Japanese American Military Experience Database
William Nobuo Ikeda
Gender
Male
Birth date
1919-8-10
Place of birth
Glasgow MT, U.S.A.
Inducted
1941-9-24, Ft. McArthur CA
Enlistment type
Volunteer
Service branch
Army
Service type
War
Unit type
Combat
Units served
IRTC, 442nd RCT, 17th Airborne, 82nd Airborne, SHAEF
Military specialty
028 auto shop foreman, squad leader airborne operations, armored tank instructor
Stationed
Ft. McArthur, Robinson, Fannin, Shelby, Riley, Roberts, Benning, Kilmer, France, Germany, England
Separated
Berlin, Germany
Unit responsibility
Training, combat parachuting, spearheading, shock troop
Personal responsibility
I was a squad leader, rifleman and shop foreman
Major battles (if served in a war zone)
Invasion of Germany
Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)
CIB, Bronze Arrowhead, Parachute Badge
Living conditions
Garrison, field conditions we slept anywhere and bathed whenever we had the chance. We ate whatever was available. For entertainment we read.
Most vivid memory of military experience
Flying over WWII trenches and wondering what our resistance would be as we parachuted in.
Missed most whilst in the military
Pecan ice cream and Vienna cookies
Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?
It showed the average American public what the Niseis were made of.
Additional information
I was the luckiest person in the world to serve and be able to enjoy life after that. My heart and sympathy goes to the real heroes who didn't return.
