Gender

Male

Birth date

1923-2-17

Place of birth

Belvedere CA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1944-6-18, Fort Douglas UT

Enlistment type

Volunteer

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Support

Units served

MISLS D-18 (Graduated Snelling, Sept. 1944)
4029th Signal Intelligence Service Detachment

Military specialty

Interpreter - Japanese language

Stationed

USA:
Fort McClellan, AL
Fort Snelling, St. Paul, MN
Ft. Monmouth, NJ

Japan:
GHQ ATIS Tokyo, Japan
War Crimes Investigation Div., Graves Registration, Osaka, Japan

Separated

Camp Beale CA

Unit responsibility

With 4029th Signal Intelligence: to intercept Japanese messages.
With Graves Registration: to help expedite war criminal trials.

Personal responsibility

Intercept the messages and translate it to the best of my ability.
Had to interview, locate grave sites of B-29 fliers shot down and seek information from villagers.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Occupational duty in Japan.

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

American Campaign Medal
Asiatic Campaign Medal
Good Conduct Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
World War II Victory Medal

Living conditions

Living quarters were regular army style - cot - bed, or on the ground, during basic training. Bunk beds, cooked meals, hot showers during language school period. Depending upon where you were located. It varied during occupational duty period.
As for entertainments, during the basic training periods, it was limited, but during MIS Language School period - we were given weekend passes into town, so the entertainment was no limit...we were treated very nice, welcomed almost any place we went, etc.

Most vivid memory of military experience

Being homesick for one, second not being able to eat 'O-cha-zuke' and lastly, appreciated the home-baked cookies my mother used to send and I shared them with my buddies even if it came crumbled many times!

Missed most whilst in the military

The home life, the home cooking. The regimental life was tough, but like anything else, one gets adjusted to it.

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

That I had the privilege to serve my country, in spite of my family being incarcerated. To my family and to those close to me, I wanted them to know and understand, how much I had appreciated their encouragement and support they had given me at the time of my entering the service.

Additional information

That, as a Nisei veteran, I was able to do my duty - that I had done my part to serve with the rest of the Nisei veterans.