Gender

Male

Birth date

1916-11-22

Place of birth

Yolo County CA, USA

Inducted

1941-04-08, Sacramento CA

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Support

Units served

MISLS (Graduated Presidio Nov. 1941) 7th Infantry Division Attu, Alaskan Command

Military specialty

Military Intelligence

Stationed

USA: Presidio of San Francisco, CA; Attu, Alaska; Fort Ord, CA Other Countries: Australia; Lae and Port Moresby, New Guinea; Philippines

Unit responsibility

Military intelligence.

Personal responsibility

Translator. Interpreter.

Additional information

Residence: Silver Springs, MD. When he was 6 years old, his parents took him to Japan, and left him in the care of his uncle for Japanese education. He returned to the US in 1932, at age 16, in the middle of the depression and worked as a farm laborer. In 1940 he registered for the draft, passed the physical examination and was sworn in on 4-8-41. During basic training at Fort Ord, CA.he along with other Nisei soldiers were ordered to report of the Military Intelligence school at the Presidio of San Francisco to study the Japanese military system and terminology. All 50 Nisei soldiers attended school on 9/1/41. These 50 Nisei soldiers were the only ones in the American military who could read. write and speak Japanese so were needed everywhere. Sam was sent to Alaska where he had significant involvement with the US military's retaking of Attu and Kiska Islands. After the Aleutian campaign, he was sent to Australia and was assigned to the Allied Translator Interpreter Section (ATIS). From there he was sent to New Guinea, once to Lae and once to Port Moresby, each time with the Australian Division. While in Australia, he was promoted to sergeant. He was then sent to the Philippines as part of the liberation forces, where he was promoted to a battlefield commission of 2nd Lt. He worked with the CIA for 28 years from 1947-1975, including 11 years in Japan.