Rodney Noriyuki Hamaguchi was born on November 16, 1927. He was the son of Matsuhei Hamaguchi and Tome Hamaguchi. He served in the 52nd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, as a Private First Class and Ammunition Supply Specialist during the Korean War.

PFC Hamaguchi was Killed in Action on July 5, 1950, during the Battle of Osan in South Korea. He is now buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA.

Silver Star Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Rodney Nariyuki Hamaguchi (ASN: RA-29051723), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Service Battery, 52d Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, near Osan, Korea, on 5 July 1950. He was serving with an infantry unit when the element was savagely attacked by a numerically superior force. So intense and surprising was the assault that a large group of the friendly troops was soon surrounded and all possible avenues of escape were cut off by enemy road blocks. Although he was in a relatively safe position outside the encirclement, Private Hamaguchi volunteered to go forward with a machine gun crew to break up the road blocks. Although outnumbered twenty-to-one, he engaged the hostile soldiers in a fierce fire fight, exposing himself repeatedly as he fought and succeeded in dispersing the enemy and opening a safe route of withdrawal for his comrades. When last seen, he was firing his machine gun at harassing enemy snipers. Private Hamaguchi’s gallant actions, indomitable fighting spirit and selfless devotion to duty reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Army Artillery.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.koreanwar.org, valor.militarytimes.com