Two Heart Mountain GI's Show Outstanding Valor in Battle

With the 5th Army – Italy

Pfc. Tadao Harito of Heart Mountain, Wyoming, medical aid man with the 442nd Combat Team, administered aid to 12 wounded men in a mine-infested field under the impact of hand grenades, mortar and small arms fire.

In the vicinity of Severezza, Italy, Company A, to which Horita was attached, launched an attack against strongly-defended Mount Cerrata. The attack was one of the spearheads of the 5th Army’s final drive in Italy.

Guarded by their well prepared minefield, the enemy opened fire with mortars, small arms, and hand grenades. Two medical aid men and 10 soldiers were injured. This left Horita to care for the entire company. He immediately moved up from the support platoon, carefully weaving his way through the minefield to the second platoon position where the bitter firefight was in progress.

Disregarding the hostile fire nearby and exposing himself to enemy observation, Harito went from one wounded to another administering first aid to the injured. It was not until afternoon that he was reinforced by other aid-men. Up to that time he alone cared for all the wounded.

The father’s soldier, Kumitaro Horita, formerly lived at 14-20-CD, Heart Mountain and recently relocated to Midvale, Utah.

He has participated in all of the 442nd regiment’s campaigns from May, 1944, until the unconditional surrender of Germany, and has earned for himself 4 battle stars, for the offensive from Rome to Arno river, battle for Germany, North Appennine campaign, and the Po Valley drive. He wears the Good Conduct medal, Purple Heart and Medical Badge.

With the 5th Army – Italy

Expert observation and direction of mortar fire by Pfc. Thomas KInaga of San Jose, Calif., a member of the 442nd Japanese American combat team, knocked out 3 enemy machine gun positions during a critical stage in the 5th Army's push through Italy's northern Apennines

The action took place while the 442nd was acting as one of the spearheads in the western Po valley.

In the vicinity of Forte Monte Bastione, a rifle company ran into stiff enemy resistance during the attack on Tendola, a little Italian village. Kanaga, acting squad leader, was called upon to assist the officer-observer in directing desperately needed mortar fire.

He made his way to the forward elements of the rifle company and joined the officer. Although subjected to intense enemy machine gun, pistol, mortar and artillery fire, the two-men observation team in the course of 48 hours directed the fire of more than 100 rounds of high explosives. The effect of this accurate shelling knocked out three machine gun nests, inflicted heavy casualties and prevented enemy reinforcements from moving up.

Kinaga, a veteran of more than 200 combat days, is the son of Mrs. Hiroko KInaga, who resides at 665 N 5th St., San Jose, and formerly lived at 7-10-A, Heart Mountain, Wyo. He volunteered for the 442nd combat team from Heart Mountain relocation center where he had been interned at the outbreak of the war.