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The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to First Lieutenant [then Second Lieutenant] Young Oak Kim (ASN: 0-1309572), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), attached to the 34th Infantry Division, from ** to ** 1943, in Italy. Lieutenant Kim was one of three men acting as scouts for his combat patrol having the mission of clearing an area known to contain enemy machine-gun positions. When the scouts, advancing ahead of the patrol, discovered a German ammunition carrying party, Lieutenant Kim intentionally drew the enemy fire so that the other two men could locate and dispose of the enemy with hand grenades. Using the same tactics Lieutenant Kim and his comrades accounted for four enemy machine-gun nests and captured seven prisoners. On ** November 1943, Lieutenant Kim observed an entire German company entering the area and though his patrol was outnumbered, he held his ground, ordering his men to hold their fire until an enemy platoon had entered the area. They then opened fire and the trapped Germans fled in disorder, but Lieutenant Kim and his men flanked them and drove them into adjacent friendly troops and as a result, the entire platoon was either killed or captured. Lieutenant Kim’s outstanding leadership, courage and conduct in the face of grave danger was highly meritorious and a credit to the Armed Forces of the United States.

Awards Received

  • Distinguished Service Cross

    Service:

    United States Army

    Rank:

    First Lieutenant (Infantry)

    Batallion:

    100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)

    Division:

    34th Infantry Division (Attached)

    Action Date:

    May 16, 1944
    Headquarters, FIFTH U.S. Army, General Orders No. 102 (June 18, 1944)

    The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Young Oak Kim (ASN: 0-1309572), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving Headquarters Company, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), attached to the 34th Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces near Cisterna, Italy, on 16 May 1944. First Lieutenant Kim, accompanied by one enlisted man, voluntarily went on a patrol to secure information of enemy units and dispositions in a vital sector of the front. All previous patrols of combat strength had attempted without success to take prisoners in this well defended sector. First Lieutenant Kim and his assistant infiltrated approximately 800 yards through the enemy line of outposts. While observing enemy dispositions, he discovered a strong enemy outpost situated in a small ditch. To reach this outpost, First Lieutenant Kim and his assistant, in broad daylight, crawled 250 yards across an open field, exposed to enemy observation from the German main line of resistance on the commanding slope of their rear. Arriving at a point near the outpost, they surprised two Germans armed with machine pistols who were acting as security. By use of signs, First Lieutenant Kim warned the enemy to remain quiet. He retraced his perilous route with the two prisoners and successfully by-passed two enemy listening posts to arrive at his own lines. First Lieutenant Kim’s courageous and daring performance provided vital information and identification of enemy units in a critical sector of the front.