性別

Male

生年月日

1915-5-2

出生地

Elk Grove CA, United States

入隊した年

1941-10-10, Fort MacArthur CA

入隊のタイプ

Volunteer

所属・部署

Army

兵役のタイプ

War

所属部隊のタイプ

Combat

所属部隊

232nd Combat Engineers, 442nd Regimental Combat Team

特殊技能

Mine Sweeper - Clearing roads for military vehicles

最終目標

USA: Ft. Lewis, WA, Ft. Harrison, IN, Camp Shelby, MS
Other Countries: Italy, France

除隊した年

Fort Devens MA

所属部隊の役割

Combat Engineers: Clear mines, clear and repair roads, build temporary bridges, clear road blocks, make muddy roads passable

所属部隊での個人的役割

All of the above and serve as rifleman.

主な戦闘（交戦地帯へ従軍した場合）

Rome-Arno Campaign
North Apennines Campaign
Rhineland Campaign
Po Valley Campaign
Lost Battalion at Bruyeres

勲章・褒章（個人又は所属部隊）

Purple Heart
Good Conduct Medal
American Defense Medal
44 Victory Medal
American Theater Campaign Ribbon
Distinguished Unit Badge

生活状況

Slept in pup tents, vacant farm homes, shelled out homes with large holes in the wall, and on soggy ground. People of Bruyeres were very nice to us.

Bathed in running cold streams. In rest area engineers had cold showers.

Engrs. were lucky with meals. We had a mess truck so we had hot meals most of the time. After Lost Battalion, engrs. were called to infantry duty due to heavy casualties to the infantry and as infantry we had K rations.

For entertainment we played cards, checkers, chess, and shot craps. Occasional movies in the open.

軍隊生活で最も記憶に残っている出来事

After Lost Battalion fight, and heavy losses, the engineers were recruited to serve as riflemen. On the first night, after joining the 442nd, 5 members of the second squad of the 1st platoon, which I was in, were asked to go on patrol and contact 'G' Company, about a mile away in the wooded mountains at a farmhouse. We made the contact around midnight on a rainy dark night. The country road had fallen trees for road blocks and was heavily mined. After having bouillon soup (very good) we returned.

On our return, I was the second man behind Sgt. Imori. He stepped over a fallen tree and as I tried to step over the same place, I saw a blue blast, shoulder high about 3 feet away. I thought we were getting a mortar barrage. I hit the ground, a ditch full of rain water. I felt warm blood on my back. Every one of the 5 in the group were wounded. I told Imori I got hit. Nearby was a farm barn. We ran to the barn and luckily, in the barn were 442nd medics. They treated us and we waited for morning to be taken to the medic HQ by litter carrier.

I was told it was a defective 'S' mine or 'Bouncing Betty' that had exploded. Such mines were known to have wiped out whole platoons (about 45 men).

Life is luck - it just wasn't time for me to go. I still have a piece of metal in my back. They never removed it.

軍隊にいる間、最も懐かしかったもの

Just being back home - but there was no home to go to. My parents were in Jerome, Arkansas not Elk Grove, California.

Sleeping in comfort.

個人的に軍隊経験から学んだ最も重要なこと

Freedom - Being Japanese American you feel you have rights wherever you go - Proud.

If your country ask you to serve be proud and serve.

The friends I made from the 232nd Engineers. They are in Hawaii, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon. I have friends in every island in Hawaii. Even Molokai has one of my best friends, Art Manabu Kikkawa, who was in the same squad and wounded at the same time.

その他の情報

To read an article written by Thelma Chang, a Honolulu writer, author of 'I Can Never Forget: Men of the 100th/442nd' appearing in the The Honolulu Advertiser, October 28, 1994, chronicling the rescue of the 'Lost Battalion', please ask the Research Center librarian.