Obama awards medals posthumously to 2 US Korean War veterans

WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Monday awarded the nation's highest medal posthumously to two American soldiers who fought in the Korean War.

"The President awarded Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho'ohanohano, U.S. Army, and Private First Class Henry Svehla, U.S. Army, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry," the White House said in a statement.

More than 36,000 American soldiers were killed and over 8,000 were captured or went missing in the 1950-53 War, in which the U.S. fought alongside South Korea against invading communist North Korean soldiers backed by Chinese.

About 28,000 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the war, which ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, that leaves the two Koreas technically at war.

"These two soldiers made the ultimate sacrifice when they were just 19 and 21 years old," Obama said. "Age did not weary them. In the hearts of their families, they remain forever young -- loving sons, protective brothers, hometown kids who stood tall in America's hometown -- in America's uniform."

Kaho'ohanohano, from Hawaii, was killed by overwhelming enemy forces on Sept. 1, 1951, as he exhausted grenades and ammunition of his machine-gun squad and engaged in fist-fighting alone.

"His squad was near a village called Chupa-ri when they came under a ferocious attack," Obama said. "With the enemy advancing, with his men outnumbered, Tony made a decision. He ordered his squad to fall back and seek cover. And then Tony did something else. He stayed behind. Machine gun in hand, he laid down fire so his men could get to safety. He was one American soldier, alone, against an approaching army."

Tony was wounded, but threw grenade after grenade and, when running out of ammunition, grabbed a shovel and engaged in hand to hand combat, Obama said. "It was that bravery -- that courage -- of a single soldier that inspired his men to regroup, to rally and to drive the enemy back."

Svehla, a rifleman from New Jersey, charged enemy positions when his platoon came under heavy fire on June 12, 1952. He was fatally wounded as he threw himself on a grenade to protect other soldiers.

Svehla leapt to his feet and charged the enemy positions as his platoon was under heavy fire while patrolling a strategic hill, Obama said. "In the face of this courage and determination, the platoon rallied to attack with renewed vigor."

"Private First Class Svehla, utterly disregarding his own safety, destroyed enemy positions and inflicted heavy casualties, when suddenly, fragments from a mortar round exploding nearby seriously wounded him in the face," Obama said. "Despite his wounds, Private First Class Svehla refused medical treatment and continued to lead the attack."

In honoring the two soldiers, Obama also hailed U.S. special forces who shot to death Osama bin Laden, the architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., in his hideout in Pakistan Sunday.