The American Battle Monuments Commission presents 

WHEN THE 


AKIMOTOS
 

WENT TO WAR
 

An untold story of family, patriotism, and sacrifice 

during World War II 

Matthew Elms 
The American Battle Monuments Commission presents 

WHEN THE 


AKIMOTOS
 

WENT TO WAR
 

An untold story of family, patriotism, and sacrifice 

during World War II 

Matthew Elms 
Copyright © 2015 by the American Battle Monuments Commission 

Printed in the United States of America 

For information to reproduce selections from the book, write to 

American Battle Monuments Commission 

2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 500 

Arlington, VA 22201 

www.abmc.gov 

ISBN 978-0-9790266-4-5 
Table of Contents
 

Foreward by ABMC Secretary Max Cleland 1
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Battlefields of France, October 1944 8
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Captives in France, October 1944 23

Missing in Action, October 1944 56

Wounded POW, November 1944 74
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Battle of the Lost Battalion, October 1944 82

Bad Orb, January 1945 94

Seizing Bad Orb, April 1945 99

Acknowledgments 4
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Dedication 7
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The Akimoto Family, 1870–1941 13
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Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 26
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Fort Warren, Wyoming, 1942 33
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Captives in America, 1942–1943 37
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The Akimoto Brothers Go to War, 1943 43
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Italy, 1944 61
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Johnny Will Never Come Marching Home, 1944 65
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Victor in Italy and France, 1944 78
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Amputation, 1944 85
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Ted Goes to Japan, 1945 87
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Postwar: What Brothers Do 105
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Lorraine American Cemetery, 2015 112
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Postscript: Understanding Sacrifice 117
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Epilogue 126
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Endnotes 128
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Bibliography 129
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Index 140
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MAPS 

Allied Military Advance, October 1944 10
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Japan, Pre-World War II 13
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United States during World War II 29
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Allied Military Advance through Italy, 1943–1944 78
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Allied Military Strategy in Western Europe, 1943–1944 81
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1 

Foreward 

I am proud to be Secretary of one of the U.S. government’s most 

honorable agencies, the American Battle Monuments Commission 

(ABMC). While we are a small agency in terms of resources, we are 

large in scope and mission. We have the responsibility to maintain 

and care for 25 cemeteries and 27 monuments, memorials and 

markers across the globe. Within those cemeteries we honor more 

than 200,000 Americans that gave their lives in World War I and 

World War II. 

But as generations pass, we become further removed from these 

two conflicts that shaped the twentieth century and our world today, 

creating the possible reality that future generations of Americans will 

not understand the sacrifices born by our country in the defense of 

freedom. We have no living World War I veterans, and our World War 

II veterans won’t be with us for much longer. Their voices, stories and 

memories will fade unless we work to reverse this course. 

When I reflect on this reality, the words of the early twentieth century 

poet, Archibald MacLeish, who lost his brother Kenneth in World 

War I, come to mind. MacLeish wrote in his poem, “The Young Dead 

Soldiers Do Not Speak,” “Our deaths are not ours: they are yours, 

they will mean what you make them.....We leave you our deaths. 

Give them their meaning. We were young, they say. We have died; 

remember us.” 

It’s clear that we at the ABMC must bring his words to life. We have 

to carry forward their stories and their legacies ensuring Americans 

learn about those who gave “the last full measure of devotion,” as 

Abraham Lincoln phrased it in the Gettysburg Address. 
2 

Each American honored in an ABMC cemetery has a story. Every 

person represents a father, mother, sister, brother, husband, wife, 

or child. Every one of these individuals contributed to the freedoms 

and liberties we hold dear today. This is why ABMC embarked on 

this Understanding Sacrifice project with National History Day and 

the Roy Roszenweig Center for History and New Media at George 

Mason University. We want our nation’s young people to hear those 

voices so that they can carry forward MacLeish’s call. 

And this book, written by a teacher participating in the 

Understanding Sacrifice program, brings to fruition MacLeish’s 

words. The Akimoto brothers were not regular Americans -- they were 

Nisei -- first generation born Japanese Americans. At the outset of 

World War II, Japanese Americans across the country faced hatred 

and discrimination. Their financial assets and accounts were frozen. 

Their business were closed. They were evicted from their homes 

and relocated to internment camps out of fear that they were spies 

or saboteurs. The U.S. government did this without due process 

because of simple bigotry and fear. 

Despite this, these three brothers still enlisted in the U.S. Army. They 

did so because they believed in something higher than themselves. 

Even with the shame of relocation and the insult of being stripped of 

basic civil rights, they chose to serve their country. It is easy to look 

back on history and condemn the U.S. government for its actions 

during the war, but that has already been done. It is much more 

difficult to look forward into the future and ensure Americans, such 

as the Akimoto brothers are forever remembered for their selfless 

actions and sacrifice that allowed liberty to triumph over tyranny. 

That is what MacLeish challenges us to do -- to be the voices of the 

men and women who no longer speak. 
Matthew Elms, the author of this incredible story, gives the Akimoto 

brothers that voice that will now be heard in classrooms and living 

rooms around the world. He has created a book that gives meaning 

to the deaths of Johnny and Victor Akimoto, and my hope is that 

you’ll give meaning to these brothers as you share and discuss their 

story with your friends, family and classmates. More than 405,300 

Americans died in World War II. Give their deaths meaning! 

Most Respectfully, 

Max Cleland 

Secretary, American Battle Monuments Commission 

3
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4 

Acknowledgments 

Between these pages is the story of the Akimoto brothers, 

uncovered and retold through the foresight of the American Battle 

Monuments Commission (ABMC). Specifically, ABMC Secretary Max 

Cleland and Chief of External Affairs Tim Nosal have found a way to 

give back to America. Through the dedicated efforts of 18 teachers 

in the Understanding Sacrifice program, students from around the 

world will learn about the vital contributions of Americans during 

World War II. 

Dr. Cathy Gorn and Lynne O’Hara at National History Day 

(NHD) have worked tirelessly to bring this story into print. NHD 

endeavors to engage middle and high school students in historical 

research projects in order to bring our youth to a more complex 

understanding of the world around them. Along with them, Jennifer 

Rosenfeld at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media 

and Dr. Christopher Hamner at George Mason University have given 

their guidance throughout. 

Singapore American School (SAS) is an extraordinary school. 

Financial support and encouragement from administrators Dr. 

Chip Kimball, Dr. Jennifer Sparrow, and Devin Pratt, made this 

book possible. Thank you to my colleagues Rebecca Clark, Betsy 

Hall, Melissa Trainor, Dan Chassagne, Jim Ryan, Scott Oskins, Dr. 

Vicki Rogers, Julie Goode, and Brian Arleth for suffering through 

early versions. Within this group of colleagues I must mention the 

amazing Scott Riley who pointed the way to this lost pilot. Visiting 

authors Susan Campbell Bartolleti, Eric Rohman, and Candice 

Fleming gave me the encouragement to persevere. 

At the heart of any good school lie the students, our hope for 

tomorrow. I want to thank Ruth Jaensubhakij, Hana Matsudaira, 
Andrew Rhee, Sam Sequiera Iyer, Cristina Escajadillo, Thani Greco, 

Charles LaNasa, Anna Bierley, Alex Danielson, and Claire Schwarze, 

for reading critically and making suggestions to their half-crazed 

teacher. I need to make special mention of Priyanka Aiyer and my 

friend in baseball, Kianna Broadman, for their critiques, support, 

and laughter over the years. 

I also want to thank my team of German translators, including 

Mary Johnson, Stephanie Zarikow, Thomas Schultz, and Peter 

Schellenberger—your efforts have made a remarkable difference in 

understanding the complete story. 

A number of individuals and organizations provided services and 

information. These include Tom Ikeda and Caitlyn Oiye at Densho, 

Barbara Watanabe at the Go For Broke Educational Foundation, 

Charlyn Dote at the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Education 

Center, and Michael Yaguchi at the Pan Pacific American Leaders 

and Mentors organization. A special thank you to Peter Koby for 

his help designing the maps to help make the book more accessible 

to readers. 

Clearly, this story would not exist without the Akimoto family. To all of 

them, great-grandparents down to the most recent additions, thank 

you for your time, effort, and patriotism. As much as I am thankful 

for the military service of Victor, Johnny, and Ted, I truly appreciate 

the kindness and warmth of the entire Akimoto family. 

Finally, thank you to my parents, Tom and Clare, for their 

reassurance, enthusiasm, and special mailing abilities. Alicia, 

Cameron, and Callie, thanks for letting your father have a frenetic 

year to fulfill a lifetime dream. And to my wife, Dr. Deborah Elms, 

thank you for seeing the possibilities within me. 

5
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6
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7 

Dedication 

To the memory of Mary Miki Shiratori Akimoto, who 

understood the meaning of sacrifice (1889 – 1979). 
Chapter One 

Battlefields of France, October 1944 

The slightest movement of his right leg sent searing pain up Victor 

Akimoto’s spine. He clutched the injury and waited for the arrival 

of medics in the tiny village of Biffontaine, France. Unable to move, 

his thigh bone shattered by a German bullet, he lay on the ground, 

consoling the injured 

soldiers around him. 

One man had been 

wounded by a large 

piece of shrapnel, a 

sharp metal fragment 

of a bomb that had 

pierced his back and 

protruded through 

his stomach. One 

of Victor’s officers, 

Korean-American 

Second Lieutenant 

Young-Oak “Samurai” 

Kim, had a severe 

injury to his right 

hand and was losing 

consciousness due to 

blood loss. 

Victor Akimoto, c. 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

8
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Japanese-American infantrymen of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team 

in France, 1944 (The U.S. Army Center of Military History) 

In the heavily wooded northern French Vosges Mountains, the 

struggle to rescue the Lost Battalion of World War II raged outside 

the doorway. Nearby, the German army surrounded the soldiers of 

the 141st Infantry Regiment from Texas who huddled in emergency 

foxholes to escape the assault. German artillery pounded their 

location from all sides. Bomb bursts and machine gun fire sent out 

chattering waves of deadly metal. 

Victor’s unit, A Company, 100th Infantry Battalion, had deployed to 

provide an escape route for the 141st Infantry. His company cleared 

most of the French hamlet of Biffontaine. While they were securing 

the last parts of the village, several German infantrymen refused to 

give ground. His unit then fell back to a more secure location. 

9
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Allied Military Advance, October 1944 

By late October 1944, Allied military forces had advanced through northern France and were 

positioned on the German border (Peter Koby). 

Knowing his platoon needed to retreat, Victor sheltered behind a 

large tree. Ammunition loaded, gun raised, Victor provided covering 

fire until his unit reached safety behind several stone buildings. 

He turned to run as machine gun fire erupted. A bullet caught his 

right leg and he collapsed. He crawled into a foxhole and called out, 

“Medic, Medic!” 

Private Stanley Izumigawa dove into Victor’s foxhole. As he prepared 

to bandage Victor’s leg, a mortar shell exploded with a flash. Dirt 

covered both men. More help soon arrived, and rushed Victor to a 

nearby farmhouse. 

Later that evening with hands aloft and guns at their backs, 

several captured Germans soldiers arrived at the farmhouse. 

Other members of Victor’s A Company, 100th Infantry Battalion had 

managed to push the Germans back and take the prisoners. 

10
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Victor lay on his back, with his leg tightly bandaged, while the rest 

of A Company battled through the town. Medical help arrived at the 

makeshift aid station just after sunset. Sergeant Jimmie Kanaya, 

one of the battalion’s medics, got to work assessing each man. 

He provided clean bandages, sulfa powder and pills to prevent 

infections, and morphine injections to reduce pain. 

Due to the steep mountain terrain Victor’s unit remained out of radio 

contact with the rear area, nearly two miles away. With night falling 

fast, the men knew help would not arrive soon. The medical staff 

wanted to evacuate the injured soldiers as soon as possible. With 

time running out and night turning to morning, the officers had to 

make a decision. They would wait until just before dawn to load the 

wounded onto stretchers. By sunrise, however, they did not have 

enough men to carry the injured through the rugged hills and also 

guard the POWs. 

Despite his injuries Second Lieutenant Kim, helped to formulate a 

plan. The head of the column would carry a white hospital flag with 

a red cross, to prevent attacks, while the POWs would carry the 

Young Oak Kim receives an award, c. 1944 (University of Southern California Libraries) 

11
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stretchers. The other Americans would guard the POWs. Organizing 

a single-file stretcher train, they set off. 

Confusion soon reigned. They reversed course due to smashed 

trails, scorched earth, and shattered timbers. They became lost 

and disoriented. Poor maps and destroyed physical markers made 

navigation all but impossible. Bombs burst and battles raged as 

the 141st Infantry Regiment, known as the Lost Battalion, clung to 

survival nearby. The smell of acrid gunpowder, burning wood, and 

nervous fear filled the air with dread. A bewildered French farmer 

gave them wrong directions. They turned again. Large explosions 

rocked the earth. The POWs were by then struggling to carry 

the injured. 

All at once, the column clattered to a stop. 

12
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Chapter Two 

The Akimoto Family 

Victor’s father, Masanori Akimoto, entered the United States 

on August 26, 1897. Born in Aomori-Inagaki in the northern part 

of Honshu, Japan in 1886, he came from a family that owned land 

in that prestigious town, noted for the summer palace of the 

imperial family. 

Japan, Pre-World War II 

Japan before Worl War II (Peter Koby) 

13
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14 

Masanori (middle) with brothers, c. 1906 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

A graduate of Keio University in Tokyo, Masanori arrived in San 

Francisco in the late summer in 1897, intending to enroll at 

Princeton University. Wearing a fancy tailored suit and a bowler 

hat, he traveled by train across the country. Curious about Native 
American tribes near Salt Lake City, Utah, he impulsively jumped 

off the train. There, Masanori met some Mormon businessmen who 

showed him the town and the nearby Native American reservation. 

The businessmen offered him a job on the spot. For nearly eight 

years he ran their agricultural operations. 

Masanori returned to Japan to 

visit his family, proud to show off 

his savings and eager to find a 

bride. But his parents were not 

pleased to discover Masanori 

had never reached Princeton. 

He quickly became the shame 

of the family. 

The woman who would eventually 

become Victor’s mother, Mary 

“Miki” Shiratori, was born in 

August 1888 to a prominent 

samurai family. A true beauty, 

she had a bright future in Japan. 

Miki must have been persuasive 

in her early years. She convinced 

her father to allow her to attend 

an Episcopal missionary school. 

Devoting herself to teaching, 

she began instructing pupils at 

the age of 18. Eventually she 

converted to Christianity and 

added “Mary” to her name. 

