Historical information about the wartime imprisonment of the people of Japanese ancestry at one of America's concentration camps, called the "Colorado River Relocation Center".
Running short of phonograph needles? If you are, they grow on trees in Poston according to those who have successfully tried them. The thorns on mesquite trees make excellent phonograph needles. The volume may not be as loud as the regular steel needles but the tone is improved and needle scratch is hardly noticeable. Three to six records can be played on a single thorn after which it can be sharpened and used again much on the order of cactus needles.
From: Poston 3
Nov. 2, 1942
‘POSTON FOX’ IN CAPTIVITY
A beautiful but mean looking fox was captured by Mr. Tahara for Blk 307. The sly fox which had been prowling around the block was finally caught by means of a trap. It is now on display in a large cage at 317 Exhibit hall.
The raccoons trapped by Mr. Takahashi of Blk 309 are also on exhibit.
From the Poston Chronicle
Poston Two
Friday, Mar. 26, 1943
Block 229 Inundated As Levee Breaks Causing Inconveniences: No Damage
The continuous flow of the canal water was disrupted early Tues. morning inundating a section of Block 229 as a result of a levee break near the Camouflage plant awakening hundreds of curious Unit II residents.
At the sound of the Mess Hall alarm, excited 229 evacuees awoke to find volumes of water rushing beneath their doorsteps unable to determine the cause.
Careful scrutinization by block members revealed a levee break near the Camouflage plant where they hurriedly shut off the water flow at the irrigation lock located near Block 201. Morning investigation revealed slight property damage other than groans by block residents disgustedly wading through the muddy water for meals.
Pictured: The Umino family. Shin & Tominosuke Umino, grandparents. Haruko & Albert Umino with their children, Norman, Claire, and Sharon. Poston block 222-9-D. Photo courtesy of George T. Ohama.
Friend of Japanese Visits Poston III Miss Bertha Starkey, missionary in Japan for 35 years, has been visitng in Poston since Saturday evening when she arrived after an extended trip to various Centers in California. Prior to evacuation, she lived in Reedley where she worked witht he Japanese people. Miss Starkey plans to leave today for Gila River Relocation Center and after a short visit in Los angeles she will return to Reedley. Source: Poston Chronicles, September 15/1942 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soldiers on Furlough
Sgt. Jerry Kanagawa, Fort Leonardwood, Missouri, is visiting his folks at 227-5-B on a 10-day furlough.
Pvt. Yukiyasu Uyeoka from Camp Hale, Colorado, is the guest of the Uyedas in 219.
Arriving late Wednesday night to visit his sisters and brothers in Block 219 was Pfc. Charles Tanimura from Fort Warren, Wyoming.
Visitors from Gila Center on a short term leave are Mrs. Tomiko Shimakawa; Mr and Mrs. Masaru Yoshimura who are visiting Mrs. Yoshimura’s mother at Block 219.
Nishioki Says “Thanks”
Norman Nishioka, former, assistant block manager of 222 who departed for Montoka, Minnesota, Tuesday morning, expressed his appreciation and thanks to his many Poston friends for their friendship and consideration.
Nishioki is expected to farm at Montoka, which is reported to be approximately 70 miles from Minneapolis.
Source: Poston Chronicles, Friday, Mar. 26, 1943 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twelve Families Exempted from Exclusion
63 Persons Receive Permits for Return to California
Twelve families, consisting of 60 persons, were advised Monday that they were exempt from all provisions pertaining to persons of Japanese ancestry contained in the exclusion orders and civilian restrictive orders issued by the Western Defense Command. The telegram from Maj. Gen. Robert H. Lewis added that certificates of exemption were being forwarded by mail.
Exempt from exclusion are the following:
Henry and Masuko Akiyama, 12-10-D
Sogataro and Kozue Fujita, 222-14-A
Tadashi, Chizuko, Seiji, and Chise Hasegawa, 45-13-A
John, Sumiko, Dennis, Sharon and Ronald Hayashi, 208-13-A
Ichimatsu, Yoneyo, Yoshiko, Sueko, Tomiko, Ruby and Natsuye Hayashi, 208-2-D
George, Tsuyuko, Ruriko, Setsu, Wato and Chiye Iwakoshi, 37-5-B
Mantsuchi and Moto Murase, 308-1-C
Yasuichi, Jitsuyo and Tom Kanagawa, 227-5-B
Shizuo, Katsuko, Harry, Frank, Constance, Elaine, Shika, Tazu, Joe and Isamu Kawamura, 208-9-A
All persons who are of mixed blood or are married to a non-Japanese and have not been interviewed recently, please report to the Administration Building either Saturday, Aug 1 from 2-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. or Sunday Aug. 2 from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Please see Miss Findley and Mrs. Willess.
From: The Official Daily Press Bulletin
Saturday, September 5, 1942
MIXED MARRIAGE COUPLES LEAVE POSTON UNDER SPECIAL PERMITS
Southern California and Orange County officials today had been informed by Project Director W. Wade Head that a number of evacuees, most of them husbands or wives of mixed marriages, have been permitted to leave Poston under special permits signed by proper officers of the Fourth Army Command.
Director Head’s statement, issued to Los Angeles newspapers and the Associated Press, followed by investigation by Sheriff Elliott of Orange County after reports had reached the sheriff’s office that a Japanese woman and her child had returned to the county accompanied by her Caucasian husband. A Los Angeles morning newspaper under date of Friday, September 4, reported that Elliott had immediately gone into conference with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In behalf of the Fourth Army Command, the Wartime Civilian Control Administration under Lt. Col. Karl Bendetsen is in charge of the issuance of permits for mixed marriages couples. These permits are issued upon the recommendation of Project Director Head.
From the Official Daily Press Bulletin
Thursday, September 10, 1942
INTER-MARRIAGE PERMITS GRANT LEAVE FOR EIGHT MORE POSTONIANS
Through Inter-marriages, Clarence Sadamune, secretary to Dr. Powell, and his sister, Frances, left Tuesday night for Oakland, with their mother.
Others who have left with their Inter-marriage permits were: Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian Dequin for Gilroy, Calif, and Mrs. Thelma Cornejo with her children, Elias and Stephen for San Jose.
This excerpt is from the book, "Mixed Blood: Intermarriage & Ethnic: Intermarriage And Ethnic Identity In Twentieth Century America." by Paul R. Spickard.
...."The concentration camps were also temporary homes for at least 1,400 inter-married Japanese Americans, a few of their non-Japanese spouses, and at least 700 people of mixed racial ancestry. The government very early expressed a desire to take some of the intermarried families out of the prison camps & return them to their homes. This was partly because the government thought intermarriages were more likely than other Japanese-Americans to be loyal to America.
But more importantly, it was because they did not want Amer-Asian children who had grown up among Caucasians to be tainted by contact with Japanese people.....The government assumed that males would dominate the culture & loyalties of their households. Thus, mixed people who had White fathers & Japanese mothers could return to the West Coast, because their Caucasian fathers presumably had created American environments for their families.
By contrast, mixed children who had White mothers & Japanese fathers could leave the camps, but they could not go home. Because their fathers had made them, presumably, more than half of Japanese, they did not quality for a complete return to normal life. Yet, on the off chance that Caucasian mothers had had some salutary effects on their offspring, such children were offered a limited kind of freedom. They could leave camp but could not return to the West Coast war zone.
In either case, whether the offending Japanese parent was the mother or rather, the entire family was allowed to leave prison together.
An intermarried couple who did not have children, or one whose children had reached adulthood, had to stay in prison. That is, the Japanese spouse had to stay….The only intermarried Japanese Americans without minor children who were permitted to leave camp were women whose non-Japanese husbands were serving in the armed forces. Like Japanese women with Amer-asian children, they were allowed to go back to the West Coast, apparently in reward for their husbands’ service.
The government also allowed adults of mixed parentage to leave the camps if they wanted to, but only if they "50% or less, Japanese blood", and could demonstrate that their pre-war environment had been "Caucasian"..............
Exerpts of from Terry Grimmesey’s Poston camp 3 memories. Reprinted with permission of the author.
A child of mixed parentage (Japanese mother, Anglo-Saxon father)
My father was not with us. I was born in Japan but I do not look Japanese. My brother & sisters do. We were at Poston in AZ, by some Indian reservation.
My grandparents went to Japan with Edison to bring electricity to Japan & I believe they also had something to do with generators. My father & all his brother & sisters were born there. Since my father spoke fluent Japanese he ended up as one of Gen. MacArthur's interpreters.
It has taken me a long time before I have been able to share my story...because I was not accepted by the Japanese kids( I was an American to them) then when I got out by the American kids who was happy to have a "Jap" to pick on...I started to feel that the fault must be mine because everybody hated me.
I am afraid that my story is so different that it may not be of real interest. Remember that I was a little rich girl who only knew most Japanese as cooks, & servants. There was at that time a class system, wrong now, but accepted at that time.
The business people that came to our estate home in Yokohama were all related to the recording business as my father was Vice Pres. & General Manager of Columbia Records for Japan & China. I did not know the Japanese people that well, even though I spoke Japanese, it was my birth language. We lived in the section of Yokohama know as the English section, went to the International School etc.
My father was in the war till the end & was one of the men who went in with MacArthur to Japan. I remember him saying how he looked up my mother's relatives & took them food to eat. How the young boys were afraid of the uniform.
I did not attend school at camp. We were one of the first released & sent back to Upland, California. We had a lemon & orange orchard there in the country so were away from people, though we found out some people in town wanted us out. The Methodist church & the police chief (who was our neighbor) took us under their wing & helped calm the townspeople.
The most interesting thing that happened to me was when we got back home, 2 FBI men came to see us. I remember having one sit on the sofa on each side of me & tell me that I had to forget how to speak Japanese, that I was not to speak it again or I would be sent back to camp behind the barbed wire. They must of scared me enough that I couldn't remember any Japanese.
In the years after that I have tried to relearn the language but my mind will not let me remember a word for more than a few minutes. It refuses to go into long term memory...I know they can't send me back but my mind still won't accept it as safe. I have had no trouble learning German & French.
These are from writings made by Satoye Grimmesey in 1980. [Permission granted from Terry Grimesey to reprint here.] She took a writing course & this was an assignment she chose to write about. [Satoye was born July 14,1910 & passed away July 11, 1997.]
It was a lovely Sunday morning on December 7, 1941. After breakfast we gathered the children outdoors to take pictures to send to my family in Japan. (Grandmother & sister) Suddenly the phone rang. It was my husband’s mother in Covina. Her tense, high-pitched voice said, "Have you heard the news? Japan attacked Pearl Harbor & Clark Field in the Philippine Islands."
It was sudden & shocking news. Suddenly a dark shadow fell into our lives. The 2 countries that we loved were at war! We were frozen at that moment, & our happiness & peace shattered with shame & grief & the fear of the unknown, concerning our future. My husband looked grave, & trying to comfort me said, "Cheer up Honey; but see the bright side of life. After all, you are married to me & live in my country. You are not responsible for what Japan has done to America. You see now why our money was frozen" Now it became all clear to us. The unknown movement in the past few years in Japan prior to our leaving became clear.
We had no idea that Japan would declare war on America. In Japan military secrets were tightly guarded, & the public had no way of knowing what the plans were. "It was a war they had been deliberately planning."
My husband, a brave man, never expressed his emotions. He faced a grave situation to protect his helpless Japanese wife & his 4 children between the ages of 6-10. The feelings of tension mounted, the following year of 1942. There was public speculation about the millions of Japanese who lived in the United States. After much consideration, high-ranking government officials came to the decision to put all Japanese in concentration camps, both Issei (first generation) & Nisei (American born)alike for the duration of the war, to both detain them & to protect them from public anger.
Meanwhile my husband was in the midst of turmoil, trying to save his innocent young children from internment in a Japanese camp.
"What harm could they do if they were kept home with their father? They were such young ages!" He also did not wish his young son to be among the Japanese, which would further complicate his emotional instability which he already felt. His telegrams went back & forth to his uncle in New York, who was a lawyer, to get his advice & to save his children & keep them at home. His sister's husband, being the Chief of Police in Arcadia, gave him advice from the FBI.
In spite of all the family's efforts, in the early part of June, 1942, we were packed in a bus at the Riverside Bus Depot ready to depart for POSTON, Arizona, leaving my husband behind. My son Robert was very close to his father. He felt sorry to leave his father alone, not knowing exactly what the situation we were heading for. My husband, helpless, stood outside the bus. His eyes were filled with tears. How sorry I felt for him, for the once proud American who had served in the First World War when he was 18, was educated in this country, who was now unable to save his young children from an unknown fate.
My heart was breaking as I watched him standing alone as the bus carried us into the distance toward Poston, Arizona.
After the bus left Riverside, it was a long, weary journey to the Relocation Center. When I left my husband at the Riverside Bus Depot, how little I realized that we were in exile to be confined for an indeterminate time.
The busload of passengers wore gloomy expressions; no one smiled or spoke to another. Even though I had confidence in my husband's country, when I looked at my innocent children, I couldn't help but wonder about their future. Again, I pleaded to myself, "What young ages our children are! What harm could it have done to keep them at home with their father? I know I must be punished as a Japanese, but not my children. They are American, not Japanese. It is not fair to dump them into Poston, Arizona, solely with Japanese people."
When we arrived at Poston, Arizona, near mid afternoon & were inside the high, barbed wire campground, I began to feel the tremendous heat. The sun appeared like a large ball of fire in the distant sky.
We were led to the office to register our names & were given a barrack number 5 & sacks of ticking, which we were told to stuff with straw. The officer pointed in the direction where mounted straw piles lay about 200 feet away from the office. This was to be our mattresses for our cots. I almost wanted to cry after the exhausting, long bus ride through the desert heat. Never had I expected to have to make our own mattresses to sleep on.
My children noticed my weary & gloomy mood. They cheerfully volunteered to make their own mattresses. Encouraged by their willingness, I walked toward Barrack 16. When we entered the room, it was another disappointment. The room was in semi-darkness, with light coming through both sides of a small dirty window. The roof sloped down to a height of about 12 feet. The room was nothing but a large size matchbox. The room, made of a single thickness of lumber was covered on the outside with tar paper. There were no shelves, closet, or table to put away any of our belongings on. Only 5 metal cots had been placed in the center of the room. The entrance seemed to be half the size of a swinging door.
