Base de Datos de Experiencias Militares de Japoneses Americanos
Yoshio "Tad" Wakayama
Sexo
Male
Fecha de Nacimiento
1916-1-11
Lugar de Nacimiento
San Jose CA, U.S.A.
Inducted
1941-3-17, Ft. MacArthur CA
Tipo de Alistamiento
Volunteer
Afiliación Militar
Army
Tipo de servicio prestado
War
Tipo de unidad militar
Combat
Unidades a las que sirvió
3rd Army
Especialidad militar
Office/medical
Ambulance driver
Auto mechanic
Ambulance driver
Auto mechanic
Asignado
USA: California, Washington, Missouri, Hawaii
Okinawa
Okinawa
Retirado
Ft. Logan CO
Responsabilidad en la unidad
Guard island of Okinawa
Responsabilidad individual
Auto mechanic
Batallas principales (si sirvió en una zona de guerra)
Battle of Okinawa
Condiciones de Vida
Living conditions - lived in compound where guards stood watch so enemy couldn't come in. I was Sgt of Guards during the day and mechanic at night.
Slept in sleeping bags.
Don't recall how I bathed, perhaps a shower.
Meals were in a tent. Had some hot meals - spam, eggs, etc. Mostly rations. I hate spam - I have not eaten it since.
Entertainment - no such thing! War zone. No such luxury; just work, eat and sleep. Washed own clothes.
Working conditions: 155 mm shells were welded together to hold a tarp high enough to acccomodate 2 trucks. It provided protection from weather and allowed us to work on trucks for the next day's use. We had thirty teams of two people to work on trucks at night - 60 mechanics.
Slept in sleeping bags.
Don't recall how I bathed, perhaps a shower.
Meals were in a tent. Had some hot meals - spam, eggs, etc. Mostly rations. I hate spam - I have not eaten it since.
Entertainment - no such thing! War zone. No such luxury; just work, eat and sleep. Washed own clothes.
Working conditions: 155 mm shells were welded together to hold a tarp high enough to acccomodate 2 trucks. It provided protection from weather and allowed us to work on trucks for the next day's use. We had thirty teams of two people to work on trucks at night - 60 mechanics.
Recuerdo más vívido de la experiencia militar
On Sunday - walking around island about 5 - 6 Japanese Army men were out from the caves - just sleeping in the sun out in the open - no guards. But we never shot them.
Civilian women walking - when they see our jeep - they would jump into the tall weeds on the side of the road to hide. Nearby was the Okinawa Hospital where the women worked.
Only one building was standing in the capital city. Everything was knocked down or bombed out. I saw a woman looking for and digging up sweet potatoes. We saw two women who worked at the hospital where we stayed 3 - 4 months and they did our laundry for us. We were in Okinawa almost a year in 1945.
Jeep drivers takes enlisted men, officers to whatever destination. The Japanese soldiers would catch the officers by the neck with a wire and kill them.
Civilian women walking - when they see our jeep - they would jump into the tall weeds on the side of the road to hide. Nearby was the Okinawa Hospital where the women worked.
Only one building was standing in the capital city. Everything was knocked down or bombed out. I saw a woman looking for and digging up sweet potatoes. We saw two women who worked at the hospital where we stayed 3 - 4 months and they did our laundry for us. We were in Okinawa almost a year in 1945.
Jeep drivers takes enlisted men, officers to whatever destination. The Japanese soldiers would catch the officers by the neck with a wire and kill them.
Lo que más extraño durante su tiempo en las fuerzas armadas
Good food.
¿En lo personal, qué obtuvo de su experiencia militar?
Since I knew mechanics work before I volunteered, the Army experience did not help me after discharge. Ben and I assembled 2-wheeled trailers in the hot sun and just had a lot of hard work tune-ups, etc. As trucks were being used during the day, we worked 3-4-5 hours at night to get trucks ready for next day's work.
Stay out of the Army!
Stay out of the Army!
Información adicional
I worked as a mechanic, after discharge, but skilled labor wages were not good so I ended up working for a beer distributor. Union wages were good. Joined the Teamsters Union and retired with a pension.
