This short article was written by a twenty-six year old U.S. Army private named Yori Wada (1916 – 1997). Wada had joined the army some months prior to the Pearl Harbor attack and with all the good fellowship and optimism typical of youth, he wrote well about how much he enjoyed the army and all the friends he had made within his unit. While the article makes no reference to the unfortunate lot of his family back home, Wada wrote that his future in the army as of April, 1942 was unclear:
“All I ask is the chance to do my share in defeating the Axis…a real chance on the battlefield.”
Yori Wada served briefly with the 442 Regimental Combat Team before being transferred to work in military intelligence. Today, San Franciscans remember Yori Wada for his efforts in solidifying the friendship between Japanese-Americans and the Black community. In later years he served as a University of California Regent.
