No greater sacrifice
Memorial Day honors the men and women who have given their all for their country. Here are a few who gave everything on the battlefield and were not fully recognized for their valor until decades later.
George Watson, World War II
Pvt. Watson, of Birmingham, Alabama, was the first African American to receive the Army’s second-highest decoration — the Distinguished Service Cross — in World War II, and in 1997 he was one of seven African American World War II veterans presented the Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. No African Americans received the Medal of Honor in the years immediately after the war.
On the morning of March 8, 1943, Watson was with his unit aboard the steamer Jacob, which was moored at Porlock Harbor on the island of New Guinea when Japanese bombers attacked, catching the Americans off guard. As the planes rained explosives down on the Jacob, it began to sink and many of its crew and Watson’s fellow soldiers abandoned ship in an effort to survive the onslaught. Watson, though, had other ideas. According to his Medal of Honor citation, “instead of seeking to save himself,” Watson “remained in the water assisting several soldiers who could not swim to reach the safety of the (life) raft.” Watson saved the lives of “several comrades.” Exhausted from his heroic efforts, Watson drowned that day. His “extraordinarily valorous actions, daring leadership, and self-sacrificing devotion to his fellow man exemplify the finest traditions of military service,” the citation went on to say.
When the decision was made to present Watson with the Medal of Honor in 1997, no living family members could be found. His medal was accepted by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. In 1997, a new transport ship, the USNS Watson, was named in his honor.
Kiyoshi Muranaga, World War II
Muranaga, of Gardena, was a private in the Army’s 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit made up of Japanese American soldiers that fought in Europe. The unit is considered the most decorated in U.S. history, and many members were recommended for the Medal of Honor, but all but one saw their honors downgraded to Distinguished Service Crosses or Silver Stars. Only one soldier, Sadao Munemori, received the Medal of Honor during the war.
After a review by Congress in the 1990s, 22 Japanese Americans received the decoration on June 21, 2000, and Muranaga was one of those.From his medal citation: “Private First Class Muranaga, who served as a gunner, attempted to neutralize an enemy 88mm cannon that was firing on his company. Voluntarily remaining at his gun position alone, 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 cannon directly on Muranaga’s position. Before 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.”
Edward N. Kaneshiro, Vietnam
Kaneshiro, of Honolulu, was an Army staff sergeant honored for heroism under fire in the Kim Son Valley of Vietnam on Dec. 1, 1966. He and three other soldiers received the Medal of Honor on July 5, 2022. Kaneshiro’s son accepted the award from President Joe Biden.
Kaneshiro was born in 1929, the eighth of 16 children, and grew up working on his family’s farm. He enlisted in 1959, four months before Hawaii became a state. Kaneshiro and his wife had five children when he was deployed to Vietnam in 1966. Kaneshiro was leading an infantry squad when they were attacked by North Vietnamese fighters. Kaneshiro and his men moved toward the sounds of gunfire. The sergeant saw that if anyone was going to survive, the fire from a trench had to be stopped. He ordered his men to take cover, then crawled forward to attack the enemy alone, armed only with six grenades and his M-16 rifle. He managed to repel the attack, allowing the rest of his unit to pull back safely. Thanks to Kaneshiro’s bravery, the squad was able to get to safety and reorganize with other units, which saved lives and allowed a successful withdrawal. Kaneshiro was shot and killed about four months later on March 6, 1967, as he tried to help a wounded comrade during an ambush, according to an article in the Honolulu Advertiser. He was 38.
Congress waived the time limit that required Medals of Honor be presented within five years of the combat action. That legislation paved the way for something Kaneshiro’s children had been requesting since the 1990s — that their father’s Distinguished Service Cross be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Kaneshiro’s youngest son, John, a retired Army master sergeant, received his father’s Medal of Honor.
Dangerous work
The following words are from President Joe Biden’s Memorial Day proclamation in 2023:
“On Memorial Day, we honor America’s beloved daughters and sons who gave their last full measure of devotion to this nation. We can never fully repay the debt we owe these fallen heroes. But today, we vow to rededicate ourselves to the work for which they gave their lives, and we recommit to supporting the families, caregivers and survivors they left behind. …
“This is always a day where pain and pride are mixed together. To all those who are mourning the loss of a service member — including America’s Gold Star families — we see you and grieve with you. And we know that on this day especially, the pain of their absence can feel overwhelming. But for so many of you, that pain is wrapped around the knowledge that your loved one was part of something bigger than any of us, that they chose a life of mission and purpose, and that they dared all, risked all and gave all to preserve and defend an idea unlike any other in human history: the United States of America.”
U.S. active duty military deaths by year and manner
Source: Defense Casualty Analysis System
Sources: The White House, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Defense Casualty Analysis System, defense.gov, Department of Veterans Affairs
