Captain Francis Brown Wai was the son of a Chinese immigrant and Native Hawaiian who, despite intending to work with his father in real estate, eventually enlisted in the National Guard. He served in the US invasion of the Japanese-occupied Philippines in World War II, where he gave his life in combat. Wai was awarded a posthumous Distinguished Service Cross, which was eventually upgraded to the Medal of Honor after a congressionally-directed review found that many Asian Americans did not receive fair consideration at the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices