Gender

Male

Birth date

1920-11-07

Place of birth

Hilo HI, USA

Inducted

1943-03-25, Schofield Barracks HI

Enlistment type

Volunteer

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Combat

Units served

442nd Regimental Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, Company I

Military specialty

Messenger 745 Infantryman

Stationed

USA: Camp Shelby, MS Other Countries: Italy; France; Germany

Separated

Honolulu HI

Unit responsibility

Infantry

Personal responsibility

Communication

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

European Theater of Operation

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

Combat Infantryman Badge Good Conduct Medal Purple Heart Medal Bronze Star Medal Distinguished Unit Badge

Living conditions

Very poor living conditions - pup tent, mud, no bath. Food was K rations or C rations. For entertainment we visited the little towns.

Most vivid memory of military experience

While the Germans were shelling the area, I just climbed up a pear tree and picked pears. It was serious when I got wounded on my face - three places and a broken jaw.

Missed most whilst in the military

Freedom; my girl-friend.

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

Comradeship. The unity of the soldiers fighting together. To help each other and understand the other person.

Additional information

They called me ''Shorty''because I was only 4 ft 9-1/2 inches, shoe size is 2-1/2 EEE. My official height, in the Army records, is listed as 5 ft 8 inches. That's how I got into the Army. I was wounded in the face and head and was in a coma from 7/7 through 8/19/1944. My records were burned so I didn't know about the coma. My daughter found out about the coma on an internet search.