Robert Kuroda graduated from Honolulu Vocational School as an electrician but was denied a job at Pearl Harbor because the Navy wasn't hiring people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.

He enlisted in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and like so many others, proved his allegiance on the battlefield — and paid the ultimate price doing so.

Kuroda was killed on Oct. 20, 1944, during the battle to liberate Bruyeres, France. The 21-year-old volunteered for an attempt to rescue other troops who had been ambushed and was fatally wounded.

He later received the Medal of Honor.

That legacy has returned to Pearl Harbor in the form of the logistics support vessel Staff Sergeant Robert T. Kuroda, which arrived last Tuesday.

The Army Reserve's newest LSV is 314 feet long, displaces 6,000 tons and will be used to transport cargo and tactical vehicles to Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island and throughout the Pacific.

Kuroda family members were on the wharf for the arrival.

Donald Kuroda, also a veteran of the 442nd and a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest honor for heroism in combat, welcomed the vessel bearing his brother's name.

His first thought when seeing the Kuroda sail into Pearl Harbor was, "Robert is finally home."

A formal commissioning ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.