The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation mourns the passing of Hiroshi “Hershey” Miymura, who passed away on November 29, 2022, at the age of 97. He was the second-to-last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Korean War. Hershey lived his life in humble service of his country and family.
Hiroshi Miyamura was born in Gallup, New Mexico to Japanese immigrant parents on October 6, 1925. He gained the nickname “Hershey” in grade school when his teacher could not pronounce “Hiroshi”. Like many other Medal of Honor Recipients, Hershey was a Boy Scout and served in the Army ROTC program in high school. In January of 1945, he entered the United States Army as a member of the famous 442nd Infantry Regiment, a unit primarily composed of Japanese Americans. Although Hershey never saw combat during World War II, he returned home and continued to serve in the Army Reserve. In 1948 he married Tsuruko “Terry” Tsuchimori, whom with he shared 66 years of marriage and three children.
At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Hershey was called to active duty. This time serving in the 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. While serving as machine gun squad leader on the night of April 24, 1951, near Taejon-ni, Korea, Corporal Miyamura’s position came close to being overrun when he engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, eliminating many around him. During a second attack, he operated his machine gun until out of ammunition. After ordering his squad to withdraw, he fought his way to a help man a second machine gun emplacement. Again, he covered the withdrawal of his fellow soldiers as he operated the machine gun. His Medal of Honor citation reads “When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers.”
Severely wounded, he continued to fight alone until he was captured. As a POW, Chinese forces subjected Hershey to a 300-mile march. At one-point, Chinese soldiers forced Hershey to leave his injured friend, Joe Anello, behind. Later, after returning home from war, he was astonished to encounter Joe Annello in his store. Each thought the other had died in Korea, until Annello had read about Hershey in the newspaper and tracked him down. The two remained friends for life until Annello passed away in 2018.
Hershey was held as a POW for 28 months. During that time, he faced horrific conditions and returned home in August of 1953 weighing only 100 pounds. Concerning his time in captivity, he later said, “I didn’t want to think about what was happening…I wanted to concentrate on raising a family once I got home. I think that’s what kept me going.” The news that he would receive the Medal of Honor was kept secret while Hershey was in captivity to prevent the enemy knowing that they held such a high-profile prisoner.
After returning home from war Hershey stated, “I’m happy to be back. This is the most wonderful country in the world.” On October 27, 1953, Miyamura, now promoted to Sergeant, was presented the Medal of Honor by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at a White House ceremony. After leaving the Army, Miyamura once again returned to Gallup, working as an auto-mechanic and service station owner, and raised his family. He is honored throughout his hometown, Gallop, New Mexico, including a high school in his name.
