New Mexico Dedication

New Mexico Dedication. . , U.S. ARMY CPL. HIROSHI H. MIYAMURA WAS A SQUAD LEADER POSITIONED ALONG THE IMJIN RIVER IN NORTH KOREA WHEN, ON APRIL 24, 1951, HIS UNIT CAME UNDER ATTACK. HE ENGAGED THE ENEMY BY BAYONET AND MACHINE GUN, COMFORTED AND EVACUATED THE WOUNDED, AND COVERED HIS COMPANY'S WITHDRAWAL UNTIL OVERRUN, SPENDING THE NEXT TWO YEARS AS A POW. HE RECEIVED THE MEDAL OF HONOR FROM PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER ON OCT.27, 1953., Twenty-one years later, on Sept. 14, 1974, Miyamura attended the dedication of the New Mexico Area of the Medal of Honor Grove, where an evergreen tree was planted in his honor. New Mexico First Lady Alice King said at the event;, "It is fitting and proper that we should forever memorialize these men by setting aside this small but beautiful area, where trees can grow, where leaves can fall, where birds can sing and nest, and where it can be forever quiet and peaceful. There is a certain sanctity about this place, where the spirits of these brave men and the memory of their deeds will unite with the spirits of their predecessors in the Continental Army, and will pervade the consciousness of all who visit here. The acts for which these men were honored were born in turmoil and agony, and it seems most fitting that they can be commemorated in the quiet and peacefulness of this place., "As we dedicate this shrine today for the people of New Mexico and the people of the United States, I hope we will always remember that the few men whom we honor today are truly representative of all men through the ages who have willingly sacrificed themselves for the benefit of their fellow man. I would like to close these brief remarks by offering for each of our Medal of Honor recipients, both present and absent, and to all Medal of Honor recipients who are and will be honored in these groves, a fervent prayer that the sacrifices which these men so selflessly performed will never go unnoticed or unheeded, and that the true message of their selfless sacrifice will be forever enshrined in the hearts of all people forever.", [Photo captions, clockwise from top right, read] , . President Eisenhower and Miyamura in 1953, . Miyamura and Alice King with his tree in 1974, . Miyamura with his tree and friend Ken Riege in 2018