Gary Kazuo Uchida
Sergeant
100th Infantry Battalion (Separate)
Headquarters Company
Gary Kazuo Uchida was born in Makaweli Valley, Waimea, Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, on March 15, 1914. He was the fourth child of Kameji and Yobu (Kato) Uchida. Both his father and mother emigrated from Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Kameji arrived on March 11, 1891, on the Yamashiro Maru, age 24. Yobu arrived on the America Maru on December 28, 1905, from the village of Okukaga. Kameji, who was a farmer, raised vegetables and was only 54 years old when he died of illness in 1918. He left his widow and five small children ages 2-11, including Kazuo, who was 4 years old. His siblings were: sisters Misao, Shizuko, and Fujiko, and brother Katsuto Walter.
Kazuo, nicknamed Gary as he was lean and lanky like the movie star Gary Cooper, later remembered his mother worked very hard on the plantation to raise the family by herself; sometimes she came home and served crackers for dinner because she was too tired to cook. After Gary completed 10th grade at Waimea School, he was faced with working in the cane fields of Kauai as the high school was too far and travel was too expensive. However, his sister, Mrs. Shizuko Kitazaki, invited him to come to Oahu to live with her and her husband so he could continue his education.
Thus, in 1930 at age 16, Gary left his “county” home and went to the big city of Honolulu to live with his sister. Years later, Gary was asked who the most influential person in his life was; he said it was his sister, Shizuko, because she gave him the opportunity to better his life.
In 1932, while he was still a senior at McKinley High School, Gary started working at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki as a front office clerk. He made this decision because the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and he knew jobs would be even more scarce after graduation. He was able to continue his education by attending night classes and graduated in 1932 with his classmates. He even went on to take night classes at the University of Hawaii.
Uchida signed his draft registration card on October 26, 1940, at Local Board No. 3. His point of contact was his mother who lived at 123A Hausten Street. His employer was Clifford Kimball, and he lived at 2199 Kalia Road, which was also his place of employment – the Halekulani Hotel. He was 5’8-3/4”tall and weighed 145 pounds.
After working 9 years at the Halekulani Hotel, he received his draft notice. On June 30, 1941, Gary was inducted into the Army and assigned to Schofield Barracks.
Army Induction Ceremony. He wrote on the back of this photo, “Must leave to answer call from Uncle Sam”
His enlistment papers stated that his civilian occupation was hotel and restaurant management (Halekulani Hotel). After basic training, Gary was assigned to the 298th Regiment, D Company. He was an active service member at Schofield Barracks during the Japanese attack on Oahu, December 7, 1941. During the attack, he reported to H Company, which defended the Kailua sector, and was assigned to an observation post on a hilltop called Puu o Emu (Note: above Kailua on the Windward side of Oahu).
Gary wrote in his memoirs:
Our duty was to report the movements of all aircraft, its direction, elevation, type of aircraft, etc. Also reported were all boats and violation of blackouts. In our dugout was a powerful battery command scope which is usually used by the artillery. Occasionally, I would go to the beach and dive for lobsters which were plentiful.
One day, the 298th was recalled to Schofield and our rifles were taken away from us. Later on we found out that the Battle of Midway was about to take place. The big question was how would the AJAs react if Oahu was invaded by the enemy? We were not trusted. All the AJA soldiers were herded together and on June 5, 1942, secretly shipped out of Honolulu without giving us an opportunity to say goodbye to family and friends. While at sea the decisive battle of Midway was being fought. Where were we headed for? No one knew, not even the company officers.
In May 1942, in the prelude to the Battle of Midway, the unit the AJA soldiers were assigned to at Schofield Barracks was redesignated the Hawaii Provisional Infantry Battalion. Shortly afterwards the battalion boarded the transport ship, the U.S. Army Troop Transport S.S. Maui, and departed Honolulu on June 5. After a week at sea, the Hawaii Provisional Infantry Battalion sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, docking in Oakland, California, on June 12, 1942. There, the unit was given a new name – the 100th Infantry Battalion.
The unit traveled to their new duty station by three trains, each taking a different route, to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. On arrival at Camp McCoy, the unit name was changed to 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate). Here they would repeat training they had already been through in Hawaii, honing their individual and small unit skills.
Sgt. Kenneth Thelen and Gary on furlough in Grafton, Wisconsin
In July 1942, Gary was promoted to Communications Sergeant for A Company, then later, reassigned to S-2, Headquarters Company.
In January 1943, the battalion was transferred to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, which was soon to also be the training ground for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. At Camp Shelby the 100th was destined to spend a lot of time in the woods of Louisiana training to operate as a part of a larger combined arms team.
Holding snakes while in Mississippi
After training at Camp McCoy, and Camp Shelby, Mississippi, on August 21, 1943, the men boarded the S.S. James Parker at New York City as they began their 12-day voyage to the Mediterranean Theater of War.
