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 Sergeant Charles Kiyoshi Harada (ASN: 30104939), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company G, 2d Battalion, 442d Regimental Combat Team, in action against the enemy near Castellina, Italy on 12 July 1944. When the telephone wire from the observation post to his mortars was cut by heavy enemy barrages, Sergeant Harada went out in the midst of the heavy shelling in order to repair the wire. So severe were the barrages that it was impossible to keep the wire in repair to be of any use. In the meantime a strong enemy force had assembled in a draw free from covering machine gun fire, and made preparations for an attack. Sergeant Harada ordered his men to fire in the general direction of the enemy, and then ran about 300 yards up the slope of the hill through the rain of enemy shells to observe the fire of his mortars. He repeated this strenuous procedure three times under constant enemy concentrations of mortar and 88mm fire. Though this was his only means of directing the fire of his mortars, the fire was so accurate that the enemy assembled in the draw was completely dispersed and forced to withdraw. That evening, Sergeant Harada was assigned to lead a group of men through a mine field to the listening post in front of the lines. Gathering what little strength was left in him since the nerve-wracking ordeal earlier in the day, he set out with his men. As he approached the mine field, he cautioned his men to keep at a good distance behind him, and though physically spent, he plodded on well ahead of his men until he tripped an enemy mine and was fatally wounded. The courage, initiative and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Harada reflect great credit upon himself and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.