Albert O. Nakazawa

When World War II started on December 7, 1941, our family was Father, Mother, older brother Karl, younger brother Warren and me (Albert).

Our father, Professor Ken Nakazawa, a Japanese issei immigrated to Oregon in 1908. He attended Reed College, Portland, Oregon and also the University of Oregon to become fluent in English. He was one of the first Japanese to be hired by a major University in America teaching Oriental Art and Literature at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles for 15 years from 1926 - December 1941 when World War II started. He was also a gifted writer and in 1927 Harpers and Brothers Publishers, New York and London, published his book of Japanese stories Titled "The Weaver of the Frost" which was used by the Los Angeles school system. His writings were all in English. He was also a dynamic Public speaker and gave speeches before The Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Breakfast Club, PTA and other civic groups.. Due to his academic accomplishments, he was also Educational Advisor to the Los Angeles Japanese Consul office. He and other Japanese Community Leaders in America were picked up by the FBI on December 7, 1941. He was first taken to San Pedro Jail in Terminal Island, California then transferred to Fort Missoula, Montana.

Our Mother, Tomiko Nakazawa, was also an active Japanese Community Leader in Education, Christian Church Organizations and Japanese Culture and Art. She is a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin a Christian College in Tokyo.

Our Father and Mother were finally re-united in 1942 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. They with other Japanese were repatriated to Japan on the Swedish Ship "Gripsholm". They lived in Tokyo which was constantly fire bombed by our B-29 planes. We had only heard from our parents through the International Red Cross in 1943 telling us they were in Tokyo and for us to take good care of each other.

Older brother Karl volunteered for the U.S. Army in January 1942. He was later assigned as a combat infantryman with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Italy and France. His wife Florence was living at that time in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her two older sisters Ruth and Mabel who were married to Sada and Paul also with the 442nd with Karl. On a Sunday, all 3 sisters received notices from the War Department that Karl and Sada were wounded and Paul killed while trying to rescue the Texas 36th Division "Lost Battalion" in France. The Cincinnati papers all had pictures of these 3 sisters with photos of their 3 army husbands.

Younger brother Warren had lost three fingers on his left hand when a child so he was not eligible for the armed services. In 1942, Warren was evacuated first to Santa Anita Relocation Camp then to Heart Mountain Camp in Wyoming.

In 1942 and 1943, I attended school at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Indiana. Running out of funds, I returned to Chicago in 1943. At the time, the U.S. Army was not accepting Japanese Americans for military service. Since U.S. Army recruitment was closed, I first tried to enlist in the U.S. Merchant Marine and later the U.S. Navy SeaBees, but, was rejected for both services because of Japanese ancestry.

Finally, in early 1944 the U.S. Army started to accept Japanese Americans for their Military Intelligence Language school at Fort Savage and later Fort Snelling, Minnesota. I immediately volunteered and was accepted in June 1944 going through Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana then on to Camp Savage / Fort Snelling. I knew very little Japanese as both our parents spoke fluent English. The only time we heard Japanese at home was when our parents wanted to keep their talks private. We three sons did not attend Japanese School after regular school like most Japanese American children.

After arriving at the Language School, we had to take an examination to be graded in Japanese proficiency. I could not answer the Japanese questions so simply wrote on the test papers that I was determined to finish the 9 month course if only given the chance. I turned these papers in and left the test room. I don't know how but I was accepted!

The school graded us according to Japanese proficiency. The best students were in the 6 months class while most were in the 9 months course. There were in our "H" Company, 5 different classes of students graded 17 through 21, with several classes in each category. I was fortunate to be accepted and of course was in the bottom 21 class. Those in the lower numbers like 18 could drop down to 19 a lower class if they could not keep up. There were about 20 of us in the lowest 21 class and those who flunked out ended in headquarters company. Only 3 of us out of the 20 students in class 21, graduated the difficult 9 months course. Many nights I would study in the latrines after "lights out" and on weekends to keep up with the class.

I finally graduated in June 1945. After graduating and before going overseas, I was called into Major Aiso office. He was the Commandant of the School. The army was aware of my parents being in Japan so Major Aiso questioned my attitude about going overseas due to the situation of my parents. I explained how hard I worked and studied to graduate and to be able to go overseas with my classmates. I told Major Aiso that my older brother Karl a Purple Heart veteran and I had both volunteered for the U.S. Army so there could not be any question about our loyalty. Major Aiso agreed and allowed me to go overseas with our company.

We left by train to the U.S. West Coast and boarded a troop ship which first stopped in Hawaii and then to Manila in the Philippines. We were taken to a race track in Manila which had Japanese prisoners of war. We were only there 2 months living in tents before boarding another troop ship for Japan. We landed in Yokohama Fall of 1945 and travelled by train to Tokyo Station the center of Tokyo. From Tokyo Station we went to the NYK Building downtown Tokyo where we were billeted for several months.

Tokyo was devastated and only the concrete buildings remained standing . All wooden homes and structures were demolished from the nightly B-29 fire raids. In downtown Tokyo, GHQ Headquarters was in the Dai Ichi Insurance Building, Air Force Headquarters was in the Meiji building and the other concrete buildings were used for offices and billets for the occupation forces. Most of Tokyo was flattened.

