Kiyoshi K. Muranaga ( ja, 村永清, February 16, 1922 – June 26, 1944) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

—for his actions in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.US Army Center of Military History
"Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (M-S)"
retrieved 2012-12-7.

Early life

Muranaga was born in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese immigrant parents. He is a ''

Nisei is a Japanese-language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called ). The are considered the second generation, ...

'', which means that he is a second generation Japanese-American. He was raised as one of the oldest of 9 other siblings in what is now Gardena, California. He was interned with his family at the

Granada War Relocation Center The Amache National Historic Site, formally the Granada War Relocation Center but known to the internees as Camp Amache, was a concentration camp for Japanese Americans in Prowers County, Colorado. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor o ...

in Colorado following the signing of Executive Order 9066.442nd Regimental Combat Team
"Tributes," Men of F Company, 2nd Battalion, Kiyoshi Muranaga
retrieved 2012-12-7.

Soldier

Muranaga joined the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in May 1943. Muranaga volunteered to be part of the all-''Nisei'' 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland. Muranaga was killed on the first day of action for the 442nd in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. For his actions in June 1944, he was posthumously awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. "21 Asian American World War II Vets to Get Medal of Honor" at University of Hawaii Digital History
; retrieved 2012-12-7. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Muranaga's award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously. Muranaga, aged 22 at his death, was buried in Evergreen Cemetery,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California. Muranaga's brothers were also soldiers. Kenichi (1924–2009) and Yoshio (1923–2008)NARA
WWII Army Enlistment Record #37715182 (Muranaga, Yoshi K.)
/ref> also were in the 442nd. The youngest brother Tomi (born 1935) was a soldier in Korea.

Medal of Honor citation

Muranaga's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in

frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

fighting in central Italy in 1944. On June 26, 1944, Muranaga was serving as a

private first class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

in the

442nd Regimental Combat Team The 442nd Infantry Regiment ( ja, 第442歩兵連隊) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-gene ...

. On that day, near Suvereto,

, he single-handedly manned his squad's mortar weapon in an attempt to destroy an enemy

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

gun. Muranaga was able to fire three shells before being killed by the enemy's return fire. Private First Class Muranaga's official Medal of Honor citation reads: cmoh army

References

External links

"Army Secretary Lionizes 22 World War II Heroes" at Defense.gov
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muranaga, Kiyoshi K. 1922 births 1944 deaths United States Army personnel killed in World War II United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Los Angeles United States Army soldiers Japanese-American internees American military personnel of Japanese descent Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor

Early life

Soldier

Medal of Honor citation

See also

References

External links