Honor and Duty: The Chinese American WWII Veterans

By E. Samantha Cheng and Fang Wong

Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it is a well-known fact that the US government sent its residents of Japanese descent to internment camps while other Asian Americans, including nearly 20,000 Chinese Americans or nearly 20% of the Chinese

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heritage Series, LLC
• Release date: Dec 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781734329513

E. Samantha Cheng

E. Samantha Cheng is a broadcast veteran in national news and television production. She is an experienced journalist and documentarian. She has devoted much of her career to raising the visibility of Women in Technology, APIAs (Asian and Pacific Islander Americans) and their contributions to United States history. Cheng is the Co-Founder of Heritage Series, LLC, a company that specializes in educational programs about U.S. ethnic minorities and their contribution to U.S. history. Recent productions by Heritage Series include Honor and Duty: The Mississippi Delta Chinese, a three-part documentary series and two video biographies: Dalip Singh Saund: His Life, Legacy, the first Asian, Indian and Sikh Congressman in the U.S.; and Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose, the first Asian American to serve on two different Presidential Cabinets as Secretary of Commerce and Transportation and a ten term Member of Congress. She is an active member of the Asian American Journalist Association and Women in Film and Video. Throughout her career, Cheng has received numerous professional peer awards and citations, served on several nonprofit boards and mentored dozens of young professionals.

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Copyright © 2020 by Heritage Series, LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Heritage Series, LLC, 3650 Gleneagles Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906-1632

www.heritageseries.us.

Heritage Series, LLC, creates useful, educational materials and programs intended to preserve the history and contributions of Asian American public servants while creating an archival record of their service and contributions to society.

ISBN 978-1-7343295-0-6

ISBN: 978-1-7343295-1-3 (e-book)

Cover Photo

Chinese American servicemen of the 14th Air Service Group of the U.S. Air Force on parade for the Memorial Day holiday, Dayton, Ohio, United States, May 30, 1943 World War II Database www.2db.com

Book design by Kam Tai – [e-mail]

Printed in the United States

Edition 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all of the brave Chinese and Chinese Americans who served in the United States Armed Services during World War II, and most especially to my immediate family members who proudly served:

Grandfather Kong Chu - U.S. Merchant Marine Corps;

Grandfather James Cheng - U.S. Army;

Father Paul Chin aka Paul Cheng, Senior - U.S. Navy; and

Uncle Fook Chu - U.S. Merchant Marine Corps

Without their service to this nation, I would not be here.

To my husband and partner Charles G Crawford, thank you.

FOREWORD

by Fang Wong, Former National Commander, American Legion

Thursday December 20th, 2018, marked a very significant day for the Chinese American community. This was the day when the President of the United States signed into law the Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act. The law provides a well-deserved and long-overdue recognition to tens of thousands Chinese and Chinese American World War II Veterans who valiantly served our country at a time when there was no clear path to U.S. citizenship.

Chinese immigrants to America have a military history that is over two centuries old. Records indicate that Chinese and Chinese Americans participated in U.S. armed conflicts as far back as the Civil War. They served in large numbers during two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the ongoing War on Terrorism. During World War II, more than twenty thousand (or 20%) of the Chinese U.S. China population then living in the United States were in the military services. This was in a country that enforced the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented them from legally entering the country or becoming naturalized citizens. The 20% service rate made them the largest of all the ethnic groups to serve in the U.S. military during World War II.

Our Chinese forebears arrived in this country, many penniless, and struggled with unforeseen challenges for basic survival. They worked in gold and coal mines, helped build the Transcontinental Railroad, worked on farms and fisheries and were merchants and small business owners. For nearly two centuries, they tried to assimilate into Western society and build communities while maintaining the teachings and heritage of the old country. Their efforts to gain acceptance into mainstream America were met with indignant stereotypes, prejudice and institutional discrimination.

The passage of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act brought more restrictions and hardships to the Chinese communities. This racially discriminatory law was finally repealed in December 1943 due in part to the patriotic acts of the Chinese population serving in the six branches of U.S. Armed Services, as well as an historic alliance of China and the United States during World War II.

