Vincent Hichiro Okamoto was born November 22, 1943, to an American family of Japanese origin that was interned during the Second World War at the Poston relocation camp in Arizona. He was the youngest of the 10 children of Henry and Yone Okamoto, 6 of his older brothers had fought in WW2 and the Korean War. Okamoto attended El Camino College from 1962 to 1965. From 1965 to 1967 he attended University of Southern California receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations in 1967. He enrolled in the ROTC and was the first non-UCLA student to be commissioned through the UCLA ROTC program. He earned his commission as a U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant. After completing Ranger School he was given orders to report to Vietnam. In 1968, Okamoto was assigned as the intelligence-liaison officer to 5th Special Forces Group for two months for the Phoenix Program while attached to Company B of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. At the end of the war Okamoto was the most decorated Japanese soldier during the Vietnam War. August 24th, 1968 Okamoto’s actions during a NVA attack would earn him the Distinguished Service Cross (2nd highest Medal in the military) and he was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame September 1st, 2007. He also received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts. His DSC citation reads: 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 Second Lieutenant Vincent Hichiro Okamoto, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company B, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. Second Lieutenant Okamoto distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on August 24, 1968, while serving as a platoon leader with an infantry unit near Dau Tieng. A ground attack was launched against his battalion's night location by three reinforced North Vietnamese and Viet Cong companies. The initial assault destroyed a strategic section of the perimeter. Under heavy automatic weapons, small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire, Lieutenant Okamoto moved with five of his men to restore this vital position. Realizing the need for supporting fire, he ran to a partially destroyed armored personnel carrier and manned its machine gun. After the weapon malfunctioned, he dashed through the fusillade of enemy fire to a second and then a third carrier to place suppressing fire on the aggressors. Spying a group of enemy soldiers maneuvering toward the unit's lines, Lieutenant Okamoto crawled under cover of small arms and automatic weapons fire to less than ten meters from the communists and destroyed them with fragmentation grenades. He was injured by a hostile concussion grenade, which exploded close to his position, but refusing aid he kept fighting until the North Vietnamese/Viet Cong force was defeated. Second Lieutenant Okamoto's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam #vietnam #war #sniper #history #combat #footage #interview #documentary #pilot #airborne #jet #plane #helicopter #1960s #us #coldwar #army #marines #navy #airforce #spaceforce #coastguard #fyp #fypシ #fy #f #capcut #CapCut #armyranger #ranger