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Corporal Rudolph Eugene Miniutti, Sr.

A young man in a Marine Corps uniform looking at the camera.
  • Unit: 5th Marine Division, 5th Engineer Battalion, Company A
  • Date of Birth: September 24, 1924
  • Entered the Military: March 2, 1943
  • Date of Death: November 20, 2004
  • Hometown: Concord, New Hampshire
  • Place of Death: Clearwater, Florida
  • Award(s): Purple Heart
  • Cemetery: Section A10, Row D, Site 5. New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, Boscawen, New Hampshire
Contributed by Seventh Grade Social Studies Students: Maeve Hattan, Charlotte, Laurana O’Donohoe
Mentored by Mrs. Megan Philbrook
Andover Elementary/Middle School
2025/2026

Early Life

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti was born on September 21, 1924, in Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire. He grew up at 167 Rumford Street in Concord with his parents, Pasquale and Amabile, who migrated from Italy. He had two brothers and four sisters and attended Concord public schools. He graduated from Concord High School. 

Before the war, he was employed as a salesman at Cash Outlet. 

Rudolph’s family home at 167 Rumfort Street, 2025. It is a multi-family home, originally built in 1918. Zillow.
Rudolph Eugene Miniutti’s high school yearbook photograph, 1942. Courtesy of Concord High School Library. 
Rudolph “Rudy” Miniutti’s high school yearbook caption, 1942. Courtesy of Concord High School Library.

Homefront

Miniutti grew up in the state’s capital of Concord, New Hampshire. This location, then and now, is one of the largest cities in New Hampshire. The city did not shift to wartime manufacturing during World War II. They did experience a labor shortage, which created new opportunities for women to enter the workforce. One example is the ‘Lumber Jills’ of Turkey Pond, who entered the lumber industry to maintain pre-war timber production quotas.

Concord, New Hampshire, held scrap-metal drives, with one collection spot on the front lawn of Concord High School, where Miniutti attended. 

The Concord Rotary Club went door-to-door collecting keys that were no longer in use. The Rotary Club collected 1,500 discarded keys in 1942, weighing just 31 pounds, and shipped them to the military to make helmets for our men and women. Smaller children collected cloth.

Norma Webber walked on logs and bringing them to the sawmill in Concord, New Hampshire. Robert J. Giourard Collection, University of New Hampshire.
Students collect scrap metal in front of Concord High School during World War II. James W. Spain Collection, Concord Monitor, January 28, 2024.

Military Experience

Enlistment and Training

On March 2, 1943, Rudolph Eugene Miniutti enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in Manchester, New Hampshire, with no previous service. He attended Basic Training in April and May of 1943 at Parris Island, South Carolina. After basic training, he was detained (along with four other young men) at Parris Island for questioning regarding a conduct investigation. He then attended engineering training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, completing it on January 2, 1944. He graduated from the 31st Demolition Course. Miniutti was assigned to Company A, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division on March 2, 1943. 

In June 1944, he returned home on furlough before departing for service in the Pacific.

Sailing Off

Miniutti sailed on USS Baxter from San Diego, California, on July 21, 1944, to Hilo, Hawaii, and landed on July 29, 1944. On August 26, 1944, his family had to ask the Marine Corps chaplains to inform him that his mother had passed away following a sudden illness. 

He sailed on USS Deuss on January 4, 1945, from Hilo to Iwo Jima and landed on February 14, 1945, for active combat. 

His company fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. This was a significant battle of World War II. It ended with an American victory and a famous flag-raising on Mount Suribachi, a signal of American victory. 

He was wounded in action on March 6, 1945, and a letter notifying his father was sent home relaying that he would be brought to a hospital in the “Continental USA.” His wounds included gunshots to the right thigh. He experienced pain and discomfort while in the hospital at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. From Pearl Harbor, he took USS Joseph Dickman on June 25, 1945, to San Francisco and landed on July 1, 1945. Following recovery, he was transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on October 24, 1945, for reclassification.

Request from Miniutti’s family to inform him of his mother’s sudden death in August 1944. Portions are redacted for privacy reasons. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.
Notification to Natale Miniutti that his son had been shot on Iwo Jima, April 16, 1945. Portions are redacted for privacy reasons. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.
Rudolph Miniutti’s report of separation from the U.S. Marine Corps detailing his service, December 4, 1945. Portions are redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Veteran Experience

Rudolph Miniutti was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on December 4, 1945. At the hospital in Pearl Harbor, he was told he would receive a Purple Heart for the wounds he received on Iwo Jima. However, he never received a certificate, and it was not noted in his discharge paperwork. He later wrote multiple letters to the Veterans Administration, requesting that it be noted on his record. Finally, in 1991, his letters were answered, and his Purple Heart was issued.

After World War II, Miniutti returned to Concord, New Hampshire. The home he grew up in, his place of employment, and this early marital home are all within a half-mile radius of each other. 

Then, he began life as a family man and provider. Rudolph married Norma Drown on June 17, 1946. They were both 21. In 1948, Miniutti registered for the Korean War draft, but was not called to serve.

Rudolph and Norma were married for 68 years. They had two daughters, Donna and Debra, and one son, Rudolph Jr. They also had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

On many records, Miniutti listed himself as a bookkeeper. His wife was listed as a keyboard operator and later a housewife. He worked at Grappone Inc., a prominent automobile dealership with a history spanning generations.  

