Navy ships will be
named after two isle
Korean War heroes

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

Two Korean War Medal of Honor winners from Hawaii will be honored by having naval combat cargo ships named after them.

Two Navy large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships will be named after Army Sgt. Leroy Mendonca, who was killed during the Korean War near Chich-on on July 4, 1951, and Pfc. Herbert Pililaau, who died fighting near Pia-ri on Sept. 17, 1951.

Another Hawaii Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Yano, received similar honors on Jan. 18 when the Military Sealift Command vessel (T-AKR 297) was christened in San Diego and named after him.

A total of 19 large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships are planned and will be delivered by the year 2001 under the Strategic Sealift program designed to meet the military's need for increased sealift readiness and capacity.

The ships range from 907 to 956 feet and are designed to allow tanks, trucks and other wheeled and tracked military vehicles to be driven on and off their decks. Each ship will provide between 310,000 and 390,000 square feet of cargo space and will be able to attain speeds up to 24 knots.

Tom Mendonca, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, applauded the Pentagon's decision to name a vessel after his uncle. "I feel good about it," Mendonca said. "It's nice to get recognition for someone who was in the infantry and was a squad leader. Usually only generals and admirals get such distinction."

Mendonca recalled that his uncle enlisted in the Army at the age of 18 right after graduating from McKinley High School in 1950 where he excelled in track and cycling. As a member of the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division, Sgt. Mendonca covered the withdrawal of his platoon on Hill 586.

Under heavy fire Mendonca kept on-rushing enemy at bay with rifle and grenades until his ammunition ran out. Then he fought on using only his rifle butt and bayonet. His citation said he killed 37 enemy soldiers before he was killed.

The Army named a military housing complex near Schofield Barracks as well as a hall at Fort Benning in Georgia, the traditional home of the 7th, for Mendonca.

Pililaau was 23 when he was killed in 1951 while covering the withdrawal of members of C Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division, on Heartbreak Ridge. Using trench knife and fists, Pililaau is believed to have killed 40 enemy soldiers before he fell mortally wounded. A graduate of Waipahu High School, Pililaau attended Cannon Business School before he joined the Army. A park in Waianae is dedicated in his honor.

A spokeswoman for the Military Sealift Command said the USNS Yano was formerly a commercial container ship that was converted to a military combat cargo ship outfitted to carry Army and Marine Corps equipment.

The USNS Mendonca (T-AKR 303) and the USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304) will be brand new ships in the Bob Hope class built in New Orleans by Avondale Industries. Each vessel will be 950 feet in length and will be able to carry a load of 62,000 tons.