Gender

Male

Birth date

1920-5-2

Place of birth

Taurusa CA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1941-12-2, Sacramento CA

Enlistment type

Draftee

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Combat

Units served

100th Infantry Battalion; 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Company A

Military specialty

Combat Infantry Rifleman

Stationed

U.S.A.: California; Arkansas; Alabama
Other Countries: Italy; France

Separated

Camp Beale CA

Unit responsibility

To push the Axis enemy to surrender or destroy them.

Personal responsibility

I acted as a scout, Browning Automatic Rifleman and squad leader.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Rhineland Campaign
Vosges Campaign
Po Valley Campaign

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

Presidential Unit Citation
Combat Infantryman Badge
Purple Heart

Living conditions

While in combat we would sleep in fox hole. They measured about 4' - 0' x 6' - 0' and were 24 to 30-inches deep. We dug new fox hole every night since we were always on the move. We cut trees and covered half of the hole to get some measure of protection from enemy artillery shelling. If we got a direct hit in the fox hole, the war would be over for us. We slept two in a hole and took turn guarding. There's always a chance the Germans would counter-attack to regain their former position.

Most vivid memory of military experience

One night we were sent on a combat patrol. Combat patrol means to go look for prisoners, capture and bring them back for interrogation. Combat patrols are very scary too. There is always a chance of patrollers being killed or wounded. Our patrol consisted of one officer and two rifle squad. One squad would raid the house while the second squad covered our withdrawal if we ran into trouble. After several hour of raiding the house and finding no prisoners, we then regrouped and joined the company in the mountain.

Missed most whilst in the military

I missed the family life and Japanese food.

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

When the Nisei of the 100th Infantry Battalion landed in Oran, there were questions expressed as to their fighting quality. This all changed when the 100th Battalion was commited to action. The rest is history. Every division in the Fifth Army insisted that the 100th and 442nd be assigned to them. The Nisei of the 100th and 442nd were considered by many Generals as the best assault troop in the U.S. Army - not to be boastful but to be proud of what the Nisei accomplished.