Francis B. Wai
After occupying the Hollandia area, Wai was assigned to X Corps of the Sixth United States Army in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines. On October 20, 1944, his division was paired with the 1st Cavalry Division within X Corps. The two divisions made an assault landing at Leyte. When Captain Wai landed at Red Beach, the Japanese forces stationed on the island focused their fire on the waves of incoming troops. The Japanese fired from gun positions in a palm grove in the middle of submerged rice paddies. When Wai arrived on the beach in the fifth wave, he found the soldiers there to be leaderless, disorganized, and pinned down on the open beach. Assuming command, he moved through the rice paddies, without cover. His demeanor and example inspired the other men to follow him. Without thinking of his own personal safety, he moved forward without cover to draw Japanese machine gun and rifle fire. This allowed him to identify the locations of the entrenched Japanese forces. Systematically, the Japanese positions were assaulted and overcome. Wai was killed leading an assault against the last Japanese pillbox in the area. For his actions during the landing on Leyte, Wai was posthumously presented the Distinguished Service Cross. After the war, his remains were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. His grave is in section Q, grave 1194.