Pvt Leo Kirk was a part of the Ryukyus Campaign in the Battle for Okinawa. The campaign was part of the Allied Japan effort intended to provide staging areas for an invasion of Japan as well as supporting aerial bombardment and naval blockade of the Japanese mainland.

The Battle for Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyus Islands and lies 350 miles from mainland Japan. It held strategic value for both the Americans and the Japanese.

Total American casualties at Okinawa during 3 months of fighting there would be nearly double those suffered at Iwo Jima. On the land campaign, 48,193 military personnel were killed, wounded or missing in the effort to secure the island.

Leo Kirk was part of the vicious fighting, enduring heavy rains and rugged terrain that impeded easy movement amidst the natural defense positions that covered the island.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. storiesbehindthestars.org

It is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen. Can you help write these stories? Each will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery. If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at cathyjo.call@gmail.com

Kirk, Leo, Pvt