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Japanese American Kenje Ogata Fighting during War World II
Kenje Ogata (1919−2012) felt called to serve his country after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and enlisted in the Army the very next day. Despite being a trained pilot, he was denied entry into the Army Air Corps because he was Japanese American. After two years of fighting for a chance to join the corps, Ogata finally gained a spot on a flight crew -- not as a pilot, but as a turret gunner. His Library of Congress Veterans History Project collection includes this poignant letter to his wife describing his passion for service as well as his love for her.
"I don't know if you can fully appreciate how I feel after 2 years of fighting to get an even break, trying to get an equal chance -- without being judged purely from looks. A flood of memories come whirling back -- to the time when I enlisted, when I thought of going to fight for my country -- being turned down for the Air Corps because of my racial origin -- that awful nauseated feeling in my whole soul at the impact of that refusal." |