We hurriedly went out to fill our mattresses before the sun went down. My children had never before shown such strength as they did in filling their mattress. After our work was done we looked around.
The Relocation Center was made up of 36 blocks. Each block had 2 sections & each section was made up of 12 barracks. It was served by 1 mess hall & a central ‘H’ shaped sanitation building. The barracks were a standard 20 feet wide & 100 feet long, partitioned into 6 rooms.
The crowded concentration camp was under armed guards. We waited in the mess hall in a long outdoor line, & I felt like a prisoner, deprived of privacy & dignity. The worst place of all was the section of latrines. It was a long line of toilet seats with no dividers for privacy. My pride & dignity crumbled with shame.
The drinking water from the faucet was a semi-mud color, coming straight from the Colorado River, & there was often an inadequate food supply of children's milk & other foods at the mess hall, which gave me concern for my growing children.
June ended & July's summer heat turned the barracks into baked ovens. There was no cooling system available, except to sprinkle water from the faucet (there was no running water in the barracks) outside on our wooden floors & to wet the blankets. In order to keep cool we would lie on the floor.
Our new straw mattresses had become quite comfortable to sleep on. The people were becoming active with hammer & nails & the lumber that had been discarded when the camp was built. They began to build closets, tables, & shelves in their living quarters for their families. Unfortunately, I had no man in my family, but a kind man came to our rescue & built shelves, a closet, & a table for us. I was deeply grateful to be able to put our belongings in order.
Our children, young & curious, spent most of the day outdoors, watching the other Japanese children play. They brought news to me that there were desert snakes & poisonous scorpions roaming around the campgrounds, which frightened me to death. (Mother had a deadly fear of snakes) The women as they gathered, began to whisper that we might be kept prisoners for our lifetimes. I refused to accept the story, but I wondered what would become of my children & their future.
My communication with my husband eroded for awhile, for there were no private telephones available. However, he was allowed to visit, he wanted to know how we were getting along, all we could tell him was our grievances & to dispel the dreadful rumors going around the camp.
In late August he visited us with a cheerful smile & took our snapshots to file with the government. According to his news, the Americans who had married Japanese had petitioned the government to release their families & their request was finally granted. We were so happy to hear the good news he had brought to us & to be able to return home the early part of September, which would give us enough time for our children to start school in the fall.
Even though it was an unusual summer vacation away from home, Relocation Camp taught us strength & self-reliance, which otherwise, our children might never have had the opportunity to learn in their lives.
Saroye Kay Grimmesey 1980
Chief Project Steward C.E. Snelson is pleased to announce the receipt of a Washington teletype announcing the shipment of mochigome. Two hundred sacks, totaling 20,000 lbs are on their way.
Poston Chronicles
January 6, 1945
California Patients Get Gift of Mochi
Over one hundred patients of nine hospitals and sanitariums in California and Arizona will be the happy recipients of the New Year’s mochi which was sent out last week, according to Sekizo Yoshikawa, [Unit 1] councilman. The mochi was contributed by every block in the three units.
The Hillcrest Sanitarium in La Crescenta, Calif., listed the largest number of patients who were hospitalized prior to evacuation with 104. Twenty-seven are at the Norwalk, Patton, Stockton, Camarillo and Sonoma State Hospitals and Orange County Hospital in California, the Arizona State Hospital and Phoenix Indian Sanitarium in Phoenix.
Photo: New Years Day 1945. Poston Block 305.
Mr. Kodama & Tamekichi Kiyomoto with a table of mochi cooling.
From: Final Report: Japanese Evacuation from the West Coast 1942. United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1943
All Assembly Centers were operated within the ration allowance prescribed by the Army for its soldiers, i.e., 50 cents/person/day.
Early menus developed an average ration cost of 33 cents.
There was some tendency to be too conservative at first and, after a period of adjustment, the average cost was revised to approximately 39 cents/person/day.
This gave ample allowance for special menus adapted to the feeding of infants, ulcer cases & other chronic sufferers.
Food buying opportunities varied in the general area surrounding each Assembly Center.
The actual average daily ration cost/person for all Centers from March to October was 38.19 cents.
The general diet was subject to constant revision to suit the taste of evacuees.
Menus were developed only after extended consultation with evacuee dietitians.
A table of quantities was determined for each 100 persons.
The standard table of allowances per meal in basic items of diet was as follows.
QUANTITY PER MEAL PER 100 PERSONS
(Basic items only)
Rice-30#
Beef in quarters (including bones)-45#
Fish, frozen with heads off-40#
Fish fillets frozen-20 #
Beans, dry-kidney -15#
Beets-25#
Cabbage-23#
Potatoes-40#
Spinach-30#
Squash-28#
Tomatoes-24#
Infant Formulas
Formulas for babies were on a 4-hour schedule.
