Gender

Male

Birth date

1926-8-18

Place of birth

San Francisco CA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1945-2-9, Philadelphia PA

Enlistment type

Draftee

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Support

Units served

Allied Translator Interpreter Service (ATIS) GHQ, Document Section

Military specialty

Translator/Interpreter, Japanese language

Stationed

USA - Camp Gorden, Augusta, GA, Fort Snelling, MN; Tokyo, Japan

Separated

Camp Beale CA

Unit responsibility

Examine, inspect and analyze all documents found in various Japanese ministries, such as Army, Naval and Education Ministries. Isolated pertinent documents for micro filming for archive collection in Washington, D.C., USA

Personal responsibility

Examine documents, prepared shipments to USA.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

None

Living conditions

We were billeted in an office building in Tokyo, formerly the Nippon Yusen Kaisha Bldg. Slept on army cots and meals were eaten in a large meeting hall. Since many of us were Nisei, part of our rations were exchanged for Japanese type food, like rice, takuan, nori, etc. Entertainment was at USO and through travel to remote areas - where there were no GI Occupation troops.

Most vivid memory of military experience

Most awkward hard to handle situation was to attend my uncle's memorial service. He was a Japanese Army soldier who died in battle on Saipan and I was dressed in U.S.Army uniform. Relatives knew my circumstance so there was no hard feelings.

Missed most whilst in the military

Family, friends and home cooked food (Japanese)

Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?

I was fortunate to be assigned to Japan and had the opportunity to look up family relatives. My parents were greatly relieved to get all the news when no news was available during the war years.