Sergeant Joseph E. Muller, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for gallantry between May 15 and 16, 1945 near Ishimmi, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands during World War II. At the time he was serving with Company B, 305th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Muller was 36 years old.
Muller was killed in the action for which his medal was awarded.
Muller was born on June 23, 1908 in Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts. His Medal of Honor is credited to New York, New York. He is buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Muller is one of 474 Medal of Honor recipients from World War II and one of 678 credited to New York.
Official Medal of Honor citation
He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. When his platoon was stopped by deadly fire from a strongly defended ridge, he directed men to points where they could cover his attack. Then through the vicious machine-gun and automatic fire, crawling forward alone, he suddenly jumped up, hurled his grenades, charged the enemy, and drove them into the open where his squad shot them down. Seeing enemy survivors about to man a machine gun, he fired his rifle at point-blank range, hurled himself upon them, and killed the remaining four. Before dawn the next day, the enemy counterattacked fiercely to retake the position. Sgt. Muller crawled forward through the flying bullets and explosives, then leaping to his feet, hurling grenades, and firing his rifle, he charged the Japs and routed them. As he moved into his foxhole shared with two other men, a lone enemy, who had been feigning death, threw a grenade. Quickly seeing the danger to his companions, Sgt. Muller threw himself over it and smothered the blast with his body. Heroically sacrificing his life to save his comrades, he upheld the highest traditions of the military service.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Wounds and death in action
- Killed in action during the act for which the medal was awarded (May 16, 1945).
- Age at death: 36
- Resting place: National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War II.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in New York →
Timeline
- June 23, 1908Born in Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts
- May 15 - 16, 1945Act of valor — near Ishimmi, Okinawa, Ryukyu IslandsAge 36. Company B, 305th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division Killed in action.
- Resting placeNational Memorial Cemetery of the PacificHonolulu, Hawaii
Biography
Joseph E. Muller (June 23, 1908 – May 16, 1945) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II during the Battle of Okinawa. Muller joined the Army from New York City in March 1942 and by May 15, 1945, was serving as a Sergeant in Company B, 305th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. On that day, during a battle for a ridge near Ishimmi on Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands, he exposed himself to enemy fire and charged the Japanese positions alone. The next morning, when Japanese soldiers made an attempt to re-take the ridge, Muller again charged and routed them.
From the Wikipedia article “Joseph E. Muller”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
Named in his honor
- USNS Sgt. Joseph E. Muller — ship
