World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseKiyoshi K. Muranaga was born in Gardena, California, United States to Japanese immigrants in Feb 1922. When the United States entered into WW2, Japanese-Americans were rounded up and placed in internment camps, including Muranaga's family, which found itself at the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado, United States. In May 1943, he enlisted in the US Army and volunteered to join the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was consisted of mostly Americans of Japanese ancestry. After training, his unit was sent to Italy in mid-1944. On 26 Jun 1944, on the very first day that the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was placed on the front lines, Private First Class Muranaga and his squad were attempting to fire mortar rounds near Suvereto, Italy when they were targeted by a German 88-millimeter gun. While his squad mates sought cover, he remained at the mortar alone, determined to wipe out the gun on his own. He nearly landed a mortar round on the German position when the gun succeeded in hitting him first, killing him and destroying the mortar. Muranaga's attempts to fire on the German gun spooked its crew, however, leading to the German gun crew withdrawing from its advantageous position, allowing the Americans to advance. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, California. In Jun 2000, his award was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, and it was presented by US Bill Clinton to his brother Yoshio Muranaga, who was also a veteran of 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

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