Born Oct. 10, 1928, in Wai’anae, Hawaii Territory, Herbert Kailieha Pilila’au was the ninth of 14 children. He originally aspired to be a police officer, but the outbreak of the Korean War saw him drafted into the Army. Deeply religious, Pilila’au initially considered refusing to serve as a conscientious objector, but later decided against it. He took basic training at Fort Shafter in Honolulu and was later assigned to Company C, First Battalion of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, Second Infantry Division.

In March 1951, Pfc. Pilila’au arrived in Korea and served in the role of his squad’s automatic rifleman.  At the time, the war had been moving up and down the Korean Peninsula, with both sides gaining and losing ground rapidly. In July 1951, the war entered a bloody stalemate with neither side making any significant gains.

By the time Pilila’au joined the Second Infantry, the division had already seen significant combat. Assigned to the Eighth United States Army, the Second was the first division to reach Korea directly from the United States. It had seen fighting as far south as the Pusan Perimeter and was only 50 miles from the border between Korea and Manchuria when the Chinese Communist forces entered the war. Having many experienced veterans, it was no surprise that military leaders selected the Second to end the stalemate.

On Aug. 18, 1951, the Second Infantry and the 36th Republic of Korea (ROK) Regiment attacked North Korean People’s Army (KPA) and Chinese People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) position in Gangow Province, South Korea, near the Haean Basin, dubbed “the Punchbowl.” In the ensuing Battle of Bloody Ridge, American and South Korean forces fought to drive the enemy off the ridge, which military leaders believed communist forces was using as an observation post for artillery strikes. U.N. forces inflicted 15,000 casualties on the enemy before driving them from Bloody Ridge. The KPA then set up new positions 1,500 yards north at a hill mass that would go down in history as Heartbreak Ridge.

The men of the 23rd Infantry Regiment were joined by a French battalion and, beginning on Sept. 13, began the assault on Heartbreak Ridge. Unlike Bloody Ridge, the KPA was better entrenched in a more defensible position on the crest of the hill. To make matters worse, command had underestimated the KPA’s strength. Fighting uphill under heavy fire, the men of the 23rd often found themselves arriving at the enemy position low on ammunition. At night, the KPA would counterattack, forcing the 23rd to withdraw and repeat the process the next day.

On the night of Sept. 17, 1951, the 23rd again found itself facing a KPA counterattack. After trying to fight off the enemy with low ammunition, the 23rd was ordered to withdraw. Despite the strength of the attacking enemy force, Pilila’au volunteered to stay behind and cover the unit’s retreat. With permission granted, Pilila’au advanced ahead of the regiment and set up a defensive position.

As the enemy attacked, Pilila’au fired his Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) into the advancing waves. Assisting him was Lt. Richard Hagar, a forward artillery observer who called in artillery strikes ahead of Pilila’au’s position to cover him when he moved.

Once his BAR ammunition was spent, Pilila’au threw his grenades until he ran out. With no ammunition and no grenades, Pilila’au then began throwing rocks at the advancing North Koreans. In one last act of bravery, Pilila’au drew his trench knife and charged the enemy troops, stabbing and punching until he was killed by bayonet.

When the 23rd retook the position the next day, Pilila’au’s body was found surrounded by 40 dead North Korean soldiers.

Pilila’au was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on June 18, 1952, by President Harry Truman, who presented the medal to his parents, William Pilila’au and Abigail Kailieha. He was the first Hawaiian to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Pilila’au’s body is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. In 2000, the Navy named a Military Sealift Command cargo ship the USNS Pilila’au in his honor. Also named in his honor are a live-fire range at Makua Military Reservation, a park in his hometown of Wai’anae, and the Pilila’au Army Recreation Center.