{"id":4031,"date":"2023-10-14T11:38:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-14T15:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ltkimlau.com\/home\/?page_id=4031"},"modified":"2023-10-14T12:08:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-14T16:08:34","slug":"wwii-veteran-honored-with-the-purple-heart-posthumously","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ltkimlau.com\/home\/wwii-veteran-honored-with-the-purple-heart-posthumously","title":{"rendered":"WWII veteran honored with the Purple Heart posthumously"},"content":{"rendered":"

WWII veteran honored with the Purple Heart posthumously<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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OCTOBER 12, 2023<\/p>\n

by Shirley L. Ng, AsAmNews Staff Writer<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly 80 years after\u00a0World War II, Chinese American veteran\u00a0Private Wing O. Hom of Boston, MA<\/a>, was posthumously honored with a Purple Heart. Private Hom went missing during the war, but his remains were recently discovered, giving his family a sense of peace.<\/p>\n

A funeral service on Wednesday in New York City\u2019s Chinatown was held for the hero. Private Hom was only 20 years old when\u00a0he went missing in a \u201cfierce battle\u00a0near the town of Cisterna di Latina, Italy, \u201d on February 2, 1944, as described by his nephew Kenneth Hom of New York.\u00a0Private Hom\u00a0was a member of Company B, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.<\/p>\n

Hom enlisted in the US Army and was missing in February 2, 1944.<\/p>\n

Private Hom was not reported as a prisoner of war nor was his body found. The military declared\u00a0him deceased in February 1945.<\/p>\n

The private\u2019s nephew Kenneth Hom and his brothers were always curious about their uncle. They had early memories of their mother honoring her brother, Private Hom during Memorial Day, Veteran\u2019s Day and Ching Ming, a Chinese festival also known as \u201ctomb-sweeping,\u201d when families pay their respect with offerings to their ancestors. Kenneth Hom\u2019s parents and grandparents didn\u2019t speak much about him as he felt there was too much pain involved in sharing about his missing uncle.<\/p>\n

Private Hom was not reported as a prisoner of war nor was his body found. The military declared\u00a0him deceased in February 1945.<\/p>\n

The private\u2019s nephew Kenneth Hom and his brothers were always curious about their uncle. They had early memories of their mother honoring her brother, Private Hom during Memorial Day, Veteran\u2019s Day and Ching Ming, a Chinese festival also known as \u201ctomb-sweeping,\u201d when families pay their respect with offerings to their ancestors. Kenneth Hom\u2019s parents and grandparents didn\u2019t speak much about him as he felt there was too much pain involved in sharing about his missing uncle.<\/p>\n

The discovery of Private Hom\u2019s remains was nothing short of a miracle. It began with Kenneth Hom\u2019s simple Instagram post, a 2019 Memorial Day tribute to his uncle. The US Army noticed his post and in October of that same\u00a0year, and Kenneth Hom was contacted by a genealogy company commissioned by the US Army.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was a scam,\u201d Kenneth Hom told AsAmNews on how he was contacted by the US Army about his Instagram post for his uncle.<\/p>\n

Kenneth\u2019s brother, Gene Hom from San Francisco could not believe how his brother\u2019s Instagram post transpired into a journey of finding their uncle. Gene Hom grew up seeing the portrait of his uncle on the wall and also knew very little about him other than being told he was killed in combat. He described to AsAmNews how it felt to finally bring his uncle home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is great. It let others know that when the Chinese first arrived in the US, they had struggles and tried to get a better life here and also served in the military,\u201d Gene Hom said.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Hom said it took a series of telephone calls and emails before he was convinced it was really the US Army that was reaching out to assist in finding his uncle. A few months after, Kenneth Hom received DNA kits to begin the identification process.<\/p>\n

\u201cDNA samples were provided in the way of mouth swabs, from me, my aunt and my brothers. A\u00a0Mitochondrial DNA\u00a0test\u00a0matched up with a DNA sample from my uncle\u2019s remains,\u201d Kenneth told AsAmNews.<\/p>\n

Finally, on April 6 of this year, Kenneth Hom was notified that the remains of a man buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuna, Italy in 1948 were confirmed to be his uncle.<\/p>\n

In an earlier statement, Kenneth Hom said, \u201cThis moment is a tribute to his memory and the unwavering dedication of those who ensured his story was not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace Lee, Assemblywoman for the 65th district, which includes Chinatown said at the funeral, \u201cMany of the brave Americans lost their lives in defense of our freedoms and at the very least they deserve the recognition and commemorate everything they gave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenneth Hom registered his uncle for the Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American WWII Veterans a few years ago and received the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of his uncle in 2020.<\/p>\n

Over 20,000 Chinese Americans served in all branches of the military during WWII. Many enlisted to serve and defend a nation that discriminated through laws like the Chinese Exclusion Act. In November 1943, a few months before Private Hom went missing, the Chinese Exclusion Act was finally repealed, although civil rights were still a struggle to gain for the Chinese in America.<\/p>\n

Robert Santiago, Commissioner of The Office of Veterans\u2019 Services announced during the funeral that Private Wing O. Hom\u2019s name will be included in\u00a0Boston\u2019s Hero Square<\/a>, an intersection that honors military members who were killed in combat. Private Hom had lived in Boston\u2019s Chinatown when he enlisted in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a sign with his name with a gold star on it to recognize the Hom Family. It will include a biography plaque so passersby can read about Private Homs\u2019 life. We are working on the resolution and have reserved a spot for the Hom Family. It might happen this year, perhaps around Veteran\u2019s Day,\u201d Santiago told AsAmNews.<\/p>\n

His nephew is proud of his uncle\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so proud to represent the people that is so underrepresented in this matter. It\u2019s beyond my wildest dreams,\u201d Kenneth Hom told AsAmNews.<\/p>\n

Several veterans and active military personnel came to pay their respects to Private Wing O. Hom including many members of the local\u00a0American Legion Lt. Kimlau B.R. Post. 1291<\/a>\u00a0in Chinatown. One by one, the members, mostly veterans and family members of veterans saluted at the casket. Some bowed three times, a Chinese custom to pay respects to others.<\/p>\n

Kenneth Hom, his wife Nancy, Hom\u2019s two brothers, and the niece and nephew of Private Hom from California attended the funeral. Assemblyman, Lester Chang and District Council member Christopher Marte were also at the funeral.<\/p>\n

Private Hom will lay to rest next to his parents and brother at the Evergreen Cemetery\u00a0in Brooklyn.\u00a0 The funeral was facilitated by the American Legion Lt. Kimlau B.R. Post 1291.<\/p>\n

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Photo of Private Wing O. Hom of Boston, MA as displayed at the funeral in New York City. Private Hom enlisted in the US Army and was missing in February 2, 1944. \/\/ Image via the Hom family<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo of Private Wing O. Hom of Boston, MA as displayed at the funeral in New York City. Private <\/em><\/p>\n

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A display of photos at the funeral to honor Private Wing O. Hom. Photo by: Shirley L. Ng<\/em><\/p>\n

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