Tony was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his bravery. But his family felt he deserved more, the Medal of Honor.
During one particular battle, he ordered the men in his command to retreat to safety, and stayed behind to fight.
"When Tony was wounded in the shoulder, he fought on," President Obama said. "He threw grenade after grenade. When his weapon ran out of ammunition, he grabbed another and when he ran out of ammo he reached for the only thing left – a shovel."
On Monday President Obama granted the family’s request for a medal of honor for Kaho’ohanohano – and with more than a dozen of them on hand today, noted what a large family it is.
"In fact, I went to high school with one of their cousins – Whitey," President Obama said. "Tell Whitey I said ‘howzit.’"
Normally, the Medal of Honor must be awarded within three years.
But an exception was made for Kaho’ohanohano because of more recent information about his actions the day he was killed.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
