KIYOSHI MURANGA MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL GRAVE STONE

PFC 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. PRC 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 HEAVY CASUALTIES BEING INFLICTED ON HIS COMPANY, PFC MURANAGA, WHO SERVED AS GUNNER, ATTEMPTED TO NEUTRALIZE THE 88MM WEAPON ALONE. VOLUNTARILY REMAINING AT HIS GUN POSITION, PFC 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 THE MORTAR FIRE, TURNED THEIR 88MM WEAPON DIRECTLY ON PFC MURANAGA’S POSITION. BEFORE PFC MURANAGA COULD FIRE A FOURTH ROUND, AN 88MM SHELL SCORED A DIRECT HIT ON HIS POSITION, KILLING HIM INSTANTLY. BECAUSE OF THE ACCURACY OF PFC MURANAGA’S PREVIOUS FIRE, THE ENEMY SOLDIERS DECIDED NOT TO RISK FURTHER EXPOSURE AND IMMEDIATELY ABANDONED THEIR POSITION. PFC 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.