Punahou School honors legacy of WWII captain killed in action
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Punahou School honored one of their former students, a WWII Medal of Honor Recipient, on what would be his 108th birthday.
The honoree, Capt. Francis Wai, lost his life 81 years ago during the Battle of Leyte on San Pedro Beach in the Philippines.
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'The soldiers were stuck on the beach getting shot at by the Japanese,' said Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee. 'Nobody was in charge. So Capt. Wai, not his unit, took charge of all the soldiers. With his courage and cool demeanor, the soldiers followed him and they wiped out the Japanese emplacements. But unfortunately, the last Japanese emplacement killed Capt. Wai.'
In Wai's honor, Punahou looked to celebrate his life and heroic sacrifice, not just to make good on his legacy, but to inspire their students to aid their communities and more broadly, the world.
'[Wai] had a chance to serve a broader community. We always want our students to think about serving those beyond themselves,' said Dr. Mike Latham, Punahou School president. 'A lot of times that means serving people who you will never meet, who may be very different than you. But that's what American democracy is about.'Initially, the then-Department of War posthumously awarded Wai with the Distinguished Service Cross. Years later however, the now-Department of Defense investigated possible racism in the recognition processes of WWII servicemembers. As a result, Wai's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
Wai's brother, Robert, was able to accept his Medal of Honor on the captain's behalf in 2000 from then-President Bill Clinton.
'I think one of the big lessons Uncle Francis seemed to teach us was taking care of each other,' said the serviceman's nephew, Robert Wai, Jr. 'We have a great family. We love each other. We support each other. It's all that we do.'
The original medal was donated to the Hawaii Army Museum, with the Wai family receiving a second medal to keep as a reminder of the service and sacrifice of Wai and his family.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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