Ben Kuroki Autographs
Ben Kuroki (Japanese: 黒木 勉, May 16, 1917 – September 1, 2015) was the only American of Japanese descent in the United States Army Air Forces to serve in combat operations in the Pacific theater of World War II. He flew a total of 58 combat missions over Europe, North Africa, and Japan during World War II.
Ben Kuroki was born in Gothenburg, Nebraska to Japanese immigrants, Shosuke and Naka (née Yokoyama) Kuroki on May 16, 1917; they had 10 children. When Ben was a year old the Kuroki family relocated to Hershey, Nebraska, where they owned and operated a farm. The Lincoln County town had a population of about 500. He attended Hershey High School and was the Vice-President of his senior class, graduating in 1936.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, Ben's father encouraged him and his brother Fred to enlist in the U.S. Military. The brothers were initially rejected by the recruiters in Grand Island, so they tried again at North Platte, where their enlistment was processed without any questions — perhaps, as a humorous story suggests, the recruiters thought that Kuroki was a Polish name. In retelling the enlistment story, Ben Kuroki said the recruiter in North Platte told him that nationality was not a problem as he made $2 for every recruit. Later, two other brothers, Bill and Henry Kuroki also served in the military during the war.
Read more about Ben Kuroki on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Ben Kuroki
The most expensive item with a signature of Ben Kuroki (Ted's Travelling Circus Carroll Stewart Signed - WWII Bomber Ben Kuroki Advocate) was sold in September 2020 for $250.00 while the cheapest item (BEN KUROKI Authentic Hand Signed Autograph 4x6 Photo - AERIAL GUNNER WWII) found a new owner for $0.75 in May 2022. The month with the most items sold (8) was November 2014 with an average selling price of $14.99 for an autographed item of Ben Kuroki. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in September 2020 with $250.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.75 was December 2021. In average, an autographed item from Ben Kuroki is worth $8.27.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Ben Kuroki were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | BEN KUROKI Authentic Hand Signed Autograph 4x6 Photo - AERIAL GUNNER WWII | $0.75 |  |
| BEN KUROKI Authentic Hand Signed Autograph 4x6 Photo - AERIAL GUNNER WWII | $5.12 | |
| Ben Kuroki Signed 3x5 Index Card Signature Autographed WWII Japanese | $45.00 | |
| Ben Kuroki Signed Autographed 4x6 Photo WWII B-24 Gunner Ploesti Raids Japanese | $102.99 | |
| Ben Kuroki Signed Autographed Index Card WWII B-24 Gunner Ploesti Raids Japanese | $42.99 | |
 | BEN KUROKI USAF Signed Autographed Index Card American Nisei WWII Flying Cross | $4.99 | |
 | BEN KUROKI USAF Signed Autographed Index Card American Nisei WWII Flying Cross | $6.99 | |
| BEN KUROKI WW2 B24 GUNNER 484TH SQ 505 BG DFC AIR MEDAL AUTOGRAPH 3X5 INDEX CARD | $9.00 | |
| Ben Kuroki WW2 Hero Autographed 8x10 Picture Autograph Ploesti Raid | $44.95 | |
| Ben Kuroki WW2 Hero Autographed 8x10 Picture Autograph Ploesti Raid | $44.95 | |
| Boy From Nebraska : The Story of Ben Kuroki by Ralph G. Martin • KUROKI SIGNED | $185.00 | |
 | BOY FROM NEBRASKA BY RALPH MARTIN 1946 FIRST EDITION SIGNED BY BEN KUROKI WWII | $148.26 | |
| Ralph G Martin / Boy from Nebraska The Story of Ben Kuroki Signed 1st ed 1946 | $81.50 | |
| WW2 BEN KUROKI B-24 LIBERATOR BOMBER AUTOGRAPH 3X5 INDEX CARD | $4.90 | |
| WW2 RELATED BEN KUROKI JAPANESE AMERICAN B-24 LIBERATO AUTOGRAPH 3X5 INDEX CARD | $2.00 | |