The marriage certificate of Rudolph Miniutti and Norma Drown, 1946. State of New Hampshire.
Rudolph Eugene Miniutti’s Korean War draft registration card, detailing his World War II military service, September 2, 1948. National Archives and Records Administration.
Rudolph Eugene Miniutti’s Korean War draft registration card, detailing his World War II military service, September 2, 1948. National Archives and Records Administration.
Rudolph and Norma Miniutti in the early years of their marriage. Bibber Memorial Chapel.
Rudolph and Norma Miniutti in the later years of their marriage. Bibber Memorial Chapel.
Rudolph Miniutti wrote a letter to the National Archives to request documentation of his Purple Heart, June 17, 1991. Portions are redacted for privacy reasons. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.
Rudolph Miniutti’s Purple Heart was issued on August 23, 1991. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Commemoration

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti passed away at age 90 while living in Clearwater, Florida, on Thursday, November 20, 2014. Norma, his wife of 68 years, was by his side. She died on April 22, 2021, in Kennebunk, Maine. They are inurned together at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, New Hampshire. 

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Concord High School Yearbook. Concord Public Schools, 1942.

“Educators Launch Scrap Metal Drive.” The Portsmouth Herald [Portsmouth, New Hampshire], September 11, 1942. Newspapers.com (57805761).

Miniutti Family Records. 2021. Courtesy of [email protected]. 

New Hampshire. Merrimack County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

New Hampshire. Merrimack County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital Images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

New Hampshire Population Chart. Government Document. 1940. U.S. Census Bureau. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-2/33973538v2p4ch7.pdf.

“Norma D. Miniutti.” Bibber Memorial Chapel. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.bibberfuneral.com/memorials/norma-miniutti/4602000/. 

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti. Korean War Draft Cards, 1948-1959. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com.

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti. New Hampshire, U.S., Certificate of Intention for Marriage, 1945. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com.

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti, Official Military Personnel File, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti, Report of Separation, Department of the Navy, National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Rudolph Eugene Miniutti. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Digital Images. http://ancestryclassroom.com.

Secondary Sources

“167 Rumford St, Concord, NH 03301.” Zillow. Accessed October 18, 2025. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/167-Rumford-St-Concord-NH-03301/92887728_zpid/?utm_campaign=zillowwebmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare. 

“About Us.” Grappone Automotive Group. Updated 2025. Accessed January 16, 2025. https://www.grappone.com/about-us/.

Garvin, Donna-Belle, Editor. “Tuck’s Gift.” Historical New Hampshire 65, no. 2 (2011). https://nhpbs.org/tuck/pdf/MNNH_all.pdf.

Harris, Jackie, and Rick Ganley. “Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: Who Was the Person Behind the NH Historical Marker Controversy?” New Hampshire Public Radio, May 22, 2023. https://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2023-05-18/elizabeth-gurley-fly.

“History: ‘Lumber Jills’ of Turkey Pond.” Around Concord. Updated October 17, 2023. Accessed November 8, 2025. https://www.aroundconcord.com/2023/10/17/history-lumber-jills-of-turkey-pond/Nn-who-was-the-person-behind-the-nh-historical-marker-controversy.

 “History of Concord, NH.” City of Concord, New Hampshire. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.concordnh.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14073/History-of-Concord.

Jacobson, Valerie. “World War II Propaganda and the ‘Ideal Citizen.’” Proceedings of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). April 16-18, 2015. Accessed November 14, 2025. https://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1561-Jacobson-Ginger-.pdf.

“New Book Chronicles N.H.’s Women’s Sawmill of WWII.”  UNH Today. Updated March 22, 2011. Accessed November 11, 2025. https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/news/release/2011/03/22/new-book-chronicles-nhs-womens-sawmill-wwii.

“Rudolph E. Miniutti, Sr.” Concord Monitor [Concord, New Hampshire], December 4, 2014. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/concordmonitor/name/rudolph-miniutti-obituary?id=18602451.

“Rudolph E. Miniutti.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, National Cemetery Administration. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/RUDOLPHEMINIUTTI/9ce0de. 

“Rudolph Eugene Miniutti.” Bob Rugo. Updated June 3, 2015. Accessed October 18, 2025. https://www.bobrugo.us/GenealogyFiles/RugoPublic/PS07/PS07_467.HTM.

“Rudolph Eugene Miniutti, Sr.” Find a Grave. Updated April 26, 2021. Accessed March 6, 2026. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/226081888/rudolph-eugene-miniutti. 

Spain, James W. “Vintage Views: The War Effort in Concord.” Concord Monitor [Concord, New Hampshire], January 28, 2024. https://www.concordmonitor.com/2024/01/28/vintage-views-the-war-effort-in-concord-53800368/.

Springate, Megan E. “Victory Gardens on the World War II Home Front.” U.S. National Park Service. Accessed November 9, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/victory-gardens-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm.

“Trainees for ARD Fisheries Extension (493-77-10-18).” In United States Peace Corps/Thailand Training: Thailand 60 Biographies. 1977. Accessed March 5, 2026. https://rpcvthailand.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Grp060-Bio.pdf.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.