Base de Datos de Experiencias Militares de Japoneses Americanos
Sam Minoru Itaya
Sexo
Male
Fecha de Nacimiento
1918-10-31
Lugar de Nacimiento
Stockton CA, U.S.A.
Inducted
1941-6-1, Presidio of Monterey CA
Tipo de Alistamiento
Draftee
Afiliación Militar
Army
Tipo de servicio prestado
War
Tipo de unidad militar
Combat
Unidades a las que sirvió
81st Infantry Training Battalion, C Company, Heavy Weapons, Camp Roberts, CA; Anti-tank Company, 184th Infantry Division, San Luis Obispo, CA; Detatched Service 7th Army; 8th Service Command, War Department Personnel Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio,TX; 40th Division, 184th Infantry Anti-tank Company.
Especialidad militar
Heavy Weapons - 1st Gunner 30 cal. machine gun, 37mm Anti-tank. Infantry - Truck driver 8th Service Command.
Asignado
U.S.A. - Camp Roberts, CA; San Luis Obispo, CA; San Antonio, TX
Retirado
Fort Sam Houston TX
Responsabilidad en la unidad
Infantry; Support Service
Responsabilidad individual
1. Dogface, 2. Service
Reconocimientos, medallas, menciones (individuales o de la unidad)
Citation - served as guinea pig for chemical warfare testing of gas on oriental skin - Chemical Warfare Division, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Baltimore, MD.
Condiciones de Vida
San Luis Obispo - new tents; Miramar, San Diego - pup tents; Del Mar Race Tracks, Del Mar, stables; Dodd Field and Fort Sam Houston- barracks.
Recuerdo más vívido de la experiencia militar
Shikataga-nai attitude. Always looked or chose lesser of 2 evils instead of protesting as later G.I.'s did. Always did what was told since we were first draftees & didn't know any better. (more like Imperial Army personnel)
Lo que más extraño durante su tiempo en las fuerzas armadas
Chazu ke & ko-ko
¿En lo personal, qué obtuvo de su experiencia militar?
Maybe it was best that the earliest draftees went off & did what had to be done. Maybe it was the better way then to have agitated because we were the same ancestry as 'enemy' and public attitude of prewar America was still predominantly Anglo-American. Hopefully, people understand there is no racial color, nationality, loyalty when chips are down and each man decides himself what is right or wrong by what he knows, sees and understands.
Información adicional
Happily married, retired and contented. Would do the same and make same decisions and choices as 50 years ago.