[5] Nakamura's family was interned in Minidoka in Idaho during World War II, starting in 1942, following the signing of Executive Order 9066.

On that day, near Castellina Marittima, Italy, he single-handedly destroyed an enemy machine gun emplacement and later volunteered to cover his unit's withdrawal.

In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton.

During a fierce firefight, Private First Class Nakamura's platoon became pinned down by enemy machine gun fire from a concealed position.

On his own initiative, Private First Class Nakamura crawled 20 yards toward the hostile nest with fire from the enemy machine gun barely missing him.

The enemy weapon silenced, Private First Class Nakamura crawled back to his platoon, which was able to continue its advance as a result of his courageous action.

[11]At the University of Washington in February 2006, a resolution recommending a memorial be erected to honor fighter ace and alumnus Pappy Boyington for his service during World War II was raised and defeated[12] during a meeting of the student senate.

The story was picked up by some blogs and conservative news outlets, focusing on two statements made by student senators during the meeting.