SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — A health and fitness center on Schofield Barracks was dedicated to Command Sgt. Maj. Henry Lee June 9 honoring a trailblazing soldier, educator and community leader. The ceremony, attended by military officials, friends and family, including Lee’s wife of 69 years, Rose, and his son, Henry Lee Jr., celebrated his lifelong service to Hawaii and the nation.
Born June 6, 1930, in Castner Village near Schofield Barracks, Lee grew up in Wahiawa as one of nine children of Gil Taik and Yamo Lee. He attended Leilehua High School before enlisting in the U.S. Army at 15 in 1946, driven by a dream to serve. Lee became the first Korean American command sergeant major, with a 24-year career spanning World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
In 1968, while resupplying a unit in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division, his helicopter was shot down, earning him a Purple Heart. He served with the 1st Infantry Division in Europe, as a drill sergeant with the Hawaiian Infantry Training Center at Schofield, and later as command sergeant major for the 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade.
“With 24 years of service and a lifetime of contributions, Dad’s legacy lives on here,” said Henry Lee Jr., noting his father would have turned 95 on June 6, 2025, coinciding with D-Day, a date significant to the military man. “Schofield was home, and this tribute is deeply meaningful.”
Retiring in 1969 at 39, Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Hawaii in 1974 and taught social studies at Nanakuli and Waianae public schools for five years. He later served with the state’s Department of Regulatory Agencies on professional and vocational licensing boards. Lee’s civic engagement included 12 years on the Wahiawa Neighborhood Board, six as chairman, and a five-year term as chairman of the State Boxing Commission, appointed by Gov. John Waihee in 1992.
He was active in the Wahiawa Lions Club, Hawaiian Korean Chamber of Commerce, Olive United Methodist Church, and taught dance with the Wahiawa Ballroom Organization and Dance Clubs. Lee also supported veterans through groups like the Military Order of the Purple Heart and Disabled American Veterans.
His contributions earned him a posthumous U.S. Army Pacific Mana O Ke Koa “Spirit of the Warrior” award on June 2, 2023, presented by Gen. Charles A. Flynn, who called Lee “the living embodiment of selfless service” to the Army, veterans and Hawaii. Lee was also an inaugural inductee of the Tropic Lightning Foundation in 2022.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Lee’s legacy of courage, service and aloha embodies the spirit of Schofield Barracks,” said Col. Rachel Sullivan, U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii commander. “This gym will inspire soldiers to carry forward his commitment to duty and community.”
Inside the Command Sgt. Maj. Henry Lee Gym, a memorial plaque details his service, accompanied by photos of Lee in uniform and with his family, including Rose and their children: Laura Putzulu, Henry Lee Jr., Lissa Collins, Leslie Miyashiro and the late Russell Lee. The display honors his legacy as a father, grandfather to three and great-grandfather to six.
Rose, who served the military community for nearly four decades as owner of Rose Lee’s Alteration Shop in Fort Shafter and Kalihi, said, “This gym is a beautiful honor for Henry. He loved serving here, and seeing his life celebrated means the world to our family.”
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