Japanese American Military Experience Database
Roy Fujio Sugimoto
Gender
Male
Birth date
1922-7-22
Place of birth
Marysville CA, U.S.A.
Inducted
1945-1-1, Cincinnati OH
Enlistment type
Draftee
Service branch
Army
Service type
War,peacetime
Unit type
Support
Units served
MISLS (Graduated Snelling, Dec. 1945)
General MacArthurs's headquarters
General MacArthurs's headquarters
Military specialty
Military Intelligence
Japanese Interpreter and Translator
Japanese Interpreter and Translator
Stationed
USA: Camp Blanding, FL (infantry training);Fort Snelling, MN (language school)
Other Countries: Tokyo, Japan
Unit responsibility
Military Intelligence
Personal responsibility
Served as interpreter and translator of the Japanese language.
Living conditions
Training in Florida: Too much macaroni and cheese. Metal cots to sleep on. Showers for bathing. For entertainment, played craps, went to movies and sightseeing.
Roy Sugimoto has dementia, but was able to answer this question.
Additional information
Mrs. Roy (Sue) Sugimoto responded to the military questionnaire and also offered these personal observations.
Because of emotional conflict, Roy did not seek work for 6 months post military service. This caused much pain and anguish within his family.
It cropped up again after his 1997 stroke. The therapist diagnosed his depressed state as ''grief'' (no medication). He saw the therapist for close to a year.
The conflict was caused by his feeling of loyalty to his country and yet, he was stripped of his freedom and citizenship and submitted to the internment camp.
He had stated in one of the JACL meetings, ''No matter what the country does to me, I will serve.''
Spouse, Sue Sugimoto, P.O.A.
