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| Sgt. Ronald Kiyabu earned the Bronze Star serving with the 100th Infantry Battalion in Italy. https://www.nvlchawaii.org/resources/100th-infantry-battalion |
Ronald Shigeo Kiyabu never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
Ronald was born on September 18, 1919 in Olaa, Hawaii. His parents Nio and Uto were both born in Japan, and emigrated to Hawaii in 1906 and 1904, respectively. He had one older sister, three younger brothers, and two younger sisters. He graduated from McKinley High School in Honolulu and Honolulu Business College.
Ronald served in Company A of the 100th Infantry Battalion, which was made up of Japanese Americans who had been drafted before the war and assigned to the 298th and 299th Hawaii National Guard units. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the Japanese American soldiers were placed in virtual isolation away from weapons and under armed guards, because the authorities questioned their loyalty. Because of this distrust, on 5 June 1942 over one thousand Japanese American draftees were shipped without publicity to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where they were scrutinized for their loyalty while they trained for combat.
In August 1943, after over a year of training, the 100th Battalion departed the US for Oran, North Africa where it was attached to the 34th Infantry Division. The 34th ID left North Africa and landed in Salerno, Italy in September 1943. After crossing the Volturno River on 18 October 1943, the 34th ID was tasked to liberate the Italian town of Sant Angelo d’Alife, which was about 60 kilometers north of Naples. The soldiers were warned they would meet stiff resistance from the 29th Panzer Grenadier Division, made up of crack German troops, that were entrenched on the high ground and guarded by heavily fortified mine fields.
The 100th was designated as the lead unit for this difficult assignment. After five days of intense combat, including house to house searches to flush out the enemy, San Angelo d’Alife and the neighboring towns were secured. Sgt. Kiyabu was killed in action on 24 October 1943, one of twenty-one 100th Battalion soldiers killed in the fiercely fought battle. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Ronald Shigeo Kiyabu was initially buried in the Naples Allied Cemetery in Naples, Italy. He was later reinterred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled combat medic Alfred Wilson of the 26th Infantry Division. You can read about Alfred here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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