On September 2, 1943, the 100th arrived at Oran, Algeria (North Africa). They were to be assigned to guard duty of rail lines and supply depots. The 100th commander, Lt. Col. Farrant L. Turner, refused this for his men as he knew of their strong desire to go into combat. As a result, the 100th was attached to the 133rd Regiment, 34th (Red Bull) Division. After final combat training at Oran, on September 19, the 100th boarded the landing craft U.S.S. Frederick Funston and arrived offshore of Salerno, Italy, at 8:00 a.m. on September 22.
The unit entered combat on September 27, 1943, near Salerno. In late October 1943, the 100th was ordered west. Gary participated in actions against the enemy in Italy, including the Volturno River Crossing, St. Angelo, St. Angelo d’Alife, and Santa Maria Olivetto from September 30 to November 5, 1943. The men crossed the Volturno River twice on their way to capturing several critical hills that were part of the German’s Winter Line of Defense. At the time, Sgt. Uchida was section leader under the Battalion S-2 officer.
On November 5, 1943, during a battle to take Hill 600 just north of Pozzilli, Gary participated in the third crossing of the Volturno River. The Headquarters element was hit by German artillery and Gary was severely wounded in his knee and his arm, and a fragment (which was never removed) penetrated his helmet and entered his skull. After being wounded, Gary was taken to Naples where he was admitted to the 182nd Station Hospital, then transferred to the 4th Field Hospital, also in Naples. He was evacuated farther south to Palermo, Sicily, for one night, then continued to the 33rd Field Hospital in Bizerte, Tunisia. This was in December 1943.
Gary later recalled in October 1944:
I was wounded nearly a year ago, as we were advancing up a hill south of Monte Cassino, close to the town of Venafro. A barrage of German shells started coming at us from the hills above. I got one in my knee and arm. It was 4:30 in the afternoon. I struggled to the rear about a hundred yards, then I couldn’t make it any further. I rested in a foxhole for a long time. Then it was pitch dark, when the medical corpsmen found me and carried me back to our battalion aid station. Later I was taken to another station, then to a hospital. I can’t remember any pain at first. I was only dazed. When a shell hits, it stuns you. It’s a very dull blow, like getting socked with a bag of sand. Pain comes much later.
On January 16, 1944, he was transferred to the 79th Station Hospital in Algiers. He did not leave the combat theater until March 11, 1944. On arrival back in the United States, he was transferred through a chain of hospitals – the Newton Baker General Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia, to Schick General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. From Iowa, he was sent to Dibble General Hospital in Menlo Park, California, for neurosurgical treatment. On September 30, 1944, Gary was sent to the Fort Lawton Station Hospital in Seattle, Washington, to wait for transportation to Honolulu.
Uchida had spent about a year in various military hospitals undergoing surgeries and recuperating before returning home. He left Seattle for Honolulu by ship on October 10, 1944, arriving on October 17. He was taken to Tripler Army Hospital. A few days later, Sgt. Uchida was interviewed on October 21 by the Honolulu Advertiser. He recalled his time overseas:
Africa was dirty and different from what we expected. Italy surprised us. It was so hilly and beautiful in scenery. The wonderful fruits kept us going…The people themselves are as pleasing to Americans as the scenery…We swapped cigarettes, candies, and C rations for their wine…They apologized for the poor quality of their vino. The Germans had taken all the good wines, but some Italians had buried their best wines in the ground. They shared this with us when we came their way.
In early November 1944, Sgt. Uchida attended a welcome home dinner at Shioyu Tea House, given in his honor by his colleague at the Halekulani Hotel , Richard Kimball.
Below: Welcome Home Dinner in 1944
After several more months of convalescing, Sergeant Gary Uchida was discharged from the Army on February 19, 1945.
For his World War II service, Sgt. Gary Kazuo Uchida was awarded the: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Service Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one bronze star, World War II Victory Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on October 5, 2010, along with the other veterans of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team. This is the highest Congressional Civilian Medal.
After his military discharge, Gary returned to work at the Halekulani Hotel in early 1945. At the end of the year, he married Edna Shigeyo Sagara, daughter of Gisaburo and Kesa Sagara. Edna was born in Naalehu, Hawaii island, in 1916.
On their wedding day, December 24, 1945
Uchida worked his way up to become Vice President of the Halekulani Corporation and retired in 1977 after working for 44 years for the hotel.
Gary Kazuo Uchida passed away on December 21, 2008, in Honolulu. He was inurned in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl, Section C11-O, Row 400, Site 413. Survivors include his wife, two sons, two daughters, nine grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. Edna Uchida died in 2021 and was inurned with her husband. Engraved on their niche is “Sgt WWII 100 Inf Bn BSM PH” and “Beloved by God.”
Researched and written in 2021 by the Sons & Daughters of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team with assistance from Gary Uchida’s daughter, who is a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100). Updated in 2024.