Kiyoshi Muranaga

Kiyoshi K. Muranaga (February 16, 1922-June 26, 1944)  was a United States Army soldier.  He received the Medal of Honor because of his actions in World War II.

Early life 
Muranaga was born in California to Japanese immigrant parents. He is a Nisei, which means that he is a second generation Japanese-American.

He was interned with his family at the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado.

Soldier
Muranaga joined the US Army 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.

For his actions in June 1944, Muranaga was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).  In the 1990s, there was a review of service records of Asian Americans who received the DSC during World War II.  Muranaga's award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his family was presented with his medal by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, but only seven of them were still alive.  Without help from others, he engaged an artillery gun using a mortar.

Medal of Honor citation
Muranaga's Medal of Honor recognized his conduct in frontline fighting in central Italy in 1944.

On June 26, 1944, Muranaga was in charge of shooting his squad's mortar weapon.  He was trying to destroy an enemy artillery gun. Muranaga was able to fire three shells before being killed.

The words of Muranaga's citation explain:
Private First Class Kiyoshi K. Muranaga distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 26 June 1944, near Suvereto, Italy. Private First Class Muranaga's company encountered a strong enemy force in commanding positions and with superior firepower. An enemy 88mm self-propelled gun opened direct fire on the company, causing the men to disperse and seek cover. Private First Class Muranaga's mortar squad was ordered to action, but the terrain made it impossible to set up their weapons. The squad leader, realizing the vulnerability of the mortar position, moved his men away from the gun to positions of relative safety. Because of the heavy casualties being inflicted on his company, Private First Class Muranaga, who was a gunner, attempted to neutralize the 88mm weapon alone. Voluntarily remaining at his gun position, Private First Class Muranaga manned the mortar himself and opened fire on the enemy gun at a range of approximately 400 yards. With his third round, he was able to correct his fire so that the shell landed directly in front of the enemy gun. Meanwhile, the enemy crew, immediately aware of the source of mortar fire, turned their 88mm weapon directly on Private First Class Muranaga's position. Before Private First Class Muranaga could fire a fourth round, an 88mm shell scored a direct hit on his position, killing him instantly. Because of the accuracy of Private First Class Muranaga's previous fire, the enemy soldiers decided not to risk further exposure and immediately abandoned their position. Private First Class Muranaga's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

Related pages
 List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
 List of Asian American Medal of Honor recipients
 Posthumous recognition

References

Other websites
 "Army Secretary Lionizes 22 World War II Heroes" at Defense.gov 
 

1922 births
1944 deaths
People from Los Angeles
United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
American people of World War II