Banco de Dados da Experiência Militar Nipo-Americana
Larry Takeshi "Shorty" Kazumura
Sexo
Male
Birth date
1920-11-07
Local de nascimento
Hilo HI, USA
Inducted
1943-03-25, Schofield Barracks HI
Tipo de alistamento
Volunteer
Ramo das Forças Armadas
Army
Tipo de serviço
War
Tipo de Unidade
Combat
Unidades onde serviu
442nd Regimental Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, Company I
Military specialty
Messenger 745
Infantryman
Stationed
USA: Camp Shelby, MS
Other Countries: Italy; France; Germany
Separated
Honolulu HI
Unit responsibility
Infantry
Personal responsibility
Communication
Major battles (if served in a war zone)
European Theater of Operation
Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)
Combat Infantryman Badge
Good Conduct Medal
Purple Heart Medal
Bronze Star Medal
Distinguished Unit Badge
Living conditions
Very poor living conditions - pup tent, mud, no bath.
Food was K rations or C rations.
For entertainment we visited the little towns.
Most vivid memory of military experience
While the Germans were shelling the area, I just climbed up a pear tree and picked pears. It was serious when I got wounded on my face - three places and a broken jaw.
Missed most whilst in the military
Freedom; my girl-friend.
Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?
Comradeship. The unity of the soldiers fighting together. To help each other and understand the other person.
Additional information
They called me ''Shorty''because I was only 4 ft 9-1/2 inches, shoe size is 2-1/2 EEE. My official height, in the Army records, is listed as 5 ft 8 inches. That's how I got into the Army.
I was wounded in the face and head and was in a coma from 7/7 through 8/19/1944. My records were burned so I didn't know about the coma. My daughter found out about the coma on an internet search.