Gender

Male

Birth date

1944-1-2

Place of birth

Overton NV, U.S.A.

Inducted

1966-10-16, Los Angeles CA

Enlistment type

Volunteer

Service branch

Usmc

Service type

War

Unit type

Combat

Units served

First Marine Division

Military specialty

Hawk Missile Battalion

Stationed

Quantico, VA; Yuma, AZ; DaNang, South Vietnam

Separated

El Toro CA

Unit responsibility

To protect air space around DaNang Air Base. To combine my unit with the Vietnamese Popular Forces soldiers into integrated platoons under the 'Combined Action Program', live in a specified outlying village amongst the Vietnamese inhabitants and destroy the Viet Cong infrastructure in the village, provide public security and 'win the hearts and minds of the locals' for the U.S. military.

Personal responsibility

I was Platoon Commander of Civic Action Team located in Vietnamese Village. I was placed in charge of carrying out the duties of my post in the Combined Action Program, to lead my men in combat against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars and to protect my village from infiltration by enemy units and provide military intelligence for the Marine Corps command in Da Nang, South Vietnam.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Attack on Monkey Mountain near DaNang.

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

Naval Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service in Vietnam. We secured village outside of DaNang and established reconnaissance unit for lst Marine Division.

Living conditions

We slept in village with my Civic Action Team. We bathed by using makeshift showers. Our meals were U.S. Government C-Rations. For entertainment we listened to FED American Radio Station and visited local beach when it was safe.

Most vivid memory of military experience

Being caught in an ambush in a village with sniper- fire. We were lightly armed with only a single rifle and three pistols. I sent my sergeant with the rifle to cover the right flank and had him make as much noise and commotion as possible to give the enemy the impression that we had considerable manpower. Two corporals who had pistols and I covered the left flank. We were up against machine gun fire but fortunately our shots were accurate, hitting some of the enemy which scared the remaining members of their unit away.

Missed most whilst in the military

I missed the comaraderie of my fellow men.

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

The realization that people throughout the world whether friend or foe of whatever ethnic origin, religious persuasion, political leaning or economic strata all seek the same self motivating qualities of mutual respect and self dignity.

Additional information

I am proud to be an American of Japanese ancestry. I am also proud to have had the privilege to serve my country as a U.S. Marine. As Japanese Americans, we must never forget that throughout our great history we have always persevered with dedication, hard work, study and sacrifice (sometimes with their very lives as in the case of the 100th Battalion, 442nd RCT, MIS in World War II and the KIA's in Korea, Vietnam and other military conflicts) in all of our endeavors to win the revered prize of honor and respect of the American people. These are the very values that we must continue to strive to instill in our Japanese American Community. As a highly regarded ethnic minority, our energies are much better- applied reasserting these values than being spent feeling sorry for ourselves, lashing out in vituperative anger at the so called white 'racist' of the ignorant bigots in our society. All societies have been cursed by these pitiful individuals and will probably continue to be cursed by them. Our cause in this world is too noble to waste our efforts and time trying to forcibly extract respect from these despicable souls. Of course, we all want (and need) respect. We must realize however, that you cannot legislate or force respect. It must be earned. Let us all strive to do that. We must not be 'ashamed' of the appellation the 'Model Minority' that the American commuity has given us (because) it does not signify that we are meek, passive and timid, but instead that we are respected and respectful, intelligent and instructive, diligent and supportive, appreciative and appreciated, successful and humble and always prepared to assume responsibility for our acts, deeds and thoughts and to be reponsive and assert our rights when they are infringed upon but also have the personal integrity to face up to our failures and yo take full responsibility for them. We must always remember that success in life is determined 10% by what happens to us and 90% by how we react to it. This is the 'secret' to success that we must teach our loved ones and brethren. Of course, I realize there have been (and are) still incidents of racial discrimination directed toward Japanese Americans. In spite of this however, Japanese Americans have succeeded magnificently. Today, they are respected in almost all sectors of our society. So let us not derail and dilute our successes by charging unfounded and irresolute grievances of 'institutionalized' racism against us (in the military) when our efforts can be more constructively used proving that we are equal to or prepared to become equal to any task at hand. This is a core value of the U.S. Marine Corps and I wholeheartedly believe this is where our emphasis as an ethnic community should be. I truly believe all of American society would greatly benefit by embracing the culture of its own Marine Corps. I am proud to have had the privilege to serve in the Corps and am equally proud of all of the Japanese Americans who gave of themselves to serve in the U.S. military. Semper Fidelis!