U.S. Army Private First Class Kiyoshi K. Muranaga of Los Angeles, California, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on June 26, 1944, near Suvereto, Italy.
Muranaga was born to Japanese immigrant parents and was a Nisei, which means he was a second-generation Japanese-American. He and his family were interned at the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado during World War II.
He joined the Army in May 1943 and volunteered to be a part of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 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 while single-handedly manning his squad’s mortar weapon in an attempt to destroy an enemy artillery gun.
Muranaga was killed on the first day of action for the 442nd in Italy while single-handedly manning his squad’s mortar weapon in an attempt to destroy an enemy artillery gun.
He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 26, 1944. He was one of the 22 Asian American soldiers who received their medals in 2000.
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