Seattle Courthouse Named After War Hero

Thu., Nov. 2, 2000

From Staff

The federal courthouse in Seattle will be named after William Kenzo Nakamura, a one-time internment-camp detainee who went on to win the Medal of Honor in World War II.

Nakamura was killed by a sniper on July 4, 1944, after twice saving his platoon in a battle near Castellina, Italy. His commanding officer nominated him for the Medal of Honor, but it wasn’t awarded until last spring, 56 years after the fact.

Born in Seattle, Nakamura was moved with his family to an internment camp in Idaho after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

He enlisted in the military and became a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in American military history.

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