World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He was serving as a Technical Assistant with the United States Army, Company B, 100th Infantry Battalion, when he was awarded his medal for service at Lanuvio, Italy, on June 2, 1944, during World War II. He was born one of nine children in Hilo, Hawaii, to Shintsu Kobashigawa (1890-1969), and his wife Kame Kobashigawa (1893-1954), on September 28, 1917. His parents were Japanese immigrants from Okinawa, Japan, and this makes him a Nisei, which means he is a second-generation Japanese-American. He was educated locally and attended elementary school up until the eighth grade. He never attended high school or college but following his education, he worked as a field labourer. He then joined the United States Army in November of 1941, only one month before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, which resulted in mass destruction, including severe damage to 19 U.S. Navy ships, including 8 battleships, and the deaths of 2,403 U.S. personnel, and 68 civilians. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, he volunteered to join the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion, which consisted of Japanese-Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. On June 2, 1944, he led his squad in the destruction of several machine gun nests which led to him being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the United States Army's second highest military decoration for soldiers who display extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. He survived the war, later returning to civilian life to work as a maintenance mechanic and to get married. On June 12, 2000, a military review was held to examine whether or not Asian Americans who fought in uniform during World War II were treated unfairly due to prejudice. Twenty-two Americans of Asian ancestry who had fought in World War II were awarded the Medal of Honor after the review. 2LT Yeiki Kobashigawa was one of these men who were still alive that year to receive the Medal of Honor. He was awarded his Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House in Washington, D.C. by then President of the United States Bill Clinton on June 21, 2000. His Medal of Honor citation reads-Technical Sergeant Yeiki Kobashigawa distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 2 June 1944, in the vicinity of Lanuvio, Italy. During an attack, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa's platoon encountered strong enemy resistance from a series of machine guns providing supporting fire. Observing a machine gun nest 50 yards from his position, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa crawled forward with one of his men, threw a grenade, and then charged the enemy with his submachine gun while a fellow soldier provided covering fire. He killed one enemy soldier and captured two prisoners. Meanwhile, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa and his comrade were fired upon by another machine gun 50 yards ahead. Directing a squad to advance to his first position, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa again moved forward with a fellow soldier to subdue the second machine gun nest. After throwing grenades into the position, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa provided close supporting fire while a fellow soldier charged, capturing four prisoners. On the alert for other machine gun nests, Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa discovered four more, and skillfully led a squad in neutralizing two of them. Technical Sergeant Kobashigawa's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army. For his military service and heroic actions, he was also awarded the Bronze Star Medal, which is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone, and two Purple Heart Medals, which is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to United States military members. He passed away in Waianae, Hawaii, on March 31, 2005, at the age of 87. His funeral service was held through Hosoi Garden Mortuary in Honolulu, Hawaii, and he was buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was married to Haruko Kobashigawa (1935-2021), with whom he had three children, a daughter named Jill, and two sons named Merle and Floyd.