Sexo

Male

Fecha de Nacimiento

1912-3-28

Lugar de Nacimiento

Sacramento CA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1943-9-1, Salt Lake City UT

Tipo de Alistamiento

Volunteer

Afiliación Militar

Army

Tipo de servicio prestado

War

Tipo de unidad militar

Combat

Unidades a las que sirvió

MISLS Sec 34 (Graduated Savage, July 1943)

124th Cav. Rgt. (Texas), Office of Strategic Services; Occupation Japan. Our MIS detachment was assigned to the 124th Cav. Rgt from Texas in India. We later joined the Mars Task Force along with the 475th Inf. Rgt. and other units.

After the campaign was completed and our MIS unit was sent back to India, I was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in charge of a team of interrogators (3) to interrogate Japanese POW's at the Red Fort, a British POW camp.

Especialidad militar

Military Intelligence
Interpreter
Interrogator
Translater

Asignado

India, China, Japan, Camp Savage, MN

Retirado

Chicago IL

Responsabilidad en la unidad

Military Intelligence Services. Our mission in the North Burma campaign was to infiltrate behind enemy lines deep behind them along the Burma Road to cut off their supply and reinforcements. The Mars Task Force came in after the Merrill's Marauders had captured the Myitkyna airfield after a long siege. Ours was a commando group similar to the Marauders. After our MIS unit was sent to Kumming, China for several months, I came back to Shanghai and then assigned as a lone MIS to go with a small detachment to Taiyan in Shanshi Province, North China to observe the surrender ceremony of the 60,000 Japanese Army to the lone Chinese warlord left, Marshal Yen Hsi Sha. Our detachment was headed by Major Richard Irby and lst Lt. Jeffrey Smith, both from the 124 Cav. Rgt. Thirty-five years later, I fould out that Lt. Jeffrey Smith was now the commanding general of the lst Army at Ft. Meade, Md and was a Lt. General (3 star).

Responsabilidad individual

Interrogating POW's, interpreting for our officers in China, Japan and Burma.

Batallas principales (si sirvió en una zona de guerra)

North Burma Campaign, The Mars Task Force engaged in a one month forced march in the North Burma campaign and participated in battles with enemy forces along the Burma Road. Two months campaign.

Reconocimientos, medallas, menciones (individuales o de la unidad)

Our MIS unit along with the 124th Cav. Rgt. received the Combat Infantryman Badge along with the Bronze Star and 3 battle stars. After the Burma campaign was successfully completed, members of the 124 Cav. Rgt all received the Combat Inf. Badge plus the $10 per month extra. However, our MIS group was denied the award because the brass in India said we were on detached service

Condiciones de Vida

DETAILS ON HOW WE FINALLY RECEIVED THE AWARD LATER: During the one month forced march, I was assigned to be in charge of a pack mule even though I had never been close to an animal before and never received any instructions on how to feed or care for it. Our forced march was a grueling march in some of the most difficult terrains in the world. We camped one night on the peak of the 8,000 ft. mountain where the water we had in our steel helmet was frozen the next morning--this was in mid-December. We forded rivers at times. We did not have any vehicles. The pack mules carried all our heavy equipment. We made our own meals. The Air Corps air-dropped supplies to us every three days along the long march. Burma (North) is very mountainous with swift rivers and heavy jungle brush. We used to make tents during our three day stop with parachutes used to drop off supplies to us. We did not have too many POWs because the enemy took their wounded and only left the dead when they were driven off after their banzai charges. A Texas officer was the only one who received the Medal of Honor posthumously in the North Burma campaign. Before we met the enemy, the Texans must have wondererd what our MIS unit was doing with them. After we finally met the enmy, the brass of the regiment was worried about the number of enemy troops dug in the hills before us. Our MIS team leader, former instructor at Camp Savage deciphered the captured documents brought in by the troopers and was able to inform the officers that the enemy had been joined by a number of stragglers from other units, so they were not as huge as estimated in the beginning. After the campaign was completed, all the Texans were given the Combat Infantry Badge plus the $10 month extra; however, the brass in India said our MIS did not qualify since we were on detached service. After our MIS unit was sent to China, I saw our former Cavalry Commander and when he found out the omission, he wrote out a directive from the China Theater, so we received the CIB and the $10 per month, retroactively.

Recuerdo más vívido de la experiencia militar

Even through many Japanese Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces, either as volunteers or draftees, not one turned AWOL or turned traitor. In the MIS, Nikkei graduates of the MIS were suspected by the higher-ups in the Armed Forces/politicians, so Caucasian officers assigned to the teams of Nikkei MIS grads were instructed to look for disloyalty, if any. Nikkei grads were commissioned only after they served overseas in combat zones and proved their loyalty to the U. S. Nikkei soldiers were absolutely loyal to the U.S., despite the treatment they received in civilian life after Pearl Harbor. They knew that if they failed in their duty, the entire Nikkei group would be dishonored. The American GI's on the whole, are the best ambassadors for the U.S. They are kind to kids and older people wherever they go. Other allied members (Aussies, British, Chinese) all envied the GI's standard of living. GI's were very kind even to the losers. The American public, especially veterans have great respect for the Nikkei who served in both the Pacific and European theaters.

Lo que más extraño durante su tiempo en las fuerzas armadas

After living in the barracks at Tule Lake Center for 18 months before I volunteered to serve in the MIS, the army mess and living accommodations were far superior, so I didn't miss civilian life like so many others. Also, the knowledge that my parents and sisters were in the detention center left a sad memory. My younger brother, George was a prewar draftee.

¿En lo personal, qué obtuvo de su experiencia militar?

In prewar days, may of us suffered discrimination because of our Japanese background; however, in my own case, my Boy Scout experiences, the many good teachers we had in grade school, high school and college all had an impact on me, so even though we had severe problems within the detention center, I never once turned against our government. When I volunteered for the MIS, I felt that when the war was over, our government would recognize our patriotism which it did, even though it took nearly 50 years. Our American friends gave us tremendous support, especially, the veterans group--VFW, American Legion and the 34th Inf. Div. Assn (Red Bull). They remembered our patriotism. During the ten years plus redress campaign in which I participated as a member of the JACL LEC (legislative education committee) and as the JACL Veterans Affairs Committee head, the tremendous support we received from the American public, especially from the veterans groups who rallied behind us, made me doubly appreciative of their support. Americans, in general, are super-patriotic and when they know that Japanese Americans were patriotic, despite the humiliation of internment, they gave us their full support. If the major veterans groups had opposed the redress efforts we would have failed. The anti-redress group headed by the Lillian Baker group only had about 25,000 advocates, yet they caused us tremendous problems in Congress. The National VFW and American Legion, both have powerful influences in Congress on behalf of their five million plus members. Both groups adopted resolutions at their national conventions in 1984 reconizing the injustice to Americans of Japanese descent being interned and their tremendous patriotism during World War II. The deep lifelong friendship developed among the Nikkei veterans mean a great deal to me, since we all underwent the same trauma overseas. Non-Japanese veterans exhibit the same deep comradeship toward us.