Lawrence “Larry” Masanobu Kamiya

Charlie Company, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)

 

Lawrence Kamiya (Co. C, 100th Inf. Bn.) [Courtesy of Clayton Kamiya]
Lawrence “Larry” Masanobu Kamiya was born on August 10, 1918, in Kekaha, Kauaʻi, to Issei parents from Okinawa, Japan, who had immigrated to work on the local sugar plantation. Growing up in the plantation community, he labored in the sugarcane fields alongside immigrants from around the world, learning early the values of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. He graduated from Waimea High School and continued working on the plantation until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1941. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was in training at Schofield Barracks.

After the attack, Larry was assigned to the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) with other American soldiers of Japanese ancestry from Hawaiʻi. He deployed to Europe in September 1943 as a combat infantryman and fought through the rugged terrain of the Italian campaign.

On Thanksgiving Day 1943, he was wounded by German artillery near Hill 920. Larry often recalled how his M-1 Garand rifle had absorbed shrapnel that would otherwise have struck his chest, a stroke of fortune he believed saved his life.

Medically evacuated to Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaiʻi, Larry made a steady recovery from his injuries. Once strong enough, he worked as a busboy in the hospital cafeteria, saving money while preparing for civilian life after his discharge.

Using a combination of GI Bill benefits and personal savings, he completed business school and later joined the Capital Investment Company of Hawaiʻi, a pioneering investment firm. He remained with the company for more than three decades, retiring in 1979. He was briefly called back to assist the firm the following year before fully retiring six months later.

Larry passed away on January 19, 2012, and was laid to rest with military honors at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. He was survived by his wife of 63 years, Regina, and their two sons: Clayton, a retired federal civil servant with more than 30 years of service, and Jason, a retired major general in the United States Army.

Larry’s service was part of a broader family legacy. His two brothers also fought in Europe during World War II: Mike Masaichi Kamiya, who served in Company C of the 100th Infantry Battalion, and Shigeo Kamiya, who served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Both are interred at the Hawaiʻi State Veterans Cemetery in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi.