Hometown: Wahiawa, HI
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: 173rd Engineer Company, Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Military Honors: Medal of Honor, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: March 20, 1969 - KIA at Camp Radcliff, An Khê, Bình Định province, Republic of Vietnam
Age: 19 
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

Terry Kawamura grew up in Wahiawa, near the pineapple fields of O‘ahu, Hawaii. Born on December 10, 1949, Kawamura lived with his grandparents while attending Leilehua High School during his junior and senior years.

After graduating in 1967, Kawamura’s grandparents urged him to continue his education. But he told them he wanted to volunteer for the U.S. Army. George Iguchi, Kawamura‘s grandfather, told The Honolulu Advisor, “We didn’t like it very much, but he said he wanted to do something for his country. He said he would like to make his parents proud.”

Kawamura worked for a few months in the pineapple fields, then enlisted in the United States Army in September 1967. He was sent to Fort Ord in Monterey Bay, California, for basic training.

A year after enlisting, in September 1968, Kawamura was deployed to Vietnam and assigned to the 173rd Engineer Company, Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Kawamura served as a Heavy Construction Equipment Operator and was stationed at Army Base Camp Radcliff, in Bình Định Province, in the Republic of Vietnam.

On March 20, 1969, Kawamura’s base camp came under enemy attack. His actions to save the lives of others would earn him the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation gives an account of his heroism:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Cpl. Kawamura distinguished himself by heroic action while serving as a member of the 173d Engineer Company. An enemy demolition team infiltrated the unit quarters area and opened fire with automatic weapons. Disregarding the intense fire, Cpl. Kawamura ran for his weapon. At that moment, a violent explosion tore a hole in the roof and stunned the occupants of the room. Cpl. Kawamura jumped to his feet, secured his weapon and, as he ran toward the door to return the enemy fire, he observed that another explosive charge had been thrown through the hole in the roof to the floor. He immediately realized that two stunned fellow soldiers were in great peril and shouted a warning. Although in a position to escape, Cpl. Kawamura unhesitatingly wheeled around and threw himself on the charge. In completely disregarding his safety, Cpl. Kawamura prevented serious injury or death to several members of his unit. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by Cpl. Kawamura are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

Cpl. Terry Teruo Kawamura, lost at age 19, was laid to rest on the island of Oahu, near his hometown. And he is honored at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., where his name is inscribed on Panel 29W, Line 90.

Sources
Congressional Medal of Honor Society: Terry Teruo Kawamura
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Mar. 28, 1969: Wahiawa Soldier killed in Vietnam
The Honolulu Advertiser, Feb. 1, 1971: GI wanted parents to be proud
Military Times—Hall of Valor: Terry Teruo Kawamura
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund: The Wall of Faces, Terry Teruo Kawamura
Together We Served: Kawamura, Terry Teruo, CPL
Burial Site: Find a Grave