Army can’t find records of Kimlau awards
Acton-born World War II bomber pilot Lt. Benjamin R. Kimlau died while on a mission in 1944.
The U.S. Army says it cannot find records showing conclusively that Acton-born World War II bomber pilot Lt. Benjamin R. Kimlau received the Bronze Star Medal or Purple Heart.
The Army’s Awards and Decorations Branch wrote in a letter that “based upon review of the historical resources available to our office, we could not locate official military documentation substantiating his entitlement to awards of the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.”
Kimlau died while on a mission in 1944. The Acton Bridge wrote about him in 2024, basing its reporting, in part, on a National Guard presentation that made reference to the medals.
Retired Maj. Gen. William Chen, who has been involved with the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project since 2017, requested the review several months after that presentation.
He subsequently provided to The Bridge a copy of the letter signed by Army Maj. Francisco H. Bonglo II, chief of the Awards and Decorations Branch. The Bridge has independently confirmed the authenticity of the letter directly with Bonglo.
“We need to continue to recognize and honor our Chinese American veterans for their deeds and accomplishments,” Chen previously wrote to The Bridge. “[I am] all for telling their stories, but we must be accurate in our portrayals.”
The Army’s response did not address questions about the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that destroyed Kimlau’s original service records.
