Edward J. Moskala

Returning through enemy fire to rescue comrades on the ridge

Edward J. Moskala was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 6 November 1921. He served as a private first class in Company C, 383rd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division during World War II.

On 9 April 1945, enemy grenades, machine guns and mortars stopped his unit's advance on Kakazu Ridge, Okinawa. Moskala charged forty yards through the fire and destroyed two machine-gun positions with grenades and his automatic rifle.

When counterattacks forced a withdrawal, he remained with eight other soldiers to cover it. After three hours of fighting, the survivors withdrew through smoke to a gorge. Learning that a wounded man remained behind, Moskala climbed back up the exposed slope to help rescue him.

He then volunteered to protect other wounded soldiers while the main force moved to safer ground. After saving another casualty, he was mortally wounded while helping a further injured soldier. His actions earned the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Moskala died that day at Kakazu Ridge and is buried in Rock Island National Cemetery, Illinois. The award was announced in War Department General Orders No. 21 of 26 February 1946. His remains were interred at Rock Island on 29 July 1949.

Medal of Honor citation

He was the leading element when grenade explosions and concentrated machine-gun and mortar fire halted the unit's attack on Kakazu Ridge, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. With utter disregard for his personal safety, he charged 40 yards through withering, grazing fire and wiped out two machine-gun nests with well-aimed grenades and deadly accurate fire from his automatic rifle. When strong counterattacks and fierce enemy resistance from other positions forced his company to withdraw, he voluntarily remained behind with eight others to cover the maneuver. Fighting from a critically dangerous position for three hours, he killed more than 25 Japanese before following his surviving companions through screening smoke down the face of the ridge to a gorge where it was discovered that one of the group had been left behind, wounded. Unhesitatingly, Pvt. Moskala climbed the bullet-swept slope to assist in the rescue, and, returning to lower ground, volunteered to protect other wounded while the bulk of the troops quickly took up more favorable positions. He had saved another casualty and killed four enemy infiltrators when he was struck and mortally wounded himself while aiding still another disabled soldier. With gallant initiative, unfaltering courage, and heroic determination to destroy the enemy, Pvt. Moskala gave his life in his complete devotion to his company's mission and his comrades' well-being. His intrepid conduct provided a lasting inspiration for those with whom he served.