WWII: The Niihau Incident

Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, There was a Japanese pilot by the name of Shigenori Nishikaichi flying his Mitsubishi Zero over the Pacific when several American planes engaged him. A short dogfight ensued & his plane was severely damaged. The Japanese military had outlined contingency plans for this sort of thing, recommending pilots touch down on the presumably uninhabited island of Niihau, where they could be rescued by submarine.

Nishikaichi quickly discovered the island was not deserted. As he approached the ground, he could see various homes & structures, signifying life on the island. He abruptly came into contact with civilization while making his emergency landing. The landing gear from the plane collided with a fence on a farm, which sent the nose of his plan straight into the ground, mangling the prop & bending the fuselage.

Initially, he was rescued by farmers Ben & Ella Kanahele— but when they realized he was an enemy combatant, Nishikaichi took them hostage. Despite being shot 3 times, Ben Kanahele charged the pilot— grabbing Nishikaichi & smashing his body against a wall. Ella came to help her husband & bashed the pilots head in with a rock. Ben then managed to stab the pilot in the neck with his hunting knife, finally killing him.

Ben Kanahele was awarded the Medal of Merit, the Purple Heart & compensation for the property that was damaged by the crash.
Ella received no official recognition for her role in subduing the pilot, but she was still a god damn champ nonetheless.