Edward Moskala

Their Story

Private First Class Edward J. Moskala was born November 6, 1921, in Chicago’s south side.¹ Moskala enlisted into the Army during World War II and served in the Pacific Theater fighting against Imperial Japan in Company C, 383d Infantry Division, 96th Infantry Division.² During the war, Moskala’s unit was sent to the Kakazu Ridge, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.³ Okinawa is a cluster of 150 small islands 400 miles south of mainland Japan. While small, Okinawa was described as “tetsu no ame,” or typhoon of steel.⁴

Moskala was one of over 60,000 American troops of the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Army that fought in the battle of Okinawa.⁵ The battle for Okinawa began on April 1, 1945, and did not end until June 22, 1945, a total of 82 days, although Moskala would not see the end of the battle.

On the 9th of April, 8 days after American troops landed on the islands, Moskala was in a leading group that came under attack by Japanese forces. Moskala’s group was pinned down by machine-gun and cannon fire. Moskala, thinking about his fellow service members, ran 40 yards at two Japanese machine-gun nests. Moskala single-handedly cleared them with well-aimed grenades and accuracy from his personal rifle.

Strong counterattacks from other Japanese positions forced his company to retreat. Moskala, along with seven other soldiers, volunteered to provide cover for the three-hour long retreat. During the retreat, Moskala killed more than 25 Japanese soldiers before retreating himself. During his personal retreat, Moskala saw wounded American soldiers that he chose to protect so they could be rescued. While protecting the wounded he killed four enemy infiltrators and ultimately was killed himself.⁶

His bravery, sense of duty to others, and heroic actions with 22 other American service members would earn them the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award a U.S. service member can receive. Moskala would eventually be buried at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal, on July 29, 1949.⁷ It would take 29 years for his grave marker to finally cite his Medal of Honor because, “cemetery officials did not know Moskala was an award winner when he was buried there.”⁸

Moskala’s story does not end with his death. After dying on April 9, 1945, Moskala would be recognized for his actions and his award. In 1959, the Bryn Mawr United States Army Reserve Center was renamed to the Edward J. Moskala United States Army Reserve Center in Chicago.⁹

Moskala, along with Peter Witek, who also was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was honored at the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on August 16, 2015, at the Rock Island Arsenal. “Both had spirit deep within them, to act with exceptional Courage,” Colonel Lance Koenig, Chief of Staff for the Army Sustainment Command, said.¹⁰

Edward Moskala is buried in E-293 at the Department of Veteran Affairs Cemetery at the U.S. Army Rock Island Arsenal.