War milk formula ingredients, scalding water for sterilization of bottles, nipples and other necessary item were made available in special diet kitchens.
It was delivered to mothers by evacuee attendants at regular intervals throughout the day & night.
Clothing
Where necessary, clothing was made available upon application.
It was not an item of regular issue.
Where the need was urgent, a controlled clothing issue was granted with a money value allowance/month not to exceed the following:
Adult male…………..............…$3.82/month, $30.50/year total
Male, 6-18 years…….....….......$2.50/month, $25.00/year total
Children, 1-5 years…...........…$2.60/month, $27.57/year total
Adult, female…………..............$4.61/month, $42.19/year total
Female, 6-13 years….......…...$2.85/month, $26.81/year total
Total cost per family of 5:... $16.03/month, $162.07/year total
Infant to 1 year……………......$2.25/month, $27.09/year total
Reference is make to your letter dated January 4, 1943, captioned as above, requesting advice as to the action to be taken with regard to Japanese who have applied for repatriation.
In any case where investigation is requested of possible repatriates whose names have been referred to the Bureau by Mr. Edward J. Ennis, Director, Alien Enemy Control Unit, Department of Justice, this investigation should be conducted.
With regards to your suggestion that consideration be given to interning pro-Japanese sympathizers and agitators within the War Relocation Camps, this is to advise that the Alien Enemy Control Unit of the Department of Justice has recently advised the Director of the War Relocation Authority that the Department is willing to accept for internment Japanese aliens "who should be removed from Relocation Centers in the interest of maintaining safe conditions in such centers."
In view of this, any individual falling within the above described category, regardless of whether he has applied for repatriation, should be made the subject of the Alien Enemy Control case and the facts presented to the appropriate United States Attorney.
Very truly yours,
John Edgar Hoover
Director
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Poston Chronicle
Wed. Aug.11, 1943
RETURN TO JAPAN DEPENDS UPON TWO NATIONS
The fact that an individual has made application for repatriation does not necessarily mean that he will be able to go to Japan, it was pointed out at the Segregation Office. The possibility of going to Japan depends on many factors over which the WRA has no control.
The sailing of an exchange ship in wartime must be arranged between governments of the United States and Japan. Past experience has shown that this itself is a difficult matter.
Negotiations are carried on by the State Department of the United States government and the appropriate branch of the government of Japan prior to any exchange of nationals. The next step is for the exchange of lists of individuals and each country has the right to specify persons who are acceptable on such future exchanges. The fact that any individual has made application for repatriation, this expressing a desire to be exchanged, does not mean that he or she will be acceptable to the government of Japan.
No steps can be taken by the United States government, or the WRA, in behalf of these people looking toward an exchange other than making known the fact that the application has been properly filed.
PHOTO: Gripsholm Exchange Ship
More about the Gripsholm Exchange Ship.....
The Gripsholm was chartered to the United States Department during World War II, from 1942-1946, as an exchange and repatriation ship. It was under the protection of the Red Cross, and known as a "mercy ship". The ship's crew was Swedish.
Question: Do you know the names of the Santa Fe internees who were repatriated? I tried to find photos of the Santa Fe camp/internees, but came up empty handed. Does the Department of Justice have photos and, if so, can I access them under the freedom of information act?
Answer: See if the information on this webpage might help.
U.S. ARMED SERVICES: Poston had 611 eligible males inducted into U.S. Armed Forces
DIED IN COMBAT: 24 from Poston
From: Poston Chronicles Tuesday, October 23, 1945 [The last issue of the Poston Chronicle]
Over 1,200 names appear on Poston's honor roll, casualties total 117. The record of Nisei in uniform has been given many times and their story of valor is known throughout the world.
Poston is particularly proud of its service men and women. The Chronicle has carried reports of individual recognition in the form of decorations to its heroes, lists of boys called to active service, and interviews with visiting servicemen.
We should like to list below, with reverent respect, the boys who gave their lives for their country and the principles of democracy:
S/Sgt. James Shiramizu Pfc. Shichizo Toyota T/Sgt. Atsushi Sakamoto Pvt. Joe Shiomichi Pfc. Johnny Yamamoto Pfc. Harry Madokoro Pfc. Paul Horiuchi Pfc. Fumitake Nagato T/Sgt. Abraham Ohama Pfc. Hachiro Mukai Pfc. Henry Izumizaki Cpl. John Narimatsu Pfc. Torao Hayashi Pvt. Tom Nishimoto Sgt. John Ogawa Pvt. Tadao Hayashi Pfc. Lloyd Onoye Pfc. Daniel Tsukamoto
From the Poston Chronicle 1942
This Christmas we especially remember those boys who are away from their families in the service of this nation. All their friends and members of the family who live in Unit III of Poston extend their heartfelt prayers to God that He will take are of these lads in their loneliness. They must surely miss us as we miss them from our midst. MAY GOD BLESS YOU. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. These names were submitted to the block manager's office.
CAMP ROBINSON, ARKANSAS Pvt Masaru Abe, Co. C. 63 Infantry Bn. Cpl Frank T. Ono, Med. Det. Sta. Hosp. Pvt George Mukai, H.Q. Det. 13th Reg. Pfc Shoji Date, Med. Det. Sta. Hosp. Pvt Harry Terasaki, H.Q. Det. Sta. Comp.
CAMP GRANT, ILLINOIS Pfc John T. Ono, Officers Club Pfc Larry Katayama, Hq. Co. 6 M.R.T.C.
FT BLISS, TEXAS Pvt Frank Ikuta, 1815 Service Unit Co.D Pfc Mitsuaki Ibara, Co. B. Rec. Center Pfc Roychi Adachi, Co. D. Rec. Center Pfc Johnny Sakamoto, Co.D. Rec. Center
FT HAYS, OHIO Pvt Tom Yokoyama, Q.M.C. Section
CAMP WOLTER, TEXAS Pvt Kazuma Maruyama, Hdq. Co. Rec. Center Pvt Raiji Santo, Hdq. Co. Rec. Center
FT RILEY, KANSAS Pvt Tom Terasaki, Motorpool C.R.T.C. Pvt Shigeo Yokota, Hq. Det. Sta. Comp Pvt Sho Katayama, C.R.T.C. Motor Dept. Blk 2310 Pvt Hachiro Mukai, Hq. Det. 1747 S.C.U.
FT. LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS Pfc Lloyd Nakayama, Det. M.C.
FT. LEONARDWOOD, MISSOURI Pfc Franklin Kitahara, Hq. Det. D.E.M.L. Pfc Fred M. Watanabe, Hdq. Det. D.E.M.L. Pvt Hiromi Shimizu, Hdq. Det. D.E.M.L. Pvt Frank Takayama, Hdq. Det. D.E.M.L.
From the Office of the Commanding General Headquarters Ninth Service Command Fort Douglas, Utah
April 13, 1943
War Department G-2 Section 2E661 Pentagon Building Arlington, Virginia
Dear Colonel Lansdale:
Herewith are lists of acceptable volunteers for induction from the Poston Relocation Camp in Arizona.
Signed, A. E. Merrill Colonel, Cavalry Ass't to Director, Personnel Division.
4/12/1943 The following men from Poston, Arizona are acceptable for military service.
NAME / LOCAL BOARD
Aihara, George Teitaro / Santa Clara, CA Anzai, Allen Toshio / Tulare, CA Arakawa, Paul Takaji / Pasadena, Ca Arata, David Kanari / San Diego, CA Eguchi, Bunkichi Bun / Los Angeles, CA Endo, Hiroo Harry / Downey, CA Endo, John Kazuo / Monterey, CA Eno, Takeru / Indio, CA Furuya, George / San Diego, CA Fujii, Yoshio Joe / Taft, CA Fujita, Minoru / Escondido, CA Fukuda, Shigeto / Fullerton, CA Fukutome, Ben Tsutomu / Alameda, CA Furuya, Arthur / Yuma, AZ Furuya, Ichiro / Courtland, CA Hama, Eiji / Watsonville, CA Hayashi, Shuki / Alameda, CA Hayashi, Tadao / Monterey, CA Hirabayashi, Susumi James / Monterey, CA Hirata, Louis Mitsura / not registered Hiratsuka, Ernest / Fresno, CA Hirayama, Tsugio / Exeter, CA Horiuchi, Paul Fumio / Salinas Ichinaga, Howard Kazuo / Porterville, CA Ichiuji Joseph / Monterey, CA Ieiri, Ted Tetsuo / Fresno, CA Ihara, Kioto / Sanger, CA Imoto, Kiyoshi / Tulare County, CA Ito, Martin Lloyd / San Diego, CA Izumizaki, Henry Sadao / Santa Cruz, CA Kashiki, Yoshio / El Centro, CA Katahira, Toshiyuki George / Tulare County, CA Kawahara, Takashi / Alhambra, CA Kawabata, Tadashi / Poston, AZ Kawamoto, Nobuo / Pasadena, CA Kawamoto, Yoshio Don / San Diego, CA Kawashima, Itaru Stan / Los Angeles, CA Kimura, Frank Shigeaki / Fresno, CA Kitahara, Arthur Tsutomu / Pasadena, CA Kitahara, Kei / Fresno, CA Kudo, Ben Benzo / Tulare County, CA Kizuka, Albert Toshimi / Bakersfield, CA Kobayashi, Matsuo Mat / Imperial County, CA Kobayashi, Yozo / Riverside, CA Kodama, Ted Teruo / Los Angeles, CA transferred to Denver, CO. Kodani, Seizo / Monterey, CA Koga, Kiichi / Salinas, CA Konishi, Koji /Pasadena, CA Kubo, George Masao / Los Angeles, CA Kubota, Yukie Tony / Monterey, CA Kubota, Shinobu / Fresno, CA Kurihara, Lloyd Iwao / Tulare County, CA Kuroda, William Masatoshi / San Luis Obispo, CA Kushino, Minoru Abraham / National City, CA Kuwada, Nobukazu William / Fresno, CA Madokoro, Harry Fumio / Santa Cruz, CA Mamiya, Tatsuo / San Diego, CA Masumoto, Hideo Dale / San Bernardino, CA Matsuda, Jack Takeo / not registered Matsushita, Ray / Santa Cruz, CA Matsushita, Tokie Pat / Santa Cruz, CA Matsumoto, Paul Toku / Wilmington, CA Miyake, Roy Shigeso / Fresno, CA Mizokami, Masao Roy / Monterey, CA Mochizuki, Saboru John / Yuma, AZ Mori, Minoru / Santa Cruz, CA Morimoto, Henry Arthur / Anaheim, CA Morimune, Shigetsugi / Santa Cruz, Ca Nakagawa, Roy / Los Angeles, CA Nakamoto, Yasuo / San Diego, CA Nakamura, Charles Michito / Waipua Hawaii Nakamura, Masayuki / Fresno, CA Nakamura, Michiyoshi Henry / Yuma, AZ Nakamura, Noboru / not registered Nakamura, Yoshiyuki / San Francisco, CA Nishida, George / Monterey, CA Nishimoto, Katsuma / Fresno, CA Nishimoto Thomas Yasuto / Bakersfield, CA Nishioki, Mikoto / Fresno, CA Obayashi, Alfred Yoshikatsu / San Diego, CA Obayashi, Edward Shigeru / San Diego, CA Obayashi, Walter Hiroshi / Pasadena, CA Ogawa, Osam Sam / Santa Cruz, CA Ogawa, Sam Osamu / Yuma, AZ Oka, Jiro / Fresno, CA Oka, Saburo / Fresno, CA Okamoto, Harry Haru / Fullerton, CA Okamoto, Sakato / Long Beach, CA Okubo, Yoshie John / San Diego, CA Onoye, Lloyd Mitsuru / Monterey, Ca Osaki, Kenso Ken / Escondido, CA Sakamoto, Kenji Kay pfc / Fresno, CA Sakamoto, Robert Isami / Monterey, CA Sakemi, Tom Toru / Indio, CA Satow, Susumi Paul / Pinedale, CA Shibata, Henry Noboru / Yuma, AZ Shibata, Keizo Warren / Los Angeles, CA Shimashita, James Mamoru / Watsonville, CA Shimatsuka, Noboru / Monterey, CA Shiomichi, Joe A. / Berkeley, CA Shiomichi, Tokio / Brawley, CA Shiozawa, George / Oakland, CA Shirakawa, Arthur Sukenori / Los Angeles, CA Shiratsuki, Thomas Tadao / Monterey, CA Soda, Sadaichi / Salinas Assembly Center, CA Sonoda, Howell / Tulare CA Tabata, Ray / Hollister, CA Tabata, Sho / Yuma, AZ Tajiri, Shinkichi George / Pasadena, CA Takao, Susumu / San Francisco, CA Takata, Portola Yoshimasa / San Francisco, CA Takeda, Hiroshi Hiro / Yuma, AZ Takehara, Tsukasa / Pasadena, CA Takeshita, Hide Sadahide / San Diego, CA Takeshita, Shiro / Monterey, CA Takeuchi, Steven Hiroshi / Los Angeles, CA Tanabe, Paul Jitsuo / Los Angeles, CA Tanabe, Yonezo Joseph / San Diego, CA Tanaka, George Masao / San Diego, CA Tanda, Peter Tadashi / Monterey, CA Taguchi, Takeo Paul / Pinedale Assembly Center, CA Tokiwa, Kazuo / not registered Tokiwa, Toshio / Monterey, CA Toyota, Shichizo / Santa Clara, CA Toyota, Yoshio / Santa Clara, CA Tsuchiyama, Yasuo / Santa Cruz, CA Tsuda, Masuo / Monterey, CA Tsunoda, Tom Tsutomu / Santa Barbara, CA Vetter, William Rheinwald / not registered Uyechi, Tetsu Jiro / Brawley Wada, Frank Mitoshi / National City, CA Wada, Yoshio / Hollister, CA Watanabe, Tom Toru / Tulare, CA Yamada, George / not registered Yamada, William Minoru / Pasadena, CA Yamagata, Giichi / Fresno, CA Yamaguchi, Alfred “T” / Exeter, CA Yamaguchi, Samuel Coolidge / Exeter, CA Yamamoto, George Hikosaburo / Alameda, CA Yamamoto, Pete Isamu / Salinas, CA Yamashita Harry Hisashi / Los Angeles, CA Yamauchi, John Kiyoshi / Santa Cruz, CA Yamauchi, Togo / San Diego, CA Yoshimura, Arthur Takasaburo / Maricopa County, AZ Yura, James Naoto / Bakersfield, CA
From: 1945 Campus Echoes Yearbook
Alumni of Parker Valley High School
Sgt Tatsuki "Tots" Ishida, class of 1943 Sgt Ben Fukutome, faculty Sgt Hideo Tsuchiyama, faculty Sgt George Shiba, class of 1943 T/5 Kei Kitahara, faculty T/5 Noboru Nakamura, class of 1943 Cpl Jiro Mukai, class of 1943 Pfc Ernest Hiratsuka, class of 1943 Pfc Lloyd Kurihara, class of 1943 Pfc Willie Ogino, class of 1943 Pfc Power Sogo, class of 1943 Pfc George Tajiri, class of 1943 Pfc M. Uyeda, class of 1943 Pvt James Okada, faculty Pvt James Urata, class of 1943 Pvt Kanehiro Fujimoto, class of 1943 Pvt Minoru Fujisaki, class of 1943 Pvt Tokuji Furata, class of 1943 Pvt Ben Honda, class of 1943 Pvt Hiro Kajiya, class of 1943 Pvt Mitsu Kiritani class of 1943 Pvt Gordy Miyamoto, class of 1943 Pvt Toshio Miyashita, class of 1943 Pvt Moe Noguchi, class of 1943 Pvt Isamu Okamoto, class of 1943 Pvt Henry Oto, class of 1943 Pvt Minoru Oyama, class of 1943 (Honorable Discharge) Pvt Howard Ozaki, class of 1943 Pvt Tom Tajiri Pvt Junji Takeda, class of 1943 Pvt Hideo Uchida, class of 1943 Pvt Kattie Uyeji, class of 1943 Pvt Frank Watanabe, class of 1943 Pvt George Yamagata, class of 1943 Pvt Yasuo Hashimoto, class of 1944 Pvt John Hayakawa, class of 1944 Pvt Johnny Sakamoto, class of 1944 Pvt Fred Segawa, class of 1944 Pvt Hitoshi Shinoda, class of 1944 Ed Nakaji Hiro Kajiya Bill Nakagawa
Cadet Nurse Ruth Furusho, class of 1944 Cadet Nurse Dorothy Kushino, class of 1944 Cadet Nurse Kaz Nakamichi Cadet Nurse Miyoko Mikasa
From the Campus Echoes Yearbook-1945 Parker Valley High School Poston Camp III
TOTAL.....VOLUNTEERS.....INDUCTED AFTER 1/20/1944 611.................116.............495 SELECTIVE SERVICE VIOLATIONS Those who refused to report for physical exam or for induction 1/20/1944-11/30/1945
TOTAL: 112
Awaiting trial in jail: 1 Volunteered prior to indictment: 5 Trial: Convicted: 106
REPORTED CASUALTIES BY LOCATION OF NEXT OF KIN Japanese Americans Soldiers Who Reside in or Whose Next of Kin Resided at Poston November 30, 1945
TOTAL: 104
Killed: 16 Wounded: 86 Missing: 2
Tech Sgt Abraham (Abe) Ohama, of Sanger, CA.
During Abe's last furlough visit with his family at Poston relocation camp II, Abe was the bestman at his brother George’s wedding before shipped overseas.
Abe told them, "All of us can't stay in the camps until the end of the war. Some of us have to go to the front. Our record on the battlefield will determine when you will return and how you will be treated. I don't know if I'll make it back."
Abe, leader of the 2nd platoon, was killed in action on 10/20/1944 when he went to the aid of one of his wounded men in France.
Posthumerous Award: Silver Star Abraham Jiro Ohama, Technical Sergeant, Infantry, Company F, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, for gallantry in action on 10/20/1944 in the vicinity of Bruyeres, France. Attempting to make a forward reconnaissance to determine the enemy's disposition, Sgt. Ohama & his men encountered machine-gun fire. He placed his men undercover & crawled within 20 yards from the enemy & threw 2 hand grenades which neutralized the machine gun nest. After another machine gun opened fire, he silenced it with his machine gun & then completely put it out of action with hand grenades. A comrade was wounded & left exposed to further injury & Sgt. Ohama went to his aid, ignoring the enemy sniper fire. When he reached the fallen man's side, Sgt. Ohama was mortally wounded. Next of kin: Mrs. Hana Ohama, mother, 222-9-G Poston, AZ.
