous, aggressive leadership inspired the men, even after his death, to advance and destroy the enemy. His intrepid and determined efforts were largely responsible for the rapidity with which the initial beachhead was secured.

Captain Wai's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army."