Gary Uchida

Headquarters Company, 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)

Uchida moved to Honolulu to attend McKinley High School, though he left early to work at the Hālekulani Hotel. While working at the hotel, he received his draft notice, and was inducted into the U.S. Army on June 30, 1941.

He was transferred to Schofield Barracks, and after undergoing basic training — learning to strip and reassemble rifles blindfolded and enduring hikes through the hills — Uchida and his fellow draftees lived in a tent city they dubbed “Boom Town.” Uchida was assigned to the 298th Regiment, Company H — the heavy weapons company.

On December 7, 1941, Uchida was off-base visiting tenants when he heard the radio announcement: “This is the Real McCoy. This is no practice.” Looking toward Pearl Harbor, he saw black smoke and anti-aircraft bursts. The United States was at war.

Following the attack, Uchida’s duties included manning an observation post atop Mount ʻOlomana, reporting aircraft movements and unusual activity.

Over the years, his children did several oral histories with him. Uchida recalled: “Occasional maneuvers were held in the 298th defense sector which extended from Waimānalo to the China Man’s Hat. H Company Sector was the Kailua and Kāneʻohe area. In one of these maneuvers, I was an 81mm ammunitions carrier and followed the 81mm crew wherever they went. It was a backbreaking task. Another time, I was with a heavy machine gun crew and dug a nest on Kailua Beach near Lanikai. Our biggest enemy that night was the swarm of mosquitoes. The mosquito repellent oil of citronella was ineffective.”

In May 1942, American soldiers of Japanese ancestry (AJA) like Uchida were called back to Schofield Barracks, their loyalty questioned despite being American-born. Uchida recalled, “We AJAs knew in our hearts where our loyalty lay… we would defend [America] at any cost.”

In June 1942, 1,432 men, including Uchida, silently departed Hawaiʻi aboard the troop ship Maui and sailed to the mainland. There, they became the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate). In July 1942 at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, Uchida was promoted to Communications Sergeant for Company A, then later transferred to S-2, Headquarters.

By September 1943, Uchida was landing at Salerno, Italy as an original member of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Although the beach was technically secured, shelling continued in the hills. When Uchida and his unit faced combat firsthand, questions of faith arose. One night in foxholes, under heavy artillery fire, even the atheists among them began to pray.

Uchida spent months in various hospitals, recovering from his injuries. Evacuated through hospitals in Sicily and North Africa, Uchida was later transferred to the United States for further surgeries. He recovered at facilities in West Virginia, Iowa, and finally California, enduring multiple operations to repair nerve damage in his arm and leg.

Finally, on October 17, 1944, still carrying shrapnel in his body, Uchida returned home to Hawaiʻi. Upon seeing Diamond Head from his ship. “I didn’t think there was a dry eye among the men from Hawaiʻi,” he recalled. Months later, on February 19, 1945, Gary Uchida was honorably discharged due to physical disability.

Upon his return to Honolulu, he married Edna Sagara and returned to work at the Hālekulani Hotel. He became Vice President of the Hālekulani Corporation and retired in 1977 after working for 44 years at the hotel.

All throughout his time with the 100th Infantry Battalion, Uchida kept a journal by writing or drawing notes or comments on his duffle bag. This bag is now with the National Museum of the US Army. Through pain, uncertainty, and the prejudice of his time, Gary Uchida’s loyalty never wavered. His story stands as a testament to the bravery of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the enduring spirit of those who serve.

Read Gary Uchida’s Memoirs

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