Hawaiʻi Island to honor Vietnam War veteran posthumously awarded Medal of Honor

Hawaiʻi Island can honor the life and legacy of Sgt. 1st Class Rodney James Takashi Yano, a Hawaiʻi Island man who served his country with extraordinary courage during the Vietnam War.

On Jan. 1, 1969, while serving as the helicopter crew chief, Yano was gravely wounded when ammunition exploded inside his helicopter over Bien Hoa Province. Despite his injuries, he threw the burning ordnance from the aircraft, saving his crew and preventing certain destruction.

He was transported to a medical facility and died later that day at age 25.

For his heroism and sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. Yano’s name is inscribed on Panel 35W, Line 18 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The County of Hawaiʻi honors his service to our country and his memory with the Sgt. Rodney J. T. Yano Memorial Hall in Capt. Cook.

An urn ground burial reinterment is being held to reaffirm the gratitude to Yano, to his brothers Glenn and Stanley, his family, and to all veterans whose service has defended our freedom.

The program will take place at his gravesite on the Kohala side of the West Hawaiʻi Veterans Cemetery at 9 a.m. on Veterans Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025.

Mayor Kimo Alameda has also proclaimed it “Sergeant First Class Rodney James Takashi Yano Day in the County of Hawaiʻi,” in recognition of his valor, sacrifice, and enduring legacy as a Medal of Honor recipient.