Mary “Miki” Shiratori, Japan, 1906 (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 

15
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16 

When Masanori told his father confidentially, “I’m going to marry 

that woman,” his father reminded him that he had brought shame 

upon the whole family and would never be permitted to marry 

someone of Mary’s status. Yet Masanori had a trick up his sleeve. 

He convinced Mary’s parents that ruthless gangsters would soon 

kidnap her, a rumor he had started. Thus, Masanori appeared as an 

eligible suitor for Mary, seemingly saving the day. They married on 

May 25, 1906. After the birth of their first child, Masanori brought 

his wife and child back to the United States. 

Mary “Miki” Shiratori 

with her first pupils, 

c. 1907 (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 
Issei and Nisei	� As an Issei, 

Masanori was 

Issei refers to the generation of not permitted to 

people who emigrated from Japan. become a U.S. 

Nisei refers to the first generation of citizen due to antiJapanese children born in America, Asian immigration 

who were American citizens. 

laws. Despite his 

non-citizen status, 

in 1918 he registered for the World War I draft. Fortunately for 

Masanori, the war ended before he was called up. Instead, on the 

windswept, fertile farmlands of Idaho, Masanori and Mary began 

raising a large family with four girls—Ruth, Margaret, Martha, and 

Jane—and four boys—Ned, Victor, Ted, and Johnny. 

A ninth child was 

born between Anti-Asian Laws in America 

Johnny and Jane. 

Family friends down Federal immigration laws, including 

the street from the the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, 

Akimotos could not restricted immigration of Chinese 

have children, so laborers. Renewed several times, this 

Masanori and Mary law became permanent in 1902. It 

gave them Fred, a was not repealed until 1943, when the 

son to carry on their Chinese became allies of the United 

family name. But States during World War II. The 1924 

when he was two National Origins Act or Johnson-Reed 

years old, Fred died Act, specifically prohibited immigration 

of pneumonia. from China, Japan, the Philippines, 

and other Asian nationalities. 

17
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18 

Child Giving 

The custom of giving a child away to a family without children is 

still practiced in some societies. In some traditional Polynesian 

cultures, such as Hawaii, the well-documented tradition of giving 

away a child is referred to as “hanai” or “ho’okama.” 

Masanori rarely showed anger 

as he and Mary raised their 

large brood of children. When he 

did, the kids listened. He once 

overheard Victor’s younger brother 

Ted complain about a friend who 

promised to pay him back the loan 

of a quarter but was a week late 

in repaying his debt. Masanori 

shouted at Ted, “I never want to 

hear you complaining or arguing 

about food or money! That is 

vulgar! You never loan money to a 

friend, you give it to him. This way 

he won’t feel guilty that he can’t 

pay you back and you won’t feel 

resentful because he hasn’t paid 

you. But you must convince him 

that you are giving it to him as a 

sacrifice that you are willing to 

make. If he is the friend you think 

he is, he will give it back to you 

when he can.” 

Ted and Johnny Akimoto, Idaho, 1925 

(Akimoto Family Collection) 
When Victor was six, an event occurred that changed the course 

of his life. As he was going to bed one evening in Idaho, a group of 

boys scared and taunted him outside his window. He soon began 

to lose large clumps of hair. The shock of being scared so badly 

caused his hair follicales to stop producing hair. Local doctors hoped 

that Victor’s hair would recover from the shock. The family decided 

to move to Los Angeles for better health care. Mary and Masanori 

hoped the doctors in Los Angeles could help him, but they could not. 

Victor was diagnosed as suffering from a severe case of alopecia, 

or sudden hair 

loss. Throughout 

Alopecia his life, Victor 

Akimoto was just A medical condition thought to be caused 

plain bald. To hide by an autoimmune reaction. Triggered by 

his shiny dome viruses, medicines, infections, or other 

in photographs, environmental causes, the immune 

he nearly always system sends out white blood cells to 

wore a hat. The attack foreign bodies. In Victor’s case, 

move to Los the white blood cells attacked his hair 

Angeles would follicles, making them incapable of 

later prove to have producing hair. 

a profound effect 

on the fate of the 

Akimoto family. 

In Los Angeles, Mary raised the eight children while Masanori went 

to work selling life insurance. During the Great Depression of the 

1930s, Victor and the other children overheard their parents having 

a loud argument. Mary became upset upon learning that Masanori 

had given a 100-pound bag of rice to a widow with children. The life 

19
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insurance policy he had sold the family before the father’s sudden 

death became worthless when the insurance company went out 

of business. Regardless, Masanori continued to make sacrifices 

to help the widow. He gave the single mother food and money to 

compensate for their lost insurance. Mary, thinking of their struggles 

to feed their own children, berated Masanori. Finally, Masanori 

turned to his wife and asserted, “Don’t you realize that you at least 

have me to help? I will hear no more about it.” 

Principles such as giving to others, honoring your family, and loyalty 

to country were part of Victor’s upbringing. The Akimotos respected 

living an honorable life as a person of character. True gifts, the 

children learned, were given willingly, without the expectation 

of repayment. When 

Masanori died years 

later, all of the young 

Akimotos understood 

the pile of envelopes 

that came in with notes 

saying, “I would like to 

give back what Masanori 

gave me.” 

Victor demonstrated 

leadership while growing 

up. He would show the 

other children in the Los 

Angeles neighborhood 

how to build rubber 

band guns, how to make Victor Akimoto in his early 20s with his nephew, Jon 

Kodani, c. 1940 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

20
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slingshots from discarded lumber, and how to construct matchstick 

guns from a clothespin. 

If one of his siblings found a discarded roller skate, Victor knew 

what to do. Deciding scooters were too babyish, he instead built 

a shallow board slightly larger than his foot, removed the clamps 

from the skate, and nailed it to the bottom of the board. Next, he 

hammered a piece of wood across the toe to hold the skate onto the 

wooden board. Soon kids like Johnny and Ted rode some of the first 

skateboards in Los Angeles. 

At times, Victor’s role as a 

neighborhood leader made 

life difficult for some of the 

younger Akimotos. As one of 

the older brothers and a firm 

believer in tough love and 

fair play, he made it plain to 

his younger siblings, Ted and 

Johnny, that he would not 

show them any favoritism on 

the streets. 

Johnny Akimoto, c. 1930 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

21
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22 

Victor attended the 36th Street Elementary School, Forshay Junior 

High School, and Jacob Riis High School in Los Angeles, California, 

where he was a talented, all-around star athlete. 

Ted, with his wavy and curly hair, 

did not want to follow in the 

accomplished shadow of his older 

brother. He attended Poly High 

School in Los Angeles, played on 

the football team, and took photos 

as a member of the photography 

club. Johnny developed into an 

excellent athlete as well. He had 

remarkable upper-body strength, 

which he developed through 

gymnastics and weight-lifting. 

Johnny developed the build of a 

soldier from an early age. 

As he grew, Victor held a 

variety of jobs, including 

working at a fruit stand, 

selling goods with a 

wholesaler, and driving a 

delivery truck throughout 

Los Angeles. 

On December 7, 1941, 

everything changed. 

Ted Akimoto, c. 1940 (Akimoto Family 

Collection) 

Johnny Akimoto on the rings, c. 1941 (Akimoto Family 

Collection) 
Chapter Three 

Captives in France, October 1944 

Amid the roar of artillery shells and distant mortar explosions, the 

stretcher train rattled to a halt in the Vosges Forest in France. As the 

stretcher bearers hesitated, fear gripped Victor’s heart. Each man 

knew only one reason for the column to come to such an abrupt 

halt. In the midst of the battles surrounding them, the soldiers 

heard shouts from the red cross flag bearer at the front, calling for 

the officers in charge. As the officers made their way forward, each 

man contemplated his options; try to escape and risk being shot, or 

become captured and risk death as a prisoner of war at the hands 

of the Germans. 

Second Lieutenant Kim knew he had to escape. Without antibiotics 

and proper medical treatment for his injured hand, he would suffer a 

long and painful death in a German prisoner of war (POW) camp. 

“Samurai” Kim also knew that if captured, he could be a danger 

to U.S. troops. As his unit’s intelligence officer, he risked revealing 

secrets to the Germans while under interrogation. Kim quietly rolled 

off his stretcher and Medic Richard Chenin, noticing his struggles 

to move, gathered Kim under his shoulder. Leaving Victor and the 

other injured behind, they slipped into some nearby bushes to hide 

from the enemy. Kim winced helplessly as he watched the German 

POWs become the guards for the captured Americans. Eventually, 

23
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Kim and Chenin would make it back to the American lines where 

Kim reported what had happened to the rest of the men. 

Meanwhile, the intervening 

Geneva Conventions German Army reversed 

the course of war for the The Geneva Conventions are 

captured Americans. Flying a series of treaties concernthe red cross flag with guns ing the treatment of civilians, 

deployed was against the prisoners of war (POWs), and 

rules of war. This violation soldiers who are otherwise 

of the Geneva Conventions incapable of fighting. 

infuriated the Germans. 

Victor, injured too badly 

to resist or escape, prayed for a reprieve from the Germans. His 

prayers went unanswered. 

Jimmie Kanaya, one 

of the medics who 

had remained with the 

prisoners, continued to 

tend to the GIs as best 

as he could without 

proper supplies. 

Second Lieutenant Jimmie Kanaya, 

c. 1943 (Courtesy of Jimmie Kanaya) 

24
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GI or GIs 

These initials come from 

the term Government Issue. 

During World War II, the term 

Government Issue was printed 

on most American military 

equipment from helmets 

to boots and everything in 

between. Eventually, the term 

GI applied to the soldiers in 

the military as well. 

The stretcher train set off 

in the opposite direction, 

toward the German lines, 

through the battle scarred 

woods. Up rocky hills, 

across streams cluttered 

with shattered trees, 

through smoke-filled 

ravines, Victor Akimoto and 

the other wounded suffered 

through the punishing 

march into enemy territory. 

At one point an American patrol nearly discovered the column, but 

the Germans forced the GIs to keep quiet. Then the stretcher train 

resumed its travels. Through the murkiness caused by morphine 

injections, Victor slowly began to come to terms with his situation. 

Right leg injured, unable to escape, a prisoner of the Germans, his 

chances of survival hung in the balance. 

25
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Chapter Four 

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 

On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, on the island 

of Oahu, Hawaii, and propelled the United States into World War 

II. Within hours of the attack, anti-Japanese hysteria swept across 

America, especially in California, Oregon, and Washington. 

The next day, enraged 

by the attacks by Japan, 

Victor enlisted in the U.S. 

Army with thousands 

of other Americans. 

Enormously proud of their 

son, the Akimoto family 

gathered to celebrate 

Victor’s pending military 

service to his country. 

Victor initially became a 

role model for his brothers. His example also motivated other Nisei 

men and women who would eventually volunteer for military service 

during World War II. 

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 (Courtesy of the 

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum) 

26
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Back row left to right: Martha, John, Ned, and Hideo. Front row: Mary, Victor, Masanori, and 

Ruth. The small child is Jon Kodani. This photograph was most likely taken by Ted after Victor’s 

enlistment, January 1942. (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Victor never expressed any 

concern about his Japanese 

ancestry or a trepidation 

about fighting against the 

Japanese. He simply wanted 

to defend his country, the 

United States of America. 

Unfortunately, on January 7, 

1942, the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation arrested Victor 

for gambling, a minor crime. 

Yet his arrest became an 

embarrassment to his family 

at a time when Japanese Victor Akimoto, c. 1942 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

27
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28 

Americans faced increased scrutiny. Inducted into the service on 

January 27, 1942, he was sent to the frigid cold of Fort Warren, 

Wyoming. In his first letter home, he wrote, 

February 8, 1942 

Dear members of the Akimoto clan, 

This is just a line from the ebony colored sheep of the family 

reporting that he has reached his destination in good shape and is 

starting out to do his bit for Uncle Sam....Since I came here alone 

they put me in a barrack with a bunch of fellows from Minnesota and 

Missouri but I get along all right as there [sic] swell fellows. 

Vic 

Letter from Victor Akimoto to his family, February 8, 1942. (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Uncle Sam (initials U.S.) is a common 

personification of the United States 

government. J.M. Flagg’s 1917 World 

War I poster is one of the most popular 

illustrations of Uncle Sam. (Library 

of Congress) 
29 

The United States during World War II 

This map shows the key locations where the Akimoto family traveled during World War II. 

(Peter Koby) 

Victor met people from across 

America while driving military 

trucks, learning how to care for 

weapons, and attending a variety 

of classes about subjects such 

as the Articles of War. Like most 

soldiers, however, he worried 

about the plight of his family 

back home. A few weeks later, 

he wrote, 

Articles of War 

Codes and rules of 

conduct that all U.S. 

military personnel follow. 

This includes penalties 

for desertion, treason, 

and criminal activity. 
30 

February 18, 1942 

Dear Family, 

Just received your very welcome carton of cigarettes and box of 

candy and wish to express my thanks. I know all of you must be 

having it pretty tough down there so please don’t go to any expense 

by sending me packages as I will be receiving my pay on the first of 

March and will be quite wealthy...According to Martha’s letter [older 

sister] I see where Ned [older brother] wants to enlist too, but if his 

feet are still weak I’d advise him to enlist in the Medical Corps or 

some branch where you don’t have to march so much as this 

drilling would be hell for a guy with bum feet... 

Letter from Victor Akimoto to his family, February 18, 1942 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Meanwhile, on Dayton Street in Los Angeles, California, the 

Akimotos opened their home to another Japanese-American family 

whose parents lost their jobs due to their Japanese ancestry. On 

February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued 

Executive Order 9066, which changed the lives of hundreds of 

thousands of Japanese Americans living along the west coast 

of America. Within weeks, many Japanese Americans would be 

incarcerated. Even Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, 

portrayed Japanese Americans as traitors, wearing stereotypical 

bowler hats, round eyeglasses, and leering through slanted eyes. 1 
Dr. Seuss editorial cartoon, February 13, 1942. The “Honorable 5th Column” refers to an 

undercover Japanese spy organization. (University of California, San Diego Library) 

In Wyoming, Victor was nursing an injured right hand. While on 

kitchen patrol, he had scalded the back of his hand with boiling 

water, resulting in a second-degree burn that took more than a 

month to heal. 

31
�
32 

April 29, 1942 

Q.M. Detachment
�

Building 212
�

Dear Family, 

Just received your letter today and sure am sorry for causing all of 

you to worry over me. Everything is fine out here so please don’t 

worry as the only way I could ever suffer any serious casualty out 

here in these wild hills of Wyoming is by overeating. In fact the way 

things are shaping out there in Calif. it [is] the other way around and 

I’m worried about how you folks are going to get along. 

As for my hand, it is just about healed now and by the end of this 

week I should be ready for duty again. It sure will feel good to start 

working again for it sure gets tiresome laying around the barracks as 

I’ve been doing for about a month now and the way I’ve been eating 

I think this month instead of the government paying me, I should 

pay them. 

Vic. 

P.S. You will have to excuse the writing as three of my fingers are still 

bandaged and its just awkward trying to write. 

Letter from Victor Akimoto to his family, April 29, 1942. (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Remarkably, even as his parents and siblings prepared to be forcibly 

removed from their home, Victor tried to find humor in the situation. 
33 

 

Chapter Five 

Training in Fort Warren,
 

Wyoming, 1942
 

After his scalded hand healed, Victor spent much of his time 

mowing lawns and tending the gardens around Fort Warren. 

Like millions of other American 

soldiers of World War II, he 

received immunizations, 

attended lectures, participated 

in physical training, and waited 

for his opportunity to defend 

America. Because of his 

Japanese ancestry, however, 

the U.S. Army declined to send 

Victor into battle. 

He sent home money to 

his parents, took out life 

insurance, and managed 

to get furloughs home 

in September 1942 and 

December 1943. During this first visit, Victor most likely had a 

number of conversations with his mother and father concerning 

the potential enlistment of his younger brothers, Ted and Johnny. 

While his family witnessed rising racial tensions against Japanese 

Victor Akimoto at Fort Warren, Wyoming, 

spring 1942 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
Americans, part of their hopes for the future rested on Victor’s 

continuing service in the U.S. military. The Akimotos’ hope: if 

Japanese Americans could serve bravely in the armed forces, then 

perhaps America would finally move beyond seeing people of Asian 

descent as a different people, a different race, and just see them as 

patriotic Americans. 

This image from November 11, 1944 was seen on the door of a barber shop in Parker, Arizona, 

15 miles from the Colorado River Relocation Center (also known as the Poston War Relocation 

Center.) Evacuees from the center, who could not leave its confines without a pass, were discouraged 

from shopping in Parker by War Relocation Authority officials. (Densho and the National Archives 

Records Administration) 

Problems of race, marriage, and other 

family-related issues featured frequently 

in Victor’s letters. In a rare and touching 

view into the relationship with his father, 

and his deeply held religious convictions, 

Victor wrote a carefully worded letter to his 

father concerning the upcoming marriage 

of his sister Martha to a Caucasian man, 

Peter Hamlet. Technical Sergeant Victor 

Akimoto, early 1943 

(Akimoto Family Collection) 

34
�
November 21, 1942 

Dear Dad, 

...As for my opinion on the matters after thinking it over and over, 

I’m afraid I still find myself unfit and at a loss for an answer. For 

after all, only God up above can foresee whether their marriage 

will be one of happiness or not. 

Still we all know how slim the chances for a happy marriage are 

when two such widely separated races marry on account of the 

invisible barriers of society that spring up in every day [sic] life as 

we have all found out through experience. 

Thus, even though they love each other so deeply and believe 

that that is all that matters for a happy married life, they’ve got to 

realize that they cannot live in a world of their own but must live 

under the critical eyes of society.... 

So Dad, you talk to her, for according to the laws of society we 

all know which decision is right and which is wrong so if they still 

insist on marrying after reviewing the future they face, I can only 

say in closing that only God knows whether their decision is right 

or wrong. 

Vic 

P.S. I’m very sorry I will not be able to send you any money right 

away as I had a slight altercation with a couple of civilians and had 

to have some dentist work on my front teeth which set me back 

quite a bit. However as soon as that fat payday rolls around will 

send some pronto.” 

Letter from Victor Akimoto to his father, November 21, 1942 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

35
�
36 

 

Wyoming State Law 

(1945)
�

“All marriages of white 

persons with Negroes, 

Mulattos, Mongolians, 

or Malaya hereafter 

contracted in the State 

of Wyoming are and shall 

be illegal and void.” 2 

The 1940s were an era of legalized 

segregation, Jim Crow laws, and overt 

racism. Public signs throughout the 

South designated where “Whites” 

and “Colored” could eat, drink, and 

swim. Additionally, racial “purity” 

laws throughout the United States 

declared interracial marriages illegal. 

Reading between the lines in Victor’s 

post-script reveals even more of the underlying racial tensions of the 

time. Victor had most certainly became involved in an “altercation” 

because of his ancestry. 

While the loss of money from his private’s pay may not seem like a 

big deal, it came as another blow to the struggling Akimoto family. 

To prevent suspected 

Japanese sympathizers from 

sending money to Japan, the 

U.S. government froze the 

bank accounts and assets of 

those born in Japan, which 

meant that Masanori and Mary 

could not get access to their 

money. Now, in a reversal of 

generations, the parents had 

to rely on their children to 

support the family. 

Victor Akimoto in his early 20s, c. 1942 (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 
37 

Chapter Six
 

Captives in America, 1942-1943
 

Watercolor of the Santa Anita Racetrack Assembly Center painted by Mary “Miki” Akimoto. Notice 

the guard towers with machine guns pointed toward the internment barracks. The small fort and 

post office fly the American flag outside the fence. The San Gabriel Mountains are portrayed in the 

background, c. 1942 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

In February 1942, Executive Order 9066 sealed the fate of nearly 

120,000 Japanese Americans. In the weeks and months that 

followed, Japanese Americans along the West Coast were forcibly 

rounded up and sent to assembly centers and later internment 
38 

camps. While Victor trained with the U.S. Army to defend America, 

the U.S. Army put his own family under armed guard. 

Japanese in Hawaii during World War II 

Hawaii, a territory of the United States before and during 

World War II, interned a limited number of people of Japanese 

ancestry living on the islands. Under the protection of the 

United States, Lieutenant General Delos C. Emmons decided 

that internment was impractical for Hawaii because there were 

simply too many residents of Japanese origin. He defended the 

people of Japanese descent by citing the facts that no plots of 

espionage or spies within the Japanese community had been 

discovered since the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 

Thousands of Japanese 

Americans sold their 

homes. Victor’s family 

sold their home, as well as 

household furnishings and 

family heirlooms, at cutrate prices. Items such as 

cameras, shortwave radios, 

and ceremonial Japanese 

swords were forbidden in the 

assembly and internment 

camps. These articles were 

discarded or sold, often for 

much less than their value. 

Japanese-American evacuees under military 

armed guard at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, 

April 5, 1942 (National Archives and Records 

Administration) 
The Akimoto family, which had called Dalton Avenue in Los Angeles 

their home for 16 years, filed their change of address card with 

the Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service 

and moved into Avenue G, Barrack 31, Unit 3 of the Santa Anita 

Horseracing Track: a horse stall. Family members made the best of 

it as they frantically searched for better options. Threatened with 

internment, Masanori and Mary, along with the younger kids, hoped 

to find jobs as laborers in the interior; they located jobs in Idaho 

with Masanori’s former company, the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company. 

After moving to Idaho, however, they found themselves facing racial 

discrimination, slurs, and threats. They notified the Federal Bureau 

of Investigations (FBI) again and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The Akimoto family and friends 

at a remodeled chicken coop 

in Idaho. Mary is second from 

the left in the front row. Ted is 

second from left in the second 

row. c. 1943 (Akimoto Family 

Collection) 

Johnny, Victor’s youngest brother, went ahead to the Amache 

Internment Camp near Granada, Colorado, during the winter of 

1943. There, he avoided working for minimal wages as a farm 

laborer. He hoped to find better options. When Johnny arrived at the 

internment camp, he set about orienting himself to the layout and 

locating family friends. He quickly noticed the differences between 

this permanent internment camp and the temporary camp at 

Santa Anita, California. 

39
�
40 

February 3, 1943
�

Dear Mom & Dad, 

Arrived in camp monday [sic] night. Everything is pretty good out 

here. Its [sic] not like Santa Anita though. I’m staying with Ioshi Mori 

& Yammy in a barracks. The floor is brick & the inside is like our 

bunkhouse, lined with seltex.3 There’s a coal stove in every barrack 

and they furnish all the coal. It sure is nice & warm in the room. 

I’ve seen Watada san already & he sends his regards. So far the food 

is pretty good. Haven’t seen everybody yet cause the camp is pretty 

well spread out. Nothing more to write so I’ll sign off. Say hi to Dot & 

Vic. 

Just Johnny 

Address: 6F – 3F
�

Amache Branch
�

Lamar, Colorado
�

Letter from Johnny Akimoto to his parents, February 3, 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Life in Amache, like in all of 

Internment 

the other nine internment 

camps, became a daily The word 

chore. The dusty and “internment” 

windy plains, far from the during World War II referred to 

ski slopes of the Rocky the process and permanent 

Mountains, often forced encampments created by the 

internees indoors. Layers U.S. government to isolate 

of dirt, dust, and grime Japanese Americans. If you 

covered everything indoors are interested in learning more 

and out. The children went about Japanese internment, 

to school, and some adults visit: www.densho.org 
Baseball game at the Amache Internment 

Camp, September 12, 1943 (National 

Archives and Records Administration) 

Meanwhile, Victor’s parents 

were still trying to stay out 

of the internment camps, 

working as laborers in Salt 

Lake City. By late 1942, 

with Mary in her mid-50s 

and Masanori in his 60s, 

the physical labor became 

increasingly difficult. They 

could not find sufficient work 

to support the family, and 

the racial harassment by 

locals became too much for 

them. By June 1943, Victor’s 

parents had moved into 

Amache Internment Camp. 

found menial jobs within the 

camp or on nearby ranches. 

In the spring, baseball teams 

formed giving the internees a 

respite from their otherwise 

gloomy surroundings. The teams 

played under the watchful 

gaze of armed guards in 

elevated watchtowers. Outside 

the barracks, Japanese-style 

gardens popped up to give a bit 

of beauty to the otherwise drab 

and barren landscape. 

Mary “Miki” Shiratori Akimoto sits at a makeshift 

desk in her barracks at the Amache Internment 

Camp, c. 1944. (Akimoto Family Collection) 

41
�
42 

Civil Liberties Act of 1988
�

President Ronald Reagan signs the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which granted 

repayment to those Japanese Americans interned by the United States government. 

(Ronald Reagan Presidential Library). 

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties 

Act that publicly apologized for the incarceration of Japanese 

Americans and offered each survivor $20,000 in restitution. 

At the signing of the law, President Reagan stated, “Here we 

admit a wrong. Here we affirm our commitment as a nation to 

equal justice under the law.” 
Chapter Seven
 

The Akimoto Brothers Go to War 

1943 

Victor quickly moved through the enlisted ranks at Fort Warren. As 

he had enlisted at the age of 23, he was significantly older than the 

average World War II draftee. He started out as a private in January 

1942, and his first promotion to private first class came in October 

of that same year. Yet even with positive reviews from his superiors, 

as an enlisted man of Japanese descent, his military career options 

were limited to menial labor and military police duty. 

World War II U.S. Army Military Ranks 

Enlisted 

Private 

Private First Class 

Corporal 

Technician Fifth Grade 

Technician Fourth Grade 

Technician Third Grade 

Sergeant 

Staff Sergeant 

Technical Sergeant 

Master Sergeant 

Lower Rank 

Higher Rank 

Officers 

Second Lieutenant 

First Lieutenant 

Captain 

Major 

Lieutenant Colonel 

Colonel 

Brigadier General 

Major General 

Lieutenant General 

General 

Lower Rank 

Higher Rank 

43
�
44 

By the end of 1942, casualties were mounting in the Pacific and 

North African theaters of operations. Army recruitment officers 

needed thousands of infantry soldiers for the impending battles 

of Europe. 

On January 31, 1943, President Roosevelt made a dramatic aboutface, declaring, “The principle on which this country was founded 

and by which it has always been governed is that Americanism is 

a matter of heart and mind. Americanism is not, and never was, 

a matter of race or ancestry.” He went on to say, “Every American 

should be given the opportunity to serve this country.” 

When Johnny heard 

about Roosevelt’s 

announcement of the 

formation of an allJapanese-American 

unit, he knew what he 

wanted to do. Eighteen 

days after arriving at 

Amache, Johnny sat 

down at a makeshift 

pinewood desk and 

wrote to his oldest sister 

and her husband about 

his plans. 

Victor (left) and Johnny Akimoto 

(right) at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, 

1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
February 19, 1943 

Dear Ruth & Hideo, 

Well, I guess I might as well get to the point. I joined the army. I done 

a lot of thinking about it before I signed so don’t think I done it on the 

spur of the moment. 

You know I never did like any part of farming and about getting jobs 

in defense plants are a bunch of baloney. I didn’t want to be a farm 

laborer, and don’t want to stay in camp so I signed up. 

Another thing, on our registration we got a couple of questions 

concerning our loyalty & willingness to fight for America. Well, to 

those two questions, 3 to 1 nusus4 put no to that question. Well, 

that would take away all our rights & stuff. Well them dumb guys 

just make things tough for everybody else. Don’t think I’m patriotic 

or stuff but I’m just looking out for myself. We’ll be going the 1st of 

next month. Ask Ned if he wants my clothes or what. Only thing he 

probably could wear would be my shirts. I was thinking of leaving 

them with my friends or something... 

Just Johnny 

Letter from Johnny Akimoto to Ruth and Hideo, February 19, 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

45
�
46 

Loyalty Questionnaire 

Question #27 asked: 

Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on 

combat duty, wherever ordered? 

Question #28 asked: 

Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America 

and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attack by 

foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance to 

the Japanese Emperor or any other foreign government, power, or 

organization? 

Johnny’s comments to his sister Ruth about the Loyalty 

Questionnaire reveal some of the humiliations the Japanese 

Americans had to endure. The questionnaire, designed to discern 

which Japanese Americans retained loyalty to Japan, infuriated 

the internees, adding insult to dishonor. The questionnaire proved 

divisive, as families became torn about whether their Constitutional 

rights were being violated again, whether their anger over 

internment should push loyal Japanese Americans to answer no 

to both questions as a protest, or whether eligible adults should 

join the same army that held their families captive. Those people 

who responded yes to these two questions were considered loyal. 

Individuals who responded no to one or both questions were 

considered disloyal, separated from their family, and sent to a more 

restrictive incarceration camp at Tule Lake, California. 
Johnny, Victor, and Ted wanted to defend the country they loved. 

Despite the racial hatred and animosity they faced on a daily basis, 

the Akimoto brothers believed in the American dream. For them, the 

sacrifice of fighting for America would serve as an example and a 

reminder to future generations of true American patriotism. 

Victor celebrated when he heard the announcement regarding the 

formation of an all-Japanese American combat regiment and applied 

for a transfer to join the unit at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Promoted 

to sergeant, he transferred to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team 

on February 23, 1943. There, he joined the ranks of nearly 33,000 

other soldiers of Japanese-American descent to fight for Uncle Sam. 

A few weeks after Victor’s arrival, Johnny made his way to Camp 

Shelby. Once there, Johnny took a few moments to write to his older 

sister, Ruth, to check on her. 

47
�

Granada Pioneer, March 31, 

1943 (Courtesy of Densho)
48 

May 13, 1943 

Thurs. Nite 

Dear Ruth, 

Thanks an awful lot for the swell mittens. They’ll sure come in handy. 

How is everything coming along back in Idaho? I hope everything is 

working out OK. 

It took me two weeks before I saw Vic. He was only across the street 

& I went over there about 4 or 5 times but he was attending school. 

He finally heard I was in so he came over. 

All the fellows in my barracks are swell guys. The majority of them 

are from the islands [Hawaii]. Most of them are pretty disgusted with 

Mississippi. They said they would rather be back in the islands. 

The company I’m in, is the heavy weapons infantry. That’s machine 

guns and mortars. It’s a pretty good outfit. 

We started our basic training last Monday. From here on, it’s going 

to be pretty tough. Tell Ted to start doing pushups and a lot of leg 

exercises cause he’s going to have to jump right in with the rest of us. 

Yesterday, we went on a little march but from now on, it’s going to be 

a lot rougher. 

Well, not much more to write about so I’ll sign off. 

Always, 

Johnny 

Letter from Johnny Akimoto to Ruth, May 13, 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
Victor (left) and Johnny Akimoto (right) at Camp Shelby, 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Ted, Victor’s second-youngest brother, was assigned to Camp Shelby 

a few weeks after Johnny. By the time he arrived, it quickly became 

clear that Victor had already made an impression on the Hawaiians 

gathered at Camp Shelby. Walking down the road, Ted came across 

a big Hawaiian soldier during his first week in camp. The Hawaiian 

said to Ted, “You Kotonk! You. Me. Fight!” 

“Kotonk” 

A derogatory nickname some Hawaiians called mainlanders. 

If a person was stupid enough, in a Hawaiian’s opinion, to sit 

under a coconut tree and a coconut fell on their head, the 

sound it would make would be, “kotonk!” 

49
�
50 

It appeared that the Hawaiian wanted to fight Ted just for fun, as 

Hawaiians and mainlanders did not normally get along initially when 

they first arrived together in Camp Shelby. 

They both took off their helmets and Ted, new to the Army way of 

life, prepared to get beaten to a pulp. Then the Hawaiian noticed the 

name inside Ted’s helmet, “T. Akimoto” and said, “Victa you blah?” 

Realizing the Hawaiian was asking about his brother Victor, Ted 

nodded his head. The Hawaiian put his helmet back on and said, 

“You okay. You me go eat.” 

When Victor transferred into the 100th Infantry Battalion, a Hawaiian 

unit of mostly-Japanese descent soldiers, they were already 

trained and prepared to go to the front lines. Upon arrival, he was 

challenged to a fight, to prove himself as a warrior. Tall and skinny, 

Victor seemed like easy pickings. But the Hawaiians had no way of 

knowing about Victor’s life on the streets in Los Angeles. A Golden 

Gloves contender, who believed the Akimoto boys should know the 

basics of boxing, had given them weekly lessons. 

The Hawaiian used huge, roundhouse punches. Victor kept him at a 

distance by constantly bobbing, jabbing, and hooking until the other 

soldier collapsed. The Hawaiian soldiers could not get over the fact 

that Victor had emerged victorious without a single, bloodletting 

blow smashing him to the ground. Thus, Victor saved Ted from a 

severe beating long before Ted even arrived at Camp Shelby. 
Johnny, Jane, and Ted Akimoto, c. 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Many of the mainland Japanese-American soldiers had very little 

money because they sent it to their families in the internment 

camps. The Hawaiian-born Japanese soldiers were invited to visit the 

nearby Japanese internment camp at Rohwer, Arkansas. Once they 

saw the conditions in the camps, the guard towers, and the barbed 

wire fences, they respected the mainlanders much more and the 

animosity between the groups subsided. 

51
�
52 

Victor, Johnny, and Ted were assigned to different infantry companies 

within the mostly Hawaiian 100th Infantry Battalion. Victor and 

Johnny both became infantrymen, foot soldiers. Ted trained as a 

communications sergeant assigned to the battalion headquarters. 

As spring became summer in 1943, all three of the Akimoto 

brothers worried about their parents in the internment camp. Once 

they finished their training and duties for the day, they took time to 

write home. In this letter, Johnny mentions his brother-in-law, William 

“Bill” Kajikawa. 

June 21, 1943 

Monday night 

Dear Mom & Pop, 

I hope everything is OK up in Granada. We’ve been pretty busy with 

the two a days and didn’t have much spare time. I saw Bill and Ted 

yesterday. Ted is in 1st Battalion Headquarters Company and Bill 

[Johnny’s brother-in-law] is in the [522nd] Field Artillery. 

I guess all of us are finally here. Only we’re kinda split up.

There’s really not much to write about so I’ll sign off. 

Take care of yourselves and please don’t worry about us.
�

Always,
�

Johnny
�

Letter from Johnny Akimoto to his parents, June 21, 1943 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
53 

In March 1944, Johnny, the youngest of the brothers, received his 

orders to ship out to Italy. Victor and Ted’s orders detailed their 

assignments to remain in the states and train new recruits. 

The news of Johnny’s orders to ship out shocked and infuriated 

Victor. He had promised his mother to keep Johnny and Ted safe. If 

Johnny were on a different continent, Victor would be unable to keep 

an eye on him. Victor went to the company chaplain for guidance. 

During World War II, company chaplains had a great deal of power 

and influence within the military. The chaplain spoke to the company 

commander on Victor’s behalf, to seek alternate solutions. 

Victor suggested that he could take Johnny’s place on the front line, 

or that Johnny could be promoted to sergeant and remain in the 

states. Taking Victor aside, the commander explained the realities 

of war to him. Qualified sergeants, like Victor and his brother Ted, 

must train new recruits arriving in camp daily. Therefore, it would 

not be possible for Victor to trade places with Johnny. Nor would 

it be possible for Johnny to remain in the states as a sergeant. 

Infantry soldiers, men on the ground, were vital for success on the 

battlefields of Europe. 
54 

Victor then made the most important decision of his life. He 

proposed a new solution, a voluntary reduction in his own rank 

from sergeant to private. This way, he could join his brother 

Johnny overseas and the infantry would gain another soldier. 

Impressed with Victor’s patriotism and willingness to fight, the 

commander agreed to the proposal. Sergeant Akimoto became 

Private Victor Akimoto once again. Johnny and Ted, as well as the 

entire Akimoto family learned that Victor had sacrificed his own 

safety, possibly his life, to look out for his younger brother. He 

soon boarded the next Liberty ship headed to Italy to fight 

alongside Johnny. 

Liberty Ship 

Victory cargo ships lined up at a U.S. shipyard for loading of supplies, c. 1944 (National 

Archives and Records Administration) 

The United States produced over 2,700 of these cargo and troop 

carriers during World War II. To produce such massive numbers 

of transports, 18 different shipyards employed thousands of 

workers including women, minorities, and veterans. 
55 

Entering Italy and Liberating Rome
�

Entering Italy and Liberating Rome are battle map interactives 

available on the ABMC website. These interactives allow you to 

better understand the campaigns, see historical photographs, 

and understand Allied troop movement. 

Entering Italy http://go.usa.gov/3AfyR 

Liberating Rome http://go.usa.gov/3PpPP
�
Chapter 8 

Missing in Action, October 1944 

As the stretcher bearers continued on their trek through the Vosges 

Mountains, Victor had to rely completely on the health and strength 

of others for his survival. Each POW faced a grim reality as captives 

of the enemy. 

Daylight faded in the mountains as the exhausted American 

prisoners continued to struggle through the woods. Guns at their 

backs, arms and legs stretched to their limits, the GIs plodded 

onward. With each step away from the American lines, the chances 

of Victor’s survival dwindled. The Germans marched him and 

the other newly acquired American POWs near the few surviving 

members of the 141st Infantry (the Lost Battalion) on their way back 

to the German lines. Once they finally arrived, the American POWs 

were separated into smaller sections by rank and condition. They 

prepared for transportation to prison camps throughout Germany 

and Poland. 

The POWs clung to hope. Penicillin Joins the War 

With some luck, perhaps 

Young Oak Kim received one one of the members of 

of the first doses of penicillin their unit who escaped, like 

given to American soldiers. Second Lieutenant Young 

The new wonder drug, an Oak Kim, had managed to 

antibiotic that cured bacterial notify command. Maybe 

infections, saved his life. a rescue team could 

liberate them. 

56
�
In any case, at least a “missing report” would be filed and their 

families notified. 

Reports of Victor’s capture, marked as confidential, were filed. The 

U.S. Army may not have wanted to answer questions about Victor’s 

capture and that of the other American soldiers. Having to explain 

the violations of the Geneva Conventions concerning the use of the 

hospital flag with the red cross may not have been a conversation 

that the U.S. Army wanted to have with Victor’s parents. 

A missing report was filed on October 23, 1944. The army may have 

classified the report as confidential because of the circumstances of 

the Americans’ capture. Additionally, the report may have been 

considered somewhat unreliable due to the medical condition of 

Second Lieutenant Kim, whose injuries very nearly claimed his life. 

57
�
Missing Report, U.S. Army War Department, November 1944 (U.S. Army) 

58
�
Missing in Action Letter, U.S. Army War Department, November 1944 

(U.S. Army) 

Missing in Action Letter, U.S. Army War Department, November 1944 (U.S. Army) 

For whatever reasons: a misplaced report, confidentiality, or the 

complicated nature of trying to win the largest war in history, Mary 

and Masanori Akimoto were not notified about Victor’s injuries nor 

his capture. The War Department sent a telegram on November 

10 and a letter on November 11 to Mrs. Akimoto at the internment 

camp, notifying her that Victor was missing in action. 

59
�
Back at the border between Germany and France, Victor was given 

a better understanding of the full extent of his injuries. The bullet 

had fractured his thigh bone, the impact causing his right knee joint 

to separate. 

When the Germans divided the captured soldiers, Victor was 

separated from healthy American POWs and transferred to a 

German military hospital. He arrived at the military hospital at 

Seligenstadt, Germany, on or about October 28, 1944, nearly 

200 miles away from Biffontaine, France. 

The American medics had managed to stop the bleeding and 

bandage his leg. The limited amount of morphine, given to him to 

help reduce the pain from the shattered bone, had long worn off. His 

clothing remained dirty. For Victor, the pain, blood loss, lack of food, 

and poor clothing became minor concerns. A much more serious 

threat loomed on the horizon: infection. 

60
�
Chapter Nine 

Italy, 1944 

In early 1944, Johnny and Victor landed on beaches near Anzio, 

Italy. This battle would prove critical to the southern European 

campaign for the Allies due to its close proximity to Rome. The Allies 

wanted to capitalize on recent victories in North Africa by pressuring 

the Axis in southern Europe. By doing so, the Allies could prepare 

for a full-scale invasion in the summer of 1944 through France. 

Additionally, the assault on Italy would help reduce the tremendous 

battering the Russians were experiencing on the Eastern front. 

World War II (Interactive Timeline) 

If you are interested in learning more about World War II, visit: 

http://go.usa.gov/3AfV9 

61
�
62 

The battle for Anzio erupted in January 1944 and lasted nearly five 

months. Johnny and Victor replaced injured or killed soldiers. The 

coastal terrain proved terrible for attacking an enemy. The Allied 

troops became bogged down in the vast muddy marshlands, while 

German troops targeted them from the surrounding hills. American 

commanders worried about their troops becoming entrenched 

as had happened during World War I. Anzio became a brutal 

battleground, with nearly 40,000 Allied casualties, including 7,000 

killed and 33,000 wounded or missing in action. 

Company guidon bearers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, c. 1944 (National Archives and Records 

Administration) 

In their letters home from Italy, Johnny and Victor lied about the 

realities of war to spare their family pain and worry. Of course, all 

letters from the front were censored, since captured letters could 

reveal sensitive information to the Germans such as unit sizes and 

strength, supply lines, and future battle plans. Instead, soldiers 
often focused on issues at home. In one letter, Johnny expressed his 

displeasure about his parents’ mistreatment in Idaho. Writing from a 

hospital bed in Italy, he wrote to his sister Ruth: 

March 22, 1944 

Dear Ruth, 

Them Idaho farmers reacted just as I thought they would. I like to be 

back there and break a few of their noses. I only wish I could have 

them under me for a month. That would be the worst month they’d 

ever have. 

What have they to yell about? They didn’t get evacuated, they’re 

making good money and everybody else is getting drafted so why 

should they get deferred? Back there, they don’t feel the war except 

they’re making money. I hope the whole slew of them get taken in. 

I guess you know that we’re somewhere in Italy but get a laugh at 

this. I’ve been in the hospital for the past two weeks. Now don’t get 

excited—it’s not what you think—it’s mumps! I couldn’t get it in the 

states but as soon as I come over here it gets me. Kinda burns me 

up. One consolation thou, the nurses here are really swell and taking 

life real easy. In fact, too easy. Doesn’t seem like the army. –Johnny. 

Letter from Johnny Akimoto to Ruth, March 22, 1944 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Meanwhile, Ted Akimoto remained stranded in the states. His 

headquarters company received orders to send a detail of men for 

a short, special assignment. Ted guarded German prisoners of war 

63
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64 

going to and from farm details, and stood watch at night. When 

another detail of men traveled by train to Ocala, Florida, Ted became 

an actor in an army training film. They stayed in nice hotels, ate in 

fancy restaurants and because it was a War Department job, the 

hotel received extra ration points. Everyone ate steaks. Another 

group of soldiers assigned to the training film, veterans from 

battlefields of Alaska, had fought to recapture two islands, Attu 

and Kiska on the Aleutian Island chain, from the Japanese. 

During the filming, Ted 

and the other Japanese Ration Points 

American soldiers marched 

During World War II, items in the background of one 

such as sugar, butter, meat, scene because no one could 

and gasoline became limited. 

tell they were Asian. Ted 

To make sure everyone later donned the uniform 

received their fair share, of the Japanese Army and 

the U.S. Government issued 

went to Silver Springs, 

ration books or tokens, Florida, where he portrayed 

which allowed the bearer to 

a Japanese sniper, sneaking 

purchase a limited quantity through the jungle and then 

of the rationed items. 

a dead body on a sand 

dune. All these surreal 

experiences could not diminish the constant fear and knowledge 

that his two brothers were still in danger overseas, or dampen his 

desperate desire to join them as soon as possible. 

When the film crew found out Ted had experience as a 

photographer, they handed him a camera and he started taking still 

photos. All in all, while his brothers were in combat in Italy, it was a 

cushy two weeks for Ted in Florida. 
65 

Chapter Ten 

JohnnyWill Never Come
 

Marching Home, 1944
 

Victor and Johnny maintained contact throughout the battles of 

Anzio, where Johnny earned a Bronze Star for heroism or meritorious 

service in connection with a military operation. Occasionally, 

Johnny would write quick notes meant to put his parents’ minds at 

ease. This postcard, dated July 12, 1944, arrived at the Amache 

Internment Camp after August 20, 1944. 

Front side of postcard, July 12, 1944 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
66 

July 12, 1944 

Dear folks, 

Just dropping a letter to let you know I’m okay and everything is fine. 

Please don’t worry about us and take good care of each other and we 

hope to be home in the near future. Give my regards to all and hope 

you all are in good health. – Johnny5 

Postcard from Johnny Akimoto to his parents, July 12, 1944 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

On July 30, 1944, Johnny checked into a military field hospital 

in Italy suffering from a severe stomach ache, which was soon 

diagnosed as acute hepatitis. He had contracted the infection from 

an unknown source in Italy. 

Normally, the liver cleanses the blood of impurities and toxins. 

When the deadly hepatitis virus attacked Johnny’s liver, it created 

a condition in which the vital organ could not breakdown bilirubin, 

a toxic compound produced from the cleaning of red blood cells 

that transport fresh oxygen to the body. The excess bilirubin caused 

Johnny’s skin, eyes, and mucus membranes in his mouth to turn 

yellowish in color, a condition known as jaundice. The infection also 

resulted in a fever of over 102 degrees. The infection began to take 

over his internal organs. On August 1, Johnny’s liver failed and he 

slipped into a coma. At 4 a.m. on August 2, 1944, Johnny died. 

The War Department sent a telegram within two weeks to Masanori 

Akimoto at Amache. Dated August 18, 1944 the telegram notified 

him of his son’s death. 
 War Department Telegram to Masanori Akimoto, August 18, 1944 (U.S. Army) 

Days later, on August 21, 1944, the War Department sent a longer 

explanation to Masanori and Mary, with details of Johnny’s passing. 

The Akimoto family was devastated. Mary and Masanori tried to 

cope with the deprivations of internment camp life along with the 

loss of their youngest son, Johnny. 

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War Department Letter to Masanori Akimoto, August 21, 1944 (U.S. Army) 

Ted Akimoto, who received a copy of the same telegram, remained 

in the U.S. In Silver Springs, Florida, he wrote to his parents to try to 

help them understand Johnny’s passion for fighting in the war: 
69
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70 

Letter from Ted Akimoto to his parents, August 21, 1944 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
71 

Meanwhile, still fighting northward through Italy, Victor also 

struggled to deal with Johnny’s death. In the following letter, Victor 

attempts to explain the confusion regarding Johnny’s death to his 

parents. Throughout the letter Victor hints at the responsibility he 

feels for his younger siblings. He describes the circumstances and 

chronology of Johnny’s death. More important, Victor articulates 

a vision for why he and Johnny chose to fight so passionately on 

shores so far away from home. 

September 4, 1944 

Italy 

Dearest Mother & Dad, 

I received your letter today in which you stated that the War Dept. 

had sent you a telegram notifying you that John had passed away 

on the 2nd. I can readily understand why you were puzzled when my 

letter dated the 3rd and Bill’s letter dated July 30th had stated that 

John was alright. The reason for that was that Bill came to see me on 

the 30th and I told him that John had complained of a stomachache 

and that he had gone to the hospital but none of us thought it was 

serious. As our company pulled out on a special detail the next 

morning, I didn’t have any knowledge of John’s passing away until six 

days later when a good friend of mine in C Company hitch-hiked to 

our company 25 miles away to inform me of the sad news. 

As soon as I heard the shocking news I went to the Medics and 

John’s old company to find out the details. 
72 

 

 

According to the report John went to the hospital on the 30th (of July) 

and it seems he had acute liver trouble and that he passed away 

before they had a chance to operate. 

I see that John’s loss has hit the whole family hard and am very sorry 

to hear that Mother took sick. As in my last letter it’s hard to express 

my feelings but coming over on the boat John and I used to talk about 

home a lot. One of the things we agreed on was neither of us had 

the slightest fear of death and so if it was God’s will that we should 

give our lives to our country, we wanted you folks to be proud and not 

mourn; for this is the greatest cause a man can give his life for, as we 

are fighting on the side of God. As for me, I am in the best of health 

and please don’t worry about my safety as I am in the best company 

of this battalion. 

From the news we received of our troops in France it looks as if 

victory should come within the very near future so who knows we 

might be home for Christmas dinner yet. So you folks please take 

good care of yourselves and don’t worry about Bill6 or me for we 

really see very little action now days. I have to close now so please 

tell Mother I am praying for her quick recovery. 

Love, 

Vic 

Letter from Victor Akimoto to his parents, September 4, 1944 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
Johnny was buried with military honors at the U.S. military cemetery 

in Vada, Italy. A temporary cross marked his grave at Plot A, Row 12, 

Grave 142. 

Mary became ill after learning of Johnny’s death. Knowing that 

Victor remained in perilous danger did not help. Fear, anger, and 

despair hung over the heads of the Akimotos as Victor continued 

to fight. 

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Chapter Eleven 

Wounded POW, November 1944 

After his capture, Victor was transported to Germany by truck. The 

exhausting trip took everything out of Victor. He arrived in very poor 

condition at the German military hospital near Seligenstadt, which 

means Blessed City in English. 

As October gave way to November, 

Victor continued to hope that Debriding a Wound 

the Americans would break 

The unhealthy tissue around through the German lines and 

the wound is removed and 

rescue him. His fight for survival 

sterilized with iodine or 

became a daily chore. His leg 

another disinfectant to reduce 

wound, debrided and cleaned by 

the chance of infection. 

the American medics in France, 

needed constant attention. 

Nearby, on a wooded hilltop, was Stalag IX-B POW Camp (also known 

as Bad Orb), for enlisted soldiers. The hospital at Bad Orb had 

limited capabilities with two American doctors who treated hundreds 

of soldiers as best as they could. The camp was notorious for its 

deplorable living conditions. In early December, as his condition 

worsened, Victor was transferred from the Seligenstadt hospital to 

Bad Orb for more treatment. 

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Map of Prisoner of War Camp Stalag IX-B, Bad Orb, Germany, 1945. The hospital was located in 

barrack 25. (Courtesy of www.IndianaMilitary.org and Pete House) 

Victor clung to life at Bad Orb. Without antibiotics, sulfa powder 

and pills, proper sterilization and medical supplies, first the German, 

then the American doctors struggled to properly treat his injury. 

The destruction to the bones, soft tissues, and skin should have 

been surgically repaired at a proper first aid station or hospital 

facility. Those procedures were most likely not available to Victor. 

With each passing day in the prisoner of war camp, Victor’s body 

struggled to fight against persistent infections. 

On Valentine’s Day 1945, Masanori and Mary Akimoto wrote to the 

War Department trying to get some answers about their lost son. 

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11G – 10A
�

Amache, Colorado

February 14, 1945
�

War Department
�

The Adj. Generals Office
�

Washington, D.C.
�

Re: A G 201 Akimoto, Victor 

PC – N InJO 273 

Dear Sirs: 

It has been over three months since your telegram of November 10th and 

your letter of November 11th in regards to our son, Victor (19078557) 

who has been missing in action since October 23rd. We lost one son, 

John in Italy on August 2, 1944 so you can well understand why we are 

anxious to get some information about Victor. 

According to your letter you stated that you would communicate with 

us again after the expiration of three months. Since we haven’t heard 

from you we are writing to see if you have been able to obtain any 

further information. 

Could you please let us know at the earliest possible time? 

Thank you. 

Sincerely,
�

Mr. & Mrs. M. Akimoto
�

Letter written by Mr. and Mrs. Akimoto to the War Department, February 14, 1945 (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 

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The War Department never responded to the Akimotos’ plea 

for information. While Mary, Masanori, and the rest of the Akimoto 

family waited for word about Victor, the U.S. Army was recovering 

from a deadly German offensive, the Battle of the Bulge, and 

pressing toward Germany to win the largest war in human 

history, World War II. 

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Chapter Twelve
 

Victor in Italy and France, 1944 

Allied Military Advance through Italy, 1943–1944 

Allied forces landed in Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943 and Salerno (Operation Avalanche) in 

September 1943. The forces pushed north, and Rome fell on June 5, 1944 (Peter Koby). 

Victor remained with A Company of the 100th Infantry Battalion 

after Johnny’s death. His company earned the nickname the “Purple 

Heart Battalion” for their heroic deeds and casualties suffered in 

battle. The company’s motto, “Remember Pearl Harbor!” became 

“Go For Broke!” when they joined forces with the rest of the 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team from Camp Shelby. That slogan came to 

define the fighting attitude of the Japanese-American troops. 

The 100th Infantry Battalion helped to destroy the large German 

artillery south of Rome. However, these same Japanese-American 

troops were not allowed to go to Rome – the Caucasian troops 

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442nd Regimental Combat Team 

shoulder patch, c. 1943. (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 

rolled into Rome instead. Due to racial 

tensions in the states, the generals 

decided it would not look good to have 

Japanese-American soldiers riding 

victoriously through Rome. 

After Rome was liberated, the 100th 

Infantry Battalion was assigned 

to the 442nd Regimental Combat 

Team. The 100th Infantry Battalion 

became the 1st Battalion of the 442nd. 

Each American infantry regiment 

or regimental combat team had three battalions during World 

War II. This often caused confusion because the soldiers of 

the 100th Infantry Battalion continued to identify with their 

original unit through the rest of the war. At times, the men of 

the 442nd Regimental Combat Team used both designations 

interchangeably. However, the official U.S. Army designation is 

the 1st Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). 

After Anzio, Victor fought through a series of battles including Hill 

415, Belvedere, Sassetta, Cecina, Castellina, Postina, Orciano, 

Livorno, Pisa, and Lucca. 

Huge battles occurred throughout Italy. Victor was just one individual 

in an Allied front that absorbed massive amounts of resources 

and soldiers. Victor’s battalion continued moving through Italy 

amassing more Purple Hearts, Medals of Honor, and Presidential 

Unit Citations than any other unit in American history—a record that 

remains unbroken to this day. 

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80 

In one battle, Victor became separated from his weapon. Perhaps 

he ran out of ammo or his gun jammed, but he found himself in 

a perilous situation. He frantically searched the area for another 

weapon when he came across four armed Germans. Somehow, 

Victor convinced the Germans that he had the upper hand, and they 

surrendered. For capturing four Germans without a weapon, he was 

awarded a Bronze Star. 

On June 6, 1944, the Allies made their famous landing at 

Normandy in France. Meanwhile, Victor’s unit, after completing their 

assignments in Italy, traveled to Naples for a brief period of rest and 

relaxation, then on to Marseille, France, to begin a direct northward 

assault on Germany. General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s plan was to 

crush the Germans between 

the hammer of the Normandy 

landings and the anvil of troops 

moving north after Operation 

Dragoon landed in southern 

France in August 1944. When 

the two armies met up, they 

would attack Germany on a 

massive front along the German 

border. Victor’s unit traveled 

up the Rhone River Valley by 

train and then on foot until 

they approached the forests 

on the border between France 

and Germany. 

Supreme Commander of Allied Troops in 

Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led 

the coalition of Allied forces though the 

European theatre during World War II. In 

1953, he became president of the United 

States of America. (Naval History and 

Heritage Command) 
Allied Military Strategy in Western Europe, 1943–1944 

The goal of the Allied 

advance was to join 

forces of the Hammer– 

the Normandy Invasion, 

Operation Cobra, and the 

push to capture Berlin– 

with the Anvil–the invasion 

of Italy and Operation 

Dragoon. The goal was 

that Allied forces would 

meet in eastern France 

and advance across the 

Rhine River into Germany. 

(Peter Koby) 

Normandy
�

If you are interested in learning more about the landings at the 

Normandy Beaches, visit: http://go.usa.gov/3AfVT 

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Chapter Thirteen 

Battle of the Lost Battalion,
 

October 1944
 

As fall became winter in central Europe, the world braced for 

the final European battles of World War II. By the time the 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team arrived at France’s Vosges Mountains, the 

fighting was frantic. Adolf Hitler had ordered his troops to fight to the 

last man to defend Germany from the Allied advance. 

Victor’s company would be fighting in mountain terrain, much trickier 

than the flat plains of Italy. Here, they had to contend with trees, 

rocks, fog, and rain, as well as a highly trained, professional German 

Army fighting to defend its homeland. 

442nd Regimental 

Combat Team 

members at the Battle 

of the Lost Battalion, 

October 1944 (U.S. 

Army Signal Corps) 

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The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was ordered to rescue the 141st 

Infantry Regiment, composed of members mostly from Texas. Allied 

bombers air-dropped supplies to the surviving 275 Texans. But the 

weather conditions were so poor that most of the supplies fell into 

German hands. Artillery shells stuffed with emergency supplies, 

aimed at the entrenched Americans, fell into enemy hands as well. 

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team battled for days before finally 

breaking through the German defenses. On October 30, 230 men 

of the 141st Infantry Regiment came out alive. The 442nd suffered 

over 800 casualties, deaths and injuries combined. More JapaneseAmerican soldiers sacrificed and lost their lives in what became 

known as the Battle of the Lost Battalion than soldiers of the 141st 

Infantry Regiment were saved.7 When the dead and injured were 

counted, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team lost over three times 

more soldiers than they saved. 

A week and a half after the battle, on November 12, 1944, the 

442nd stood in formation for review by General John E. Dahlquist, 

one of the officers in charge of the Battle of the Lost Battalion. 

Standing in the snow, the soldiers lined up in parade formation 

behind their flags. 

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As General Dahlquist came to K Company, one unit of the 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team, he noticed there were only 18 soldiers 

in formation. Speaking to the officer in charge of K Company, 

Lieutenant Colonel Miller, Dahlquist shouted, “I want all of your men 

to stand for this formation!” Miller replied, “That’s all of K Company 

left, sir.” K Company had started with 400 men. By the end, only 18 

men remained capable of standing. 

The color guard of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team stands at attention on the frozen 

fields near Bruyeres, France, November 1944 (U.S. Army Center of Military History) 

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Chapter Fourteen 

Amputation, December 1944 

As relentless as time, the weather outside Victor’s hospital 

bed moved from fall to winter. By mid-December, Victor’s worst 

nightmares were coming true. Constant fever, lack of mobility, and a 

wound that refused to heal reduced his chances of survival. 

His infected wound continued 

to worsen and turned to 

gangrene. Victor’s sepsis 

infection started the moment 

his skin was ruptured by 

the German bullet. The 

contamination started 

locally and then spread via 

his bloodstream. Over the 

weeks, his blood started to 

carry infectious bacteria to 

his major organs. His organs 

became unable to cope with 

the toxic blood supply and 

the ability of his body to clean 

toxins decreased. Eventually, 

his organs would begin to 

shut down. 

Sepsis Infection 

A sepsis infection usually starts 

with the rupture of the skin. 

Bacteria attack the wound and 

then spread via the bloodstream 

to other parts of the body 

including the major organs. 

Gangrene 

The cells of the tissues around 

a wound die because they have 

a reduced supply of healthy red 

blood cells. Dead tissue cells, 

in turn, become part of the 

infection. 

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The doctors determined Victor would not survive unless the sepsis 

infection was stopped. They decided to amputate Victor’s leg above 

the knee. By removing the lower half of the limb, they hoped he 

would be able to fight off the infection. 

Victor now faced having his leg removed while still conscious. 

Anesthetics allow doctors to put patients to sleep and to conduct 

operations without causing pain to the patient. However, these 

drugs were probably not available for Victor or any other POW, since 

Germany reserved medical supplies for soldiers and civilians, not 

Allied prisoners of war. 

Other POWs held down Victor’s 

Amputation shoulders, torso, and legs during the 

procedure. Victor bit down on a stick An amputation is the 

while the doctors sawed through his removal of a limb, arm 

thigh tissues and bone. or leg. The surgical 

procedure is done to After the procedure, Victor recovered 

increase the chances of enough to speak to his doctor. He had 

survival of the patient. just one request: no more food. 

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Chapter Fifteen
 

Ted Goes to Japan, 1945
 

With Victor’s whereabouts 

unknown and Johnny already dead, 

Ted agonized over his lost brothers. 

Despite his best efforts to join 

the battle overseas, Ted seemed 

stymied by endless bureaucracy. He 

was finally offered the opportunity 

to attend Officer Candidate School 

(OCS), the only viable route left that 

might possibly afford the chance of 

an overseas deployment to search 

for Victor. A letter from his friend 

George Harada, who was then 

fighting overseas, reminded him 

again that he remained stateside. 

V-Mail 

During World War II, 

many letters to and 

from frontline soldiers 

were sent via V-Mail. 

The original letter was 

censored, photographed, 

placed onto microfilm, 

and reprinted on paper 

at the other end. Thus, 

37 bags of mail with 

150,000 one-page 

letters could be sent in 

one sack. 
88 

TO: T/Sgt. Ted Akimoto 39915052 

HQ and HQ Co, 171 Inf BN (Sep) 

Camp Shelby, MISS 

From: Pfc. G. Harada, 39168082 

Co D, 100 NB, 442 Inf Reg’t 

APO 758, C/O P.M, NY. NY. 

28 Feb. 1945 

Dear Ted: 

It appears, finally, that the brass hats [officers] in your outfit have come 

to their senses by sending you to OCS [Officer Candidate School]. Believe 

me, pal, if guys such as Sad Sack and Fat Boy could make the grade, it’s 

only common justice that you be given the same chance. Frankly, I think 

you’ll make a corking good officer, Ted, and I’m all for it. It’s rather odd 

too, for Tumabashi and I were beating our gums just before your V-mail 

came, and I mentioned that you must have gone to OCS, or something 

since you hadn’t written in sometime. We both agreed that such an 

event would bring up considerably the average of the officer corp [sic] in 

your battalion. So, go to it, son. 

There’s a dearth of news lately for we’ve been doing a great deal of 

nothing, which of course, doesn’t hurt my feelings at all. On the other 

hand it does make letter writing difficult! Of course, I could dwell upon 

the scenic wonders of France, but I’m sure you wouldn’t care for that. 

Regarding that picture you saw, it was taken in Italy nearly a year ago 

(how time passes!) a few miles north of Cisterna, on the Road to Rome. 

To give you an idea of how the so-called “combat photographer” works, 

it was taken some 5 or 6 miles behind the front lines. Incidentally, the 

guy in the front of me is Dochin, your brother Johnny’s pal. I remember 
the day as being torrid and dusty, for the unpaved road had been ground 

down to a fine powder some 4 or 5 inches deep, and each step would 

add to the stifling cloud that we raised as we passed. 

Yeah, Ted, I’d appreciate a copy of the Reader [sic] Digest and also the 

Infantry Journal of December that I mentioned previously. Can it be 

arranged? 

Take things easy Ted – that is until you hit Benning. I’ll be rooting for you 

pal ---

Your buddy,
�

George
�

Letter from George Harada to Ted Akimoto, February 28, 1945 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Assigned to the Infantry Training Center at Fort McClellan, Alabama, 

after training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Ted made inquiries about a 

reassignment to combat with the 442nd. 

When a company clerk told Ted he had new orders, he leapt at the 

opportunity. To his surprise, he was sent to the Japanese Language 

School in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. 

For 30 days, 10 hours a day, seven days a week, Ted had to 

memorize interrogation questions in Japanese such as, “You’re 

lying! Who is your commanding officer? Where did you hide your 

weapons?” Then he learned the words for regiment, battalion, 

machine guns, and numbers—nothing he could use in normal 

conversation. Ironically, Ted, who learned very little Japanese, took 

command of 120 Nisei translators and interpreters who could 

speak, read, and write Japanese fluently in preparation for his next 

assignment, Japan. All the while, Ted hoped for news that Victor was 

alive and safe. 

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90 

On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany gave its unconditional surrender and 

ended hostilities in Europe. Ted, in July 1945, departed on a train 

from Minnesota to Seattle on a cross-country trip through southern 

Idaho. He was being deployed to Japan. 

As the train paused at 2 a.m. at an isolated train station near 

Mountain Home, Idaho, Ted noticed one of his soldiers jump off the 

train. The young man ran to his girlfriend, hugged her, kissed her, 

and then re-boarded the train. The young woman returned to the 

Minidoka Internment Camp. 

After Ted and his troops 

arrived in Seattle to 

prepare for the invasion 

of Japan, it rained 

straight for nearly 20 

days. His company 

repeatedly practiced 

emergency drills: climbing 

up and down the rope 

cargo ladders in case 

they were struck by a 

torpedo. On August 6 and 

August 9, respectively, 

Hiroshima and Nagasaki 

The atomic bombs dropped by 

the United States on these two 

cities killed between 100,000 

and 240,000 people. Hundreds 

of thousands more were injured 

or contracted illnesses from the 

radiation. These are the only 

nuclear weapons to ever have 

been used in warfare. 

the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Just 

before Ted’s unit departed the port, Imperial Japan surrendered on 

August 14, 1945, the war in the Pacific came to a close and ended 

all combat in World War II. 
The invasion of Japan was canceled, sparing Ted and thousands of 

other American soldiers the perils of an assault on the Japanese 

islands. The dropping of the atomic bombs and the impending 

invasion by the Soviet Union forced Japan to surrender. However 

Ted’s unit still shipped out, navigated through the tail end of a 

typhoon, and docked in Yokohama. 

Immediately, Ted knew 

that war impacted the 

people of Yokohama. 

The streets, lined 

with poorly dressed 

children without shoes, 

smelled of burnt 

timbers and foul water. 

Buildings and whole 

sections of the city 

appeared demolished 

and destroyed by the 

American bombing raids. Ted and other soldiers grabbed whatever 

they could carry from the ship, including candy, food, clothing, and 

medical supplies for the Japanese civilians. They began distributing 

necessities as they traveled through the smoldering cities. Being a 

military intelligence officer in charge of a team of translators, with no 

Japanese language skills himself, Ted sought new opportunities. 

Photograph of Generals Douglas MacArthur (left) and 

Dwight D. Eisenhower (right) by Ted Akimoto, c. 1945 

(Akimoto Family Collection) 

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92 

Surrender of Japan 

General Douglas MacArthur signed the formal surrender agreement on-board the 

U.S.S. Missouri. Standing behind General MacArthur are Lieutenant General Jonathan 

Wainwright, survivor of the Bataan Death March and three years in Japanese Prisoner 

of War Camps, and British Lieutenant General A. E. Percival, also a POW of the 

Japanese. (National Archives and Records Administration) 

When word reached Ted that the Army Signal Corps needed a 

photographer, he dropped everything and drove a jeep to Tokyo. 

His experience as a high school photography club member paid 

off when he landed a job as one of General Douglas MacArthur’s 

photographers. 

Using MacArthur’s 

personal plane Ted 

Radiation Danger 

took photos of Mount The dangers of exposure to 

Fuji, the eruption of atomic radiation were not widely 

Mount Aso, and some known in 1945. Countless 

of the first photos of people died of issues related to 

the devastation of radiation exposure. 

Hiroshima. During his
time as a photographer for the Army, Ted and his team were also 

ordered to document the devastating effects of the atomic bombs, 

including the horrendous damage to surviving radiation victims. 

Ted Akimoto and General Tansey’s secretary (name unknown) 50 yards 

from ground zero in Hiroshima, 1945 (Akimoto Family Collection) 

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Chapter Sixteen 

Bad Orb, January 1945 

By early January 1945, living conditions of the camp started to 

deteriorate exponentially for prisoners at Bad Orb. The Battle of the 

Bulge, launched by the Germans on December 16, 1944, caught 

the POW camp commanders off guard. Overnight, thousands of 

Allied POWs were crammed into the camps. Food, clothing, shelter, 

medicine, and supplies of all types were in short supply. 

When the International Red Cross visited the Bad Orb camp on 

January 24, 1945, conditions were terrible. Most of the prisoners 

arrived at the freezing end of December 1944 from the Western 

front. Captured in battles in Luxembourg, Belgium, and France, the 

average prisoner took nine days to arrive at the camp. The German 

authorities, unprepared for the sudden arrival of 1,500 men, forced 

the POWs to sleep on crowded, bare wooden floors in barracks with 

missing or broken windows. 

Upon arrival, the men were de-loused with chemicals and given a 

hot bath. The camp commandant, Oberst Seiber, told Red Cross 

officials that Bad Orb was a temporary camp and the bulk of the 

prisoners would be moved to other locations. In several barracks, 

lights, washing facilities, and toilets remained unavailable. Appalling 

conditions existed in the few indoor and outdoor latrines. 

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Berga Concentration Camp 

To make room in Bad Orb after the Battle of the Bulge in January 

of 1945, 350 Jewish American POWs were pulled out and marched 

north to the Berga Concentration Camp. Most of the transferred 

POWs constructed underground tunnels for armament factories 

12 hours a day, seven days a week. Without masks to filter the 

dust, coats or adequate 

footwear, the American 

POW casualty rates at Berga 

became much higher than 

at other POW camps. Near 

the end of the war some 

of the prisoners, forced on 

death marches by the Nazis 

to avoid liberation, barely 

survived. 

If you are interested in 

learning more about Berga, 

visit: http://www.pbs.org/ 

wnet/berga/ 

Members of the visiting International Red Cross delegation noted 

that most prisoners had a German blanket for warmth. Yet the thin 

blankets had holes or large sections of threadbare material, and 

30 men had no blankets at all. In the middle of the German winter, 

some men possessed only underclothing with a shirt and trousers. 

Many had no boots to protect their feet from frostbite; nearly onefifth of the men had no coats. 

Jewish American POWs at Berga Concentration Camp, 

1945 (National Archives and Record Administration) 

95
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96 

By mid-February each prisoner had sent his “first card” to relatives 

at home, to inform them of their whereabouts. According to the 

Geneva Conventions, POWs were allowed to write home to their 

families. The lack of stationary, cards, and writing utensils remained 

a sore point with the prisoners. 

Throughout that cold winter, Mary and Masanori Akimoto anxiously 

waited for word concerning Victor. Notecards were completed at 

the camp detailing Victor’s condition, but Mary never received any 

of these communications at Amache. Neither his parents 

nor the U.S. Army received word about Victor from him or the 

German authorities. 

Notecard from Bad Orb addressed to Mary Akimoto, c. 1945 (U.S. Army) 

On February 9, 1945, a telegram sent to the U.S. Secretary of State 

by the Red Cross raised more alarm bells about the soldiers at 

Bad Orb. By mid-March 1945, problems had reached critical status 

according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. 
International Red Cross Telegram, February 9, 1945 (U.S. Army) 

The prisoners evacuated ahead of the Russian advance on the 

eastern front arrived at Bad Orb in deplorable condition. Many of the 

POWs arrived suffering from frostbite, considerable loss of weight, 

dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhagic fever, and general pneumonia. 

Hygiene was nonexistent, vermin swarmed the camp, and many 

of the POWs had only shreds of clothing left. Reports of typhoid 

outbreaks circulated. The severely overcrowded barracks and 

emergency tents in muddy fields forced many of the prisoners to 

sleep on dirty floors. Food rations dwindled to meager portions, and 

the camp lacked salt, a nutritional necessity, for several weeks. 

97
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98 

Finally, on April 2, 1945, elements of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 106th 

Cavalry Regiment, and the 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion broke 

through the German lines and blasted 30 miles through enemy 

territory. By late evening the Americans arrived at the doorstep of 

Bad Orb and liberated Stalag IX-B. 

Stalag IX – B POW Camp, Bad Orb, c. 1945 (U.S. Army Signal Corps) 
99 

Chapter Seventeen 

Seizing Bad Orb, April 1945 

Once the Americans liberated Bad Orb, they focused on the health 

and welfare of the captives. They also seized all documents relating 

to the prisoners, gathered thousands of reports, letters, and pieces 

of paperwork, and handed them to translators, Red Cross officials, 

and the Military Intelligence Service. 

Elements of the 2nd 

Infantry Battalion, 

114th Infantry 

Regiment, 44th 

Division liberate 

6,000 POWs, April 

2, 1945 (National 

Archives and 

Records 

Administration) 
100 

Victor Akimoto’s Soldier Individual Pay Record showed up 

within those records, detailing Victor’s military career including 

immunizations, pay records, and references to his reduction in pay 

due to his voluntary demotion in rank. 

Victor Akimoto’s Soldier Individual Pay Record. Victor’s name appears in the top of the cover on 

the right hand side. (U.S. Army) 

Several of the seized files pertained specifically to Victor and 

detailed the circumstances of his amputation. These files were 

subsequently classified by the U.S. Army and not shared with 

his family. 
Agence Centrale 

Des Prisonniers 

de Guerre, 

International Red 

Cross. c. 1945 

(U.S. Army) 

German 

Nach der Amputation des rechten Beines hat Kranker der Artzin 

die Mitteilung gemacht, sterben zu wollen und daraufhin jede 

Nahrungsaufnahme verweigert. 

English Translation 

Following the amputation of the right leg, the patient informed 

the doctor that he wants to die (sterben zu wollen) and therefore 

refused all food (Nahrungsaufnahme). 

101
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Victor Akimoto died on December 14, 1944 and was buried in 

the civilian cemetery in Seligenstadt, Germany, near the Reserve 

Lazarett Hanau military hospital. After the amputation of his leg, the 

doctors reported that Victor no longer wanted to live and he refused 

to eat. 

According to the records, at 3 p.m. on December 22, 1944, a 

military procession with honor guard composed of other POWs 

convened and placed a wreath of pine boughs over Victor’s grave. 

Next to his body in the snow-covered ground, a small glass bottle 

holding a slip of paper with his name and serial number was placed. 

No records confirm the use of a cross or other grave marker to 

identify his burial site. However, white crosses at Bad Orb and other 

German POW camps occasionally marked the graves of the dead. 

Six months passed from the time of Victor’s capture to when his 

family received notification of his death. 

War Department Telegram to Mary Akimoto, April 19, 1945 (U.S. Army) 

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A few weeks after the liberation of Bad Orb, the War Department 

sent a telegram to the Akimoto family in Amache. Grave registration 

and mortuary officials within the U.S. Army had exhumed Victor’s 

body from German soil, identified the remains with the help of the 

note in the glass bottle, and brought him back to France. 

The War Department telegram of April 19, 1945 and the official 

letter dated May 8, 1945 (Victory in Europe Day) simply reported 

Victor’s death. Communications with the Akimoto family did not 

mention Victor’s capture, POW status, or his severe injury. 

War Department letter to Mary Akimoto, May 8, 1945 (U.S. Army) 

103
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104 

 

Request for Disposition 

of Remains Form in the 

Individual Deceased 

Personnel File for Johnny 

Akimoto, November 24, 

1947 (U.S. Army) 

On May 8, 1945, the German high command officially surrendered, 

and the war in Europe ended. Allied troops around the world 

celebrated victory, while at the same time,
�

the Soviet Union and America turned their full attention to defeating 

the Empire of Japan.
�

After the war, Mary and Masanori gave permission to the War 

Department to bury Victor with his fellow American soldiers in 

France. The family also requested that Johnny’s remains be removed 

from Italy and placed next to Victor’s, so they could rest together, in 

the beautiful, Lorraine American Cemetery near St. Avold, France. 

Johnny Akimoto lies in Plot A, Row 14, Grave 42. Next to him are the 

remains of his courageous brother, Victor Akimoto, in Plot A, Row 14, 

Grave 43. 
105 

Chapter Eighteen 

Postwar: What Brothers Do 

Ted Akimoto wondered for years why he was never ordered into 

battle. During World War II, he thought his stateside, noncombat 

assignments must had been related to the Sullivans, a group of five 

brothers who died after a Japanese submarine torpedoed their ship 

the U.S.S. Juneau, in November 1942. 

Ted Akimoto, c. 1945 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
106 

There were also the four Niland brothers, two of whom died in rapid 

succession during the war. The U.S. Army managed to pull one from 

the battlefields of France, and the fourth brother survived the war in 

a Japanese POW camp in Burma. Moviegoers familiar with Saving 

Private Ryan know this story well. Ted Akimoto figured he remained 

out of combat because the U.S. Army did not want his parents to 

lose another son like the Sullivans and Nilands. 

He did not learn the truth until years later. Through his military 

sources, he discovered the full impact of the meeting that had 

taken place in 1943 between Victor, the chaplain, and his company 

commander. 

Ted Akimoto 

If you are interested in learning more about Ted Akimoto, visit: 

http://streams.wgbh.org/online/specials/war/akimoto/index.html 

Ted Akimoto in General Douglas MacArthur’s plane, Bataan, c. 1945 (Akimoto Family Collection) 
As the oldest son, Victor believed it was his duty to look after his 

younger brothers. As any good son would do, he had promised his 

mother to keep Ted and Johnny safe. Yet the U.S. Army decided to 

keep sergeants of the 100th Infantry Battalion stateside to continue 

training new soldiers. In order for his commander to give him 

permission to go, Victor accepted a voluntary demotion from the 

rank of sergeant to private. 

During that same conversation in 1943, Victor had also asked 

the chaplain and commander to make him a promise: to neither 

send Ted into battle nor allow Ted to take a reduction in rank to 

go into battle like Victor. Ted desperately wanted to join the 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team in combat, but his commander refused. 

Ted was offered two choices: become a paratrooper or enter Officer 

Candidate School. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team had no 

paratroopers associated with it. Thus Officer Candidate School 

became the only path open to Ted. He became a second lieutenant, 

known as a “90-day-wonder” because of the required three months 

of training. After four years of non-combat service, Ted received an 

honorary medical discharge from the Army after the removal of one 

of his kidneys. 

107
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108 

Dedication from the Lorraine American Cemetery opening 

ceremony program. Japanese translation provided by Mary 

Akimoto, July 6, 1960. (Akimoto Family Collection) 

Masanori, who died in 

1951, never visited the 

graves of Victor and 

Johnny. However, 15 years 

after the war ended, on 

July 19, 1960, Ted and 

his mother Mary attended 

the dedication ceremony 

of Lorraine American 

Cemetery in France as 

guests of the U.S. Army. 

A grand procession that day, 

including a number of military 

speakers and Mrs. Theodore 

Roosevelt, witnessed the 

dedication of the cemetery. 

When the ceremony was 

finished, Ted and Mary had a 

chance to visit the graves of 

Victor and Johnny and reflect 

on the tremendous sacrifices 

they had made. 

Flanders Field poem by John McCrae printed 

in the opening ceremony program at Lorraine 

American Cemetery, July 19, 1960. (Akimoto 

Family Collection) 
Mary and Ted 

Akimoto standing 

between the 

graves of Victor 

and Johnny, 

July 19, 1960. 

(Akimoto Family 

Collection) 

As Ted stood in the special section of the cemetery designed for 30 

pairs of brothers, all killed in the war, he knew he too could have 

died and been buried in Plot A, Row 14, Grave 44. Victor had saved 

Ted’s life with the bargain he struck with his commander and Ted 

would never forget this. Ted went on to live a full life, a grateful life. 

He felt he needed to live an honorable life not only for himself, but 

for Johnny and Victor as well. 

After graduating from Arizona State University, he started a family 

and became a beloved art teacher at a Department of Defense 

109
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110 

School, Munich American High School, in Germany. When Ted 

retired from a lifetime of giving to students, he took the time to write 

his memoirs. Ted Akimoto died in 2011. His memorial was attended 

by over 200 people, many of whom were former high school art and 

photography students. 

Dotty K. Phipps 

(One of Ted Akimoto’s students at Munich American High School) 

April 27, 2015 

He was always smiling and so easy going, as a teacher, and that 

made him easy to talk to. He GLOWED when you “got it” or did 

really well on a project. I’ll never forget this as long as I live: He 

was standing in front of my art class (86 or so) and talking about 

sculptures or something along that line when he asked, “Do you 

know why Michelangelo’s Moses has horns?” and me, being a 

trivia buff and a big reader shot my hand up and said, “Oh, I know! 

Because the Hebrew word for horns and ray of light are the same.” 

My goodness the look on his face – part shocked, part proud 

like I’d just won a spelling bee! I impressed him and he was not 

expecting it! He broke out into a thousand-watt grin, pointed at me 

and almost shouted, “Yes!!” I’ll never forget that look, or the feeling 

of pride that welled up inside me, ever. His opinion meant the 

world to me. I wish I could’ve told him in person before he passed. 
Ted Akimoto holding his photo of General MacArthur and Eisenhower (Akimoto Family Collection) 

111
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Lorraine American Cemetery 

2015 

In the fall of 2014, the American Battle Monuments Commission 

established a partnership with National History Day and the Roy 

Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason 

University to recruit teachers to tell the stories of fallen World War II 

soldiers. The goal: create lessons for students about the sacrifices 

of World War II in Northern Europe. 

During the research process, Ted Akimoto’s daughter, Sara, and his 

wife, Summer, contacted the author. Their guidance and support 

made an enormous difference in the course of this project. Later, 

the dedicated efforts of Lynne O’Hara at National History Day, 

historian Dr. Christopher Hamner at George Mason University, and 

an untold number of people at the National Records and Archives 

Administration and the U.S. Army provided piles of documents. With 

their support, declassified documents and military records for both 

Victor and Johnny were made available. Prior to this project, those 

records had not been reviewed since World War II. 

Some of the most astounding papers in the collection, the POW 

records for Victor, were in German. Many of the details retold above 

were taken from those records. 

On Tuesday, January 27, 2015, the author received a preliminary 

translation with devastating news. Because the records had been 

classified, the Akimoto family members were unaware of the details 

112
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of Victor’s death. Due to the circumstances involved with Victor’s 

passing, Sara Akimoto was contacted by the author so she could 

inform the extended family. 

January 28, 2015 

Sara, 

It’s hard to believe after working on Victor and Johnny for these 

months that I learn something new. The information I have for you 

today is not easy to hear, but I feel like I should share with you pieces 

of the story even if they are hard to say and tell. 

This morning, I received a preliminary summary of the POW 

documents about Victor. The records include prison camp records 

and doctor’s records as well. There is no easy way to tell this to you, 

so I’m just going to tell you. 

This is what the translator wrote to me this morning: 

“This is the death certificate of an American soldier in 1945 who 

obviously was imprisoned in a German war prison camp. He was 

buried in Germany. He had a shot wound in the leg, then an infected 

sepsis and after amputation was done he informed his Doctor that he 

wanted to die and refused food intake.” 

The translator, a German, was very moved by the details and 

expressed those thoughts as well.
�

Bless you and your family, 

Matt 

113
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114 

The most disturbing detail to reveal to Sara—Victor’s refusal to 

take food after the amputation—must have come as a shock. After 

everything he survived, in the end, Victor wanted to die. 

Considering Victor’s final days, a number of motives for his final 

decision could help explain his choice to stop eating. Perhaps he 

suffered from diarrhea as well, and the food would have made it 

worse. It is also possible that Victor refused to eat to allow other 

prisoners more food, as a gift. If this were the case, his father would 

have been proud that the family legacy of generosity prevailed. Or, 

perhaps Victor knew full well, after suffering from his injury for over 

seven weeks that he would not be able to recover. Soldiers like 

Victor, those who had experienced battle for long periods, would 

have known about sepsis. This type of infection, prior to antibiotics 

like penicillin, nearly always led to death under these conditions. An 

amputation was Victor’s last hope to stop the infection. 

Alternatively, Victor may not have wanted to return home as a broken 

soldier. From his perspective, perhaps life with a missing leg would 

have been too difficult, too dishonorable. He may have considered 

coming home suffering from a severe injury, an infection, and after 

spending time as a POW too humiliating. From all indications, Victor 

was a true warrior. Having to return home with a missing limb might 

have been more than he could accept. 

By the next morning, Sara responded to the author’s email. 
January 29, 2015 

Dear Matt, 

You are very kind to worry about me and my family’s feelings about 

this. I experienced a complex array of emotions, both after the initial 

reading and then upon reflection. I am grateful that our grandparents 

and presumably our parents (the remaining 6 siblings including my 

father) did not live long enough to learn this. I think if my dad had 

known the details he never would have revealed them to anyone. I 

know that all 3 brothers routinely lied about conditions and horrible 

atrocities in their letters to spare their parents, who were already 

interned in the camps. I also find myself incapable of judging Victor’s 

decision with anything but love, sorrow and unnecessary forgiveness... 

no one can know the pain or awful conditions he may have endured 

before coming to that terrible decision. Perhaps the last one he felt he 

had any control over, if he truly believed he would never be rescued or 

see his family again....Maybe I would have come to the same decision. 

Thank you for being so sensitive and careful in your wording. For better 

or for worse, the truth is the truth and I will always be grateful to you 

for caring deeply enough to find it. 

Respectfully, 

Sara 

115
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116 

The first group of Understanding Sacrifice teacher scholars visit the graves of Victor and Johnny Akimoto at 

Lorraine American Cemetery in July 2015. 
117 

Postscript: Understanding
 

Sacrifice
 

World War II, by any measure, became the greatest calamity in 

human history caused by man. Overall, the world witnessed the 

destruction of over 60 million lives between 1939 and 1945. 

Estimates vary, but the Soviet Union may have lost over 25 million in 

defense of its homeland, while China may have lost an additional 50 

million civilians. Germany suffered eight million deaths to a regime 

that cared little for its citizens. The wanton destruction of Hitler’s 

Final Solution witnessed the murder of between six and twelve 

million Jews. The United States, whose contribution to the Allied 

victory can never be overlooked, lost more than 405,000 service 

members in the defense of freedom. 

Awards and Honors 

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team received over 18,000 individual 

decorations making them the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. 

• 21 Medals of Honor • 15 Soldiers’ Medals 

• 52 Distinguished Service Crosses • 4,000 Bronze Stars 

• 1 Distinguished Service Medal • 8 Presidential Unit Citations 

• 559 Silver Stars •1 Congressional Gold Medal 

• 22 Legion of Merit • 9,486 Purple Hearts
118 

Given these numbers, it is hard to put into context the sacrifice 

of any one individual such as Victor or Johnny. Certainly they 

had “given it their all,” in Ted’s words. While 120,000 Japanese 

Americans encountered racism, bigotry, segregation, and 

incarceration, Japanese-American soldiers constituted over 33,000 

members of the American military—including 6,000 soldiers in the 

Military Intelligence Service. Among the nearly 14,000 JapaneseAmericans who 

served in combat 

Medal of Honor 

units, nearly 10,000 

earned Purple Heart More than 55 years later, 21 AsianMedals, including American veterans of the conflict, including 

Victor Akimoto. The 19 who served in the 100th Infantry 

Japanese-American Battalion and the 442nd Regimental 

soldiers of this Combat Team, had their Distinguished 

generation took up Service Crosses upgraded to Medals 

the battles of World of Honor. This belated action aimed to 

War II with an esprit remedy prejudice that existed at the time.

de corps that defies 

understanding.
�

The Akimoto family and most other Japanese Americans faced 

tremendous animosity and hatred during and after World War II.
�

At times in America, issues of race and religion come into conflict 

with patriotism. Incensed about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the 

American public turned against Asians, in particular JapaneseAmericans. In the same way some Americans sought revenge 

against Muslim-Americans for the 9/11 attacks, Japanese 

Americans became scapegoats for the sunken ships at the bottom 

of Pearl Harbor. 
Veteran Terry Shima accepts the Congressional Gold Medal, presented by President Barack Obama, 

on behalf of Japanese American soldiers of World War II. (Japanese American Veterans Association) 

Often the media, 

governments, and 

historians fail to 

acknowledge the 

savagery of war and 

celebrate instead the 

gallantry, glamour, 

and courage that wars 

occasion. According to 

military history professor 

Congressional Gold Medal 

On October 5, 2010, President Barrack 

Obama signed S.1055, a bill to grant the 

Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, 

to the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd 

Regimental Combat Team, and Military 

Intelligence Service, in recognition of their 

dedicated service during World War II. 

119
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120 

Dr. Christopher Hamner of George Mason University, “War is always 

ugly. While World War II was certainly a necessary conflict against a 

thoroughly evil regime, defeating that regime required people and 

nations to engage in all sorts of cruel, vicious, and dehumanizing 

behaviors. It is tempting to omit the grisly details of the war--bodies 

burned by jellied gasoline, cities of civilians reduced to ashes and 

rubble, and countless families like Victor’s suffering the permanent 

loss of a beloved father, son or brother--in favor of simply re-telling 

the courageous and inspiring story of the Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc. 

But when we do that, we tacitly contribute to the glorification of the 

war–and at that point, we are not telling the whole truth.” 

Pointe-du-Hoc 

During the landings at Normandy, France, the U.S. Army 

Ranger Assault Group commanded by Lieutenant Colonel 

James Earl Rudder assaulted and captured a pivotal point of 

land from the entrenched German Army. If you are interested 

in learning more, visit: http://go.usa.gov/3AfV3 
Johnny’s death brought home to the Akimoto family a very real truth. 

Victor, despite his best efforts as the older son, proved unable to 

protect his younger brother from one of the most common ancillary 

causes of death during war, infection. 

As much as society wants to believe in the heroes and glory of war, 

not everyone in the military perishes from a single shot through 

the heart while undertaking a courageous deed. Soldiers die 

from bombs dropped by their own planes; soldiers die from tanks 

accidentally driving over infantrymen; and soldiers die from liver 

failure and infection. No matter the cause, a dead soldier never 

comes marching home. 

Understanding Victor Akimoto’s death requires thought, and 

considerable understanding. When the Germans “captured” Victor 

lying on his stretcher with a severe leg injury, they essentially signed 

his death certificate. They could have sent Victor and his medics 

back to the American lines. They decided not to. What then ensued, 

two months of suffering, brought Victor’s life to an end. He must 

have held out hope that the sacrifices he had made for his brothers 

would someday be understood by his family. In fact, the sacrifices he 

made for Ted were entirely successful. 

Ted lived a long and prosperous life, deeply indebted to the gifts of a 

brother he could never repay. Today, Americans can look upon Victor 

as a patriot and soldier of the highest order. 

Standing between the crosses of 10,489 graves, Mary “Miki” 

Shiratori Akimoto keenly understood the devastating reality of war. 

To win World War II, many lives were sacrificed. True sacrifices, gifts 

willingly laid down “upon the altar of freedom,” require acceptance, 

not repayment.8 

121
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122 

The legacies of Johnny and Victor Akimoto, along with more than 

405,000 American deaths of World War II, should be remembered, 

acknowledged, and honored. 
123 

About National History Day 

National History Day (NHD) is a nonprofit 

education organization in College Park, 

Maryland. Established in 1974, NHD 

offers yearlong academic programs 

that engage over half a million middle 

and high school students around the 

world annually in conducting original research on historical 

topics of interest. These research-based projects are entered 

into contests at the local and affiliate levels, where the top 

student projects have the opportunity to advance to the National 

Contest at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD also 

seeks to improve the quality of history education by providing 

professional development opportunities and curriculum materials 

for educators. These take the form of webinars, professional 

development training, online courses for graduate credit, 

and summer institutes. NHD coordinates the Albert H. Small 

Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Student & Teacher Institute. 

For more information about NHD, visit www.nhd.org. 
124 

About the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media 

Since 1994, the Roy Rosenzweig Center 

for History and New Media (RRCHNM) at 

George Mason University has used digital 

media to advance history education, preserve and present history 

online, and transform scholarship. RRCHNM is a democratic, 

collaborative space where scholars, developers, designers, and 

researchers work together to advance history education and digital 

humanities. For more information, visit chnm.gmu.edu. 

About the American Battle Monuments Commission: 

The American Battle Monuments 

Commission (ABMC) is a U.S. government 

agency charged with commemorating 

the service, achievements and sacrifice 

of the U.S. armed forces. Established by 

Congress in 1923, ABMC administers, operates, and maintains 

25 permanent American military cemeteries and 27 federal 

memorials, monuments and markers located across the globe. 

These cemeteries and memorials, most of which commemorate the 

service and sacrifice of Americans who served in World War I and 

World II, are among the most beautiful and meticulously maintained 

shrines in the world. For more information, visit www.abmc.gov, or 

connect with us on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. 
125 

About ABMC’s Education Initiatives:
�

ABMC launched its education 

initiative in 2013 with the intent to 

bring America’s overseas cemeteries 

into American classrooms. These programs, created through 

partnerships with universities and non-profits, allow education 

experts to work with a small group of cross-disciplinary teachers to 

create and develop lesson plans and teaching ideas with a specific 

focus on ABMC’s sites and resources. 

Materials that are part of the ABMC education program are 

teacher-authored, standards-based, and reach across disciplines to 

introduce students to ABMC’s resources and more importantly, the 

men and women we honor. This is in keeping with a promise made 

to families by General John J. Pershing, ABMC’s first chairman, that 

“time will not dim the glory of their deeds.” 

ABMC’s 2014–2015 program, which focused on World War II in 

northern Europe, has been managed by National History Day and 

the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George 

Mason University. 
EPILOGUE
 

Mary “Miki” Shiratori Akimoto (1889 – 1979) 

Mary lived a long life and enjoyed her 14 grandchildren. Her trip 

to France in 1960, for the opening of the Lorraine Cemetery in 

St. Avold, France, with her son Ted became one of her most 

cherished memories. 

Masanori Akimoto (1876 – 1951) 

Masanori survived the war years and got to meet some of his 

grandchildren including Steve, Marty, Jon, Carol, and Chris. He 

never visited the graves of his sons in France. 

William “Bill” Kajikawa (1912 – 2010) 

Bill left Arizona State University during World War II to join the 522nd 

Artillery Unit, part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. After 

leaving the Army he returned to ASU to be a football, basketball, and 

club baseball coach. As a coach, he was honored many times over 

for his contributions to the lives of young people. If you would like to 

learn more about Bill, visit: 

https://asunews.asu.edu/20100215_Kajikawa_PassesAway 

126
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Jimmie Kanaya (1920 – ) 

A survivor of World War II’s POW camps, Jimmie went on to a 

distinguished military career. He continues to speak, provide 

interviews, and lend his voice to documentaries to share his 

experiences of World War II. 

If you are interested in learning more about the amazing life of Colonel 

Jimmie Kanaya, visit: 

http://www.ww2online.org/view/jimmie-kanaya/segment-1 or 

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.21666/ 

Young Oak “Samurai” Kim (1919 – 2005) 

Young Oak Kim remained in the military after World War II, achieving 

the rank of colonel. When he eventually settled down, he helped to 

start the Go for Broke Foundation in Los Angeles, which seeks to 

educate the public on the history of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 

the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. If you are interested in learning 

the extraordinary story of the first Korean American officer in charge of 

combat troops, visit: 

http://www.goforbroke.org/oral_histories/oral_histories_video.php 

Stanley Iwajigawa (1920 – 2014) 

Stanley pulled Victor out of his foxhole and assisted him to safety. 

After World War II, Stanley took advantage of the GI Bill and attended 

college in Hawaii. After graduating in 1950, he became a teacher. 

He spent a lifetime educating children and working as a principal. 

He enjoyed windsurfing and hiking through the hills, valleys, and 

mountains of Hawaii. If you are interested in learning more about 

Stanley Iwajigawa, visit: 

http://www.100thbattalion.org/archives/memoirs-and-journals/stan-izumigawa/ 

127
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ENDNOTES
 

1 It should be noted that Geisel later authored a number of children’s 

books, including The Sneetches and The Butter Battle Book, that 

emphasized tolerance and working for peaceful solutions. 

2 Quoted in William Bruce Wheeler, Susan Becker, and Lorri Glover, 

Discovering the American Past: A Look at Evidence, Volume II, 

Since 1985 (Boston: Wadsworth, 2012), 271. 

3 Seltex is a thin-coated paper product used to cover the outside or 

inside of walls to keep dust, dirt, and wind out of the internment 

camp barrack buildings. 

4 Nusus is a term borrowed from Japanese which means a 

disobedient person. 

5 Mail back to the states from soldiers was often delayed by weeks 

or even months. By the time this short postcard arrived, Johnny’s 

parents had been informed via U.S. Army telegram that Johnny had 

died. 

6 William “Bill” Kajikawa was married to Margaret Akimoto, a sister 

of Johnny, Victor, and Ted. Bill was a member of the 522nd Field 

Artillery Battalion that eventually helped to liberate Holocaust 

survivors near Dachau. 

7 In 1962 the governor of Texas, John Connally, made the members 

of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team “Honorary Texans” for their 

role in the Battle of the Lost Battalion. 

8 Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863. 

128
�
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�

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�

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139
�
140 

100th Infantry Battalion, 9
�

442nd Regimental Combat

 Team, 47
�

Akimoto, Fred, 17
�

Akimoto, Jane, 17
�

Akimoto, Johnny, 17

childhood, 21

death, 66
�

Italy, 53

military training, 48

Akimoto, Margaret, 17
�

Akimoto, Martha, 17

Akimoto, Mary, 15
�

arrival in the US, 16
�

birth, 15

death, 126

internment, 39

Akimoto, Masanori, 13
�

arrival in the US, 13

birth, 13

death, 108
�

internment, 39

return to Japan, 15

Akimoto, Ned, 17
�

Akimoto, Ruth, 17

Akimoto, Sara, 112
�

INDEX 

Akimoto, Theodore (Ted), 17
�

childhood, 18

death, 110

deployment to Japan, 90

military training, 52

Akimoto, Victor, 8
�

alopecia, 19

death, 102

enlistment in the

 U.S. Army, 26

injury, 8
�

military training, 52

Amache Internment Camp, 39
�

American Battle Monuments 

Commission (ABMC), 124

Anzio, Battle of, 62
�

Articles of War, 29

Berga Concentration Camp, 95

Camp Shelby, 47

Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), 17

Civil Liberties Act of 1988, 42

Cleland, Secretary Max, 3

Congressional Gold Medal, 117

Dahlquist, General John E., 83

Eisenhower, General

Dwight D., 80
�
Executive Order 9066, 30
�

Fort Warren, 28

Geisel, Theodore, 30

Geneva Conventions, 24

GI (Government Issue), 25

Granada Pioneer, 47

Great Depression, 19

Harada, George, 87

Hiroshima, 90

International Red Cross, 94

Internment of Japanese 

Americans, 37

in Hawaii, 38

Issei, 17

Izumigawa, Stanley, 10

Johnson Reed Act (see National 

 Origins Act), 17
�

Kanaya, Jimmie, 11

Kajikawa, William, 52

Kim, Young-Oak, 8
�

Liberty Ship, 54

Lorraine American Cemetery, 104

Lost Battalion, Battle of, 82

Loyalty Questionnaire, 46

Medal of Honor, 118

Nagasaki, 90

National History Day (NHD), 123
�

National Origins Act (1924), 17
�

Nisei, 17
�

Normandy Campaign, 81

Pearl Harbor, 26
�

Penicillin, 56 

Phipps, Dotty K., 110
�

Pointe du Hoc, 120

ration points, 64

Roosevelt, Franklin D., 30

Roy Rosenzweig Center for

 History and New Media 

 (RRCHNM), 124

Santa Anita Horseracing

 Track, 39

Shima, Terry, 119

Stalag IX-B POW Camp, 74

Tule Lake, 46
�

Uncle Sam, 28

Understanding Sacrifice, 4
�

Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 39
�

141
�
142 

About the Author: Matthew Elms 

When the Akimotos Went to War is Matthew’s first published book. 

He wrote the book to highlight the true story of one JapaneseAmerican family for young adult readers. The Akimoto tale brings 

together stories of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental 

Combat Team, Japanese internment policies, and World War II. 

Matthew, a social studies teacher at Singapore American School, 

lives with his wife, Dr. Deborah Elms, daughters Callie and Alicia, 

and son Cameron. He enjoys traveling around the world and 

sketching various people, places, things while waiting for dinner in 

restaurants. For extra fun, he enjoys making the lives of his eighth 

grade students difficult. 
WHEN THE AKIMOTOS
 

WENT TO WAR
 

Amid the hounding roar of artillery 

shells, the stretcher bearers rattled to a 

halt in the Vosges Mountains of France. 

As they hesitated, fear gripped Victor’s 

heart. Severely injured and carried by 

his comrades, he trembled. He knew of 

only one reason for the column to come 

to such an abrupt halt; the enemy had 

stopped them. In the midst of the battles 

surrounding them, Victor and the other 

Americans heard shouts from the red 

cross flag bearer at the front of the 

column calling forward the officers. 

Officer “Samurai” Kim knew he had to 

escape to prevent secrets from falling into 

the hands of the Germans while under 

interrogation. Leaving Victor and the other 

injured soldiers behind, he slipped off his 

stretcher and made his way into the nearby 

woods. He winced in pain and grief as he 

watched the Germans take the weapons 

off his men. 

Victor, confined to his stretcher with his 

right leg immobilized and wrapped in 

layers of bandages, prayed for a reprieve 

from the Germans. His prayers went 

unanswered. 

Images: Victor Akimoto (top), Ted Akimoto 

(middle), Johnny Akimoto (bottom) 

ISBN: 978-0-9790266-4-5