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https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/resources/military/151/
Sam Minoru Itaya
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 1918-10-31 |
| Place of birth | Stockton CA, U.S.A. |
| Inducted | 1941-6-1, Presidio of Monterey CA |
| Enlistment type | Draftee |
| Service branch | Army |
| Service type | War |
| Unit type | Combat |
| Units served | 81st Infantry Training Battalion, C Company, Heavy Weapons, Camp Roberts, CA; Anti-tank Company, 184th Infantry Division, San Luis Obispo, CA; Detatched Service 7th Army; 8th Service Command, War Department Personnel Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio,TX; 40th Division, 184th Infantry Anti-tank Company. |
| Military specialty | Heavy Weapons - 1st Gunner 30 cal. machine gun, 37mm Anti-tank. Infantry - Truck driver 8th Service Command. |
| Stationed | U.S.A. - Camp Roberts, CA; San Luis Obispo, CA; San Antonio, TX |
| Separated | Fort Sam Houston TX |
| Unit responsibility | Infantry; Support Service |
| Personal responsibility | 1. Dogface, 2. Service |
| Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit) | Citation - served as guinea pig for chemical warfare testing of gas on oriental skin - Chemical Warfare Division, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Baltimore, MD. |
| Living conditions | San Luis Obispo - new tents; Miramar, San Diego - pup tents; Del Mar Race Tracks, Del Mar, stables; Dodd Field and Fort Sam Houston- barracks. |
| Most vivid memory of military experience | Shikataga-nai attitude. Always looked or chose lesser of 2 evils instead of protesting as later G.I.'s did. Always did what was told since we were first draftees & didn't know any better. (more like Imperial Army personnel) |
| Missed most whilst in the military | Chazu ke & ko-ko |
| Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience? | Maybe it was best that the earliest draftees went off & did what had to be done. Maybe it was the better way then to have agitated because we were the same ancestry as 'enemy' and public attitude of prewar America was still predominantly Anglo-American. Hopefully, people understand there is no racial color, nationality, loyalty when chips are down and each man decides himself what is right or wrong by what he knows, sees and understands. |
| Additional information | Happily married, retired and contented. Would do the same and make same decisions and choices as 50 years ago. |
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