Rudolph Eugene Miniutti, Sr. was born on September 24, 1924, in Concord, New Hampshire, to Pasquale and Amabile Miniutti. Raised on Rumford Street, he was a 1942 graduate of Concord High School and worked locally as a salesman prior to his military service.

On March 2, 1943, at the age of 18, Miniutti enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in Manchester. Following basic training at Parris Island, he underwent specialized engineering and demolition instruction at Camp Lejeune, successfully completing the 31st Demolition Course.

Miniutti was assigned to Company A, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division. He deployed to the Pacific Theater, where he participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima. During the heavy fighting on March 6, 1945, he sustained gunshot wounds to his right thigh. He was evacuated and hospitalized at Pearl Harbor before being transferred back to the United States for further recovery.

He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on December 4, 1945. Following his return to civilian life in Concord, he spent his career as a bookkeeper for the Grappone Automotive Group. Though his injuries occurred in 1945, his Purple Heart was not officially recorded until 1991, following a successful petition to correct his military records.

Miniutti passed away on November 20, 2014, in Clearwater, Florida. He is interred alongside his wife, Norma, at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery.