James Mitsuo Furukawa |
James Mitsuo Furukawa at the Shuri Museum, Naha, Okinawa, Ryukyu Island [1946] | World War II, 1939-1946
Army
34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Division Headquarters, Language Detachment, 441st Intelligence Corps
Hawaii; Okinawa Island (Ryukyu Islands); Baltimore, Maryland; Pentagon; Korea; Japan
Major
Wailuku, Maui, HI
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Born in Hawaii to Japanese parents, and living on Oahu in December 1941, James
Furukawa saw World War II up-close from the beginning. After being drafted into the
Army in 1944, he was part of the invasion force on Okinawa, where he served a variety
of roles, from acting as a translator to helping set up a military MASH unit. While he was
not involved in active combat, he witnessed the bloodshed that was ever-present on the
island; he was awarded a Bronze Star for rescuing patients from the military hospital
where he was serving.
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