After getting settled in the NYK building, I went to the International Red Cross office on my day off to find my parents. We had not heard a word from them for over a year so I did not know if I would ever find them alive. After much searching, I finally located them in Shibuya a Tokyo suburb living with my aunt who is mothers younger sister. My parents rented home was destroyed. I went to the door of my aunts home and knocked on the door and what a joyous re-union and happiness in finding my Mother alive there with her sister. My dad was working downtown in Tokyo so after meeting with Mother I went to see my Dad and what a joy that was also. They were living mostly on potatoes as they had very little protein or rice. I did my best to share my post exchange food and my brothers in the states sent food packages to them.

My parents were allowed to return to Los Angeles in 1952 due to my older brother Karl's war record, my military service and their prominence in the field of Education. Unfortunately, my Dad who was scheduled to resume teaching died soon after arrival. My mother became a U.S. Citizen, which they could not become before, and served the Japanese Community for many years before she passed away. Because

of her ability in both English and Japanese she was voted the President of the Southern California Japanese Womens Christian Church Federation for 4 consecutive terms. She was a community leader and volunteered her services to advance Japanese and American understanding. She received many awards and recognition from Los Angeles City and County officials and other civic groups. She also received a 6th Order "Kunsho" Medal award from the Japanese Government for her dedication in promoting better understanding between America and Japan.

As a soldier after arrival in Tokyo in the Fall of 1945 and early 1946, I was stationed with the Military Government Section in the Dai Ichi building which was General MacArthur's Headquarters. When he came or left the building the main elevator was stopped for him and street traffic was also stopped. I will never forget an incident when I was waiting to go up in the elevators when General MacArthur arrived at the building lobby to go up in the elevator. We were all directed to the side but as he strode to his elevator he spotted a Japanese elderly lady also waiting on the side to go up. He went over to the lady and gently taking her arm escorted her to the same elevator to go up with him and his staff. I saw this with my own eyes so was sure General McArthur had compassion for Japanese civilians.

After about 6 months of duty as an interpreter, the Department of Army decided early 1946 that any soldier who volunteered to serve one year with the Department of Army as a Civil service employee could receive an honorable discharge earlier than his normal discharge date. I took this offer and in March 1946 left the Army to become a Civil service worker.

I was with the Civil Property Custodian Office (CPC) which was responsible to seek out in Japan any looted property brought back by the Japanese Armed Forces. This looted property consisted of gold, jewelry, art treasures and even cars which were seized abroad and brought back to Japan. I worked as an investigator for the Civil Property Custodian Office in Kyoto and also in Tokyo. After working in Civil service for 4 years from 1946-1950, I attained a GS 11 Civil Service rating.

I had returned to America in 1947 to marry my wife Alice in Los Angeles, California. The Army arranged for her to join me in Japan in 1948. We had our first son Ken when I was stationed in Kyoto in 1949. I was then transferred to Tokyo Civil Property Custodian Headquarters in 1950. Our second son Alan was born at St. Lukes U.S. Army Hospital in Tokyo in 1951.

The four years of U.S. Civil Service in Kyoto and Tokyo was a great experience for me and our family. Life was good and comfortable for all of the occupation troops and civilians. Japan was devastated but its people were energetically re-building their lives, homes and businesses. We were accorded nothing but the warmest consideration from the Japanese authorities and people. We as members of the occupation forces were pampered at our homes with domestic help and lived in a gated community in Tokyo called Washington Heights. The private club there served full course steak dinners for $2.00 with cocktails at 25 cents. Leisure time was spent playing golf at the best Japanese courses. As part of the Occupation Forces, we had the chance to meet many Japanese Government officials, businessmen and prominent citizens like the Hollywood movie star Seeshu Hayakawa, an avid golfer, who came often to the Washington Heights golf driving range.

In 1950 after 4 years as a U.S. Civil Service worker, I resigned to start the first American style potato ship factory in Japan. Our plant was in Tokyo and with imported U.S. machinery and Hokkaido Russet type potatoes our factory went into business. Since this was the first U.S. type of potato chip factory in Japan we received a write up in the Nippon Times. The chips were sold to the U.S. Post Exchange and U.S. Service clubs in and around Tokyo. I did this for 2 years until 1952.

I was raised in Los Angeles and after school played freely in the streets like all the neighborhood boys. We had so much room to play. In Japan our 2 sons were confined to the home. The streets were narrow with much traffic so it was too dangerous for them to play outside. There were few playgrounds in the neighborhood. Seeing our active sons confined to the home everyday made us finally realize, after 7 years in Japan, that it was time to go home and get on with our lives in America. I sold my share of the potato chip business and returned to Los Angeles with my family in 1952. Our third son, Joey, was born in 1953 in Los Angeles.

I finished my schooling in 1954 under the GI Bill graduating from USC where my Father taught for many years. I then started our International Shipping business, primarily with Japan, and this year 2004 marks our 50th year in business.

My long 7 years experiences in Japan as a soldier, civil service worker and private businessman enabled me to experience and see, first hand, Japan's dynamic formulative years which served as the "backbone" for Japan as a nation to become what she is today. I would not trade the wonderful Japanese experience for any other 7 years of my life.