Kawamura joined the Army from Oahu in 1968. By March 20, 1969, was serving as a Corporal in the 173rd Engineer Company, 173rd Airborne Brigade. On that day, at Camp Radcliff, Republic of Vietnam, Kawamura smothered an enemy-thrown explosive with his body, sacrificing his life to protect those around him.
k æ w ʌ m j ʊ ɹ ɹ ə WORD_BOUNDARY d̠ʒ ɔɪ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ð ɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ɑ ɹ m i WORD_BOUNDARY f ɹ ʌ m WORD_BOUNDARY oʊ ɑ h uː WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n t iː n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ k s t i WORD_BOUNDARY eɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY b aɪ WORD_BOUNDARY m ɑ ɹ t̠ʃ WORD_BOUNDARY t w ɛ n t i WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n t iː n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ k s t i WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ z WORD_BOUNDARY s ɜː v ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY æ z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY k ɔ ɹ p ɹ ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ v ə n t i WORD_BOUNDARY θ ɜː d WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ n d̠ʒ ɪ n ɪ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY k ʌ m p ə n i WORD_BOUNDARY w ʌ n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ v ə n t i WORD_BOUNDARY θ ɜː d WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ ɹ b ɔ ɹ n WORD_BOUNDARY b ɹ ɪ ɡ eɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ n WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t WORD_BOUNDARY d eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY k æ m p WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ æ d k l ɪ f WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ ɪ p ʌ b l ɪ k WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY v iː ə t n ɑ m WORD_BOUNDARY k æ w ʌ m j ʊ ɹ ɹ ə WORD_BOUNDARY s m ʌ ð ə ɹ d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ n WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ n ə m i θ ɹ oʊ n WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ k s p l oʊ s ɪ v WORD_BOUNDARY w ɪ ð WORD_BOUNDARY h ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY b ɑ d i WORD_BOUNDARY s æ k ɹ ɪ f aɪ s ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY h ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY l aɪ f WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY p ɹ ə t ɛ k t WORD_BOUNDARY ð oʊ z WORD_BOUNDARY ə ɹ ɹ aʊ n d WORD_BOUNDARY h ɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY