Robert T. Kuroda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Toshio Kuroda
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| Born | November 8, 1922 Aiea, Territory of Hawaii (now State of Hawaii) |
| Died | October 20, 1944 (aged 21) near Bruyères, France |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1944 |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Unit | 442nd Regimental Combat Team |
| Battles/wars | World War II † |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
Robert Toshio Kuroda (November 8, 1922 – October 20, 1944) was a United States Army soldier. He was a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
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Early life
Robert Kuroda was born in Aiea, Hawaii, the son of immigrants from Japan. He was thus a Nisei, which means a second generation Japanese-American. Kuroda was trained as an electrician, but he enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 1943, at the age of 20.
Soldier
Kuroda joined the Army in March 1943.
Kuroda volunteered to join the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team. This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.
On October 20, 1944, Kuroda was serving as a staff sergeant in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. On that day, near Bruyères, France, he single-handedly attacked two enemy machine gun emplacements before being killed by a sniper. For these actions, he was posthumously awarded the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross. A 1990s review of service records for Asian Americans who received the Distinguished Service Cross during World War II led to Kuroda's award being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at the White House on June 21, 2000, his surviving family was presented with his Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton. Twenty-one other Asian Americans also received the medal during the ceremony, all but seven of them posthumously.
Kuroda, aged 21 at his death, was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In 2021, a French man walking in the forest with a metal detector near Bruyeres, France found Kuroda's high school class ring. After searching for months, the man returned the ring to Kuroda's relatives in 2022.
Other honors
The USAV SSGT Robert T. Kuroda (LSV-7) is named in his honor.
See also
