Shiro Robert Yamaguchi

Able Company, 100th Infantry Battalion

Yamaguchi served with Company A, 100th Infantry Battalion, also known as “The Purple Heart Battalion” because of the extraordinary number of casualties it suffered in battle.

Inducted into the U.S. Army on July 8, 1941, Yamaguchi had completed basic and advanced infantry training nearly five months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He entered military service during one of the most difficult periods in American history for AJAs. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans faced intense suspicion, discrimination, and, in many cases on the mainland, the forced incarceration of their families. Despite these hardships, Yamaguchi and thousands of other AJA answered the call to serve their country.

He was initially assigned to a military police unit, but following the bombing, he was removed from that assignment and placed in a segregated unit composed of Japanese Americans already serving in the U.S. Army.

Arriving in the ETO on September 7, 1944, he was assigned to the 100th Battalion. Corporal Shiro R. Yamaguchi distinguished himself in combat and was recognized for extraordinary gallantry. He was wounded in action on October 27, 1944, in France, and on April 5, 1945, in Italy. His military decorations included the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Distinguished Unit Badge. These honors testify not only to his active participation in front-line infantry combat, but also to his bravery under fire and the wounds he sustained in battle.

His most notable act of heroism occurred on April 5, 1945, in Italy, while serving as a squad leader with Company A. During an assault on heavily fortified enemy positions consisting of bunkers, machine gun nests, and trenches, Yamaguchi led his men forward across heavily mined ground under intense enemy fire. When his squad advanced to within range of a hostile machine gun emplacement, he borrowed six grenades and crawled forward alone despite enemy fire and exploding grenades. Though wounded in the back by one of the enemy’s grenades, he pressed on. Rising to his feet, he charged the enemy position with his submachine gun, killing one enemy soldier, wounding another, and forcing the remaining defenders to flee in disorder. For this conspicuous gallantry and leadership, he was awarded the Silver Star.

Yamaguchi’s actions exemplified the courage and determination that made the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team legendary. Collectively, the 100th, with the 442nd, became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history.

After the war, Yamaguchi returned to Washington State, where he resumed civilian life. He attended the University of Washington for a brief period of time, then took a job as a civilian employee with the U.S. Coast Guard. He retired after 30 years of service.

Yamaguchi had two sons, Keith and Terry Yamaguchi. Both served in the U.S. Army and are both Vietnam veterans.

Yamaguchi was an active member of the Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee and he looked forward to attending the annual reunion in Hawaii to reunite with his wartime friends.

Yamaguchi’s son, Keith, recalled:

“My dad was an exceptional athlete in the Seattle area before the war. He excelled in baseball and basketball and was a very good swimmer, even as an amputee. My dad was an avid trout fisherman and enjoyed camping and fishing on lakes in the Eastern part of Washington State. We spent many family vacations fishing and camping.”

Yamaguchi’s parents and siblings were incarcerated at both the Tule Lake War Relocation Center and later at the Minidoka War Relocation Center. Keith shared that his mother’s family was also incarcerated at Minidoka.

Corporal Shiro R. Yamaguchi’s life and service stand as a testament to resilience, patriotism, and courage in the face of adversity, embodying the enduring legacy of the Nisei soldiers who helped define a generation through their sacrifice and unwavering loyalty to the United States.