Herbert K. Pililaau

Herbert Kailieha Pililaʻau
Medal of Honor recipient Herbert Pililaʻau
Born	(1928-10-10)October 10, 1928 Waiʻanae, Hawaiʻi
Died	September 17, 1951(1951-09-17) (aged 22) Near Pia-ri, Korea
Place of burial	National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	to 1951
Rank	Private First Class
Unit	Company C, 23d Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Korean War  • Battle of Bloody Ridge  • Battle of Heartbreak Ridge
Awards	Medal of Honor Purple Heart

Herbert Kailieha Pililaʻau (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 Oʻahu, he was drafted into the military as a young man. Sent to Korea in early 1951, he 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, he 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, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Pililaʻau was born and raised in Waiʻanae to William Kaluhi Pililaʻau and Abigail Keolalani Kailieha, in a working-class suburb of Honolulu in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. He was the ninth of fourteen children, nine brothers and five sisters. His parents were both Native Hawaiians and his mother, Abigail, spoke English and Hawaiian. She was the daughter of Luka (Kailieha) Norton. Pililaʻau was a talented singer and ukulele player and an avid reader. After graduating from Waipahu High School in 1948, he studied administration, secretarial work, and accounting at Cannon Business School.