Chinese and Chinese American World War II veterans who survived the war returned home to enjoy the benefits that the country offered (e.g., the GI Bill). While many took advantage of the opportunity to bring back newly wedded wives and families from China, others took on employment training and sought higher education opportunities. This transformed Chinese communities from dark and lonely bachelor societies to ones filled with the laughter and chatter of young wives and children. Armed with education, knowledge and training, Chinese and Chinese Americans assimilated into mainstream America and created a solid foundation for future generations to be part of this unique society.

The Chinese American World War II veterans deserve great credit for this growing acceptance into American society. As the world praises the United States for its efforts in World War II it is the veterans who are the Greatest Generation. Among these veterans are Chinese and Chinese American World War II service men and women. They have finally been recognized by being awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Today, we Chinese Americans, pleased with our progress in America, must not forget the Chinese proverb When drinking water, think of its source. World War II ended 75 years ago. With each passing day, more and more of these heroes are fading away from us. We are fighting against time in paying our respects to them by giving them our nation’s highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM).

To help make that happen, the Chinese American World War II Veterans Recognition Project began work December 2016 under the direction of E. Samantha Cheng (Heritage Series, LLC) and the national Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA). Researchers spent almost three years searching for the service records of Chinese and Chinese Americans who served in World War II. Records were collected and verified, legislative language was written and Congressional sponsors were secured in both chambers of Congress, providing advocacy and educational training to all. The Recognition Project organized advocacy teams to walk the halls of Congress securing support for the Act. Following two years of focused dedication and passion, the Chinese American World War II Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act won approval in the U.S. Senate in September, 2018 and the U.S House of Representatives in November, 2018. President Donald Trump signed the Act into law three days after the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, thus officially honoring and recognizing the 20,000 plus Chinese American World War II Veterans for their service to our country.

The data collected by the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project and used for the Congressional Gold Medal Act serves as a valuable resource signifying the contributions of Chinese and Chinese Americans to the United States. The data not only fill a void in the Chinese American experience and add an informative chapter to American history, they also provide evidence for future generations of the contribution and sacrifice of Chinese Americans towards world peace. The public record is compiled in a database, clearly identifying each individual’s contribution to military service. The database will serve as a guide for all Chinese American communities to provide a look into our roots in this great nation. Let us always remember those who came before us who have made the lives we live possible. We owe much gratitude to those who so valiantly served and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Fang Wong

Former National Commander, American Legion

前言

二零一八年十二月二十日星期四，對美國的華裔社區來說，是一個特別重要的日子。因為川普總統在當天簽署了經由美國參、衆兩院通過頒贈給美國華裔二次大戰退伍軍人的〝國會金奬章〞議案，使其正式成為法律。該法律提供了一個得之無愧，但是遲來的正義，它表彰了超過一萭七千多名在二次大戰中，雖然大多數並沒有美國公民身份，但仍勇敢從軍服役的華裔。

華裔參與美國歷史上的戰爭，恐怕已有兩個世紀左右的歷史，書本上有記戴的，可追溯到百多年前的〝南北內戰〞。其後的兩次〝世界大戰〞、〝韓戰〞、〝越戰〞、以至現在還在進行中的〝反恐戰爭〞，都可見華裔子弟踴躍參軍，不甘人後。尤其是在二次大戰期間，在〝美國排華法案〞盛行，美國嚴禁華人入境或取得公民權之際，華裔青年們依然爭先恐後地報名從軍，前後共達一萭七千五百八十四人，約佔當時全美華裔人數百分之二十，這個百份比，遠遠超過美國其他族裔二戰參軍比例。

華裔先輩，歷盡艱辛，來到美國這片土地上，大多身無長物，要為爭取溫飽，而掙扎求全。他們在金、煤礦地中努力工作，參與建築〝橫貫美洲大陸東西鐵路〞，更勤勞於農、魚、工商各業。他們在美洲大陸上各地生根、立足自強，除持續保存固有傳統文化外， 更努力融入當地文化，服務社區，爭取主流認同，幾近兩世紀矣。然而，他們努力的回報，往往是美國政府及社會上的種種不平等待遇、偏見及歧視。

美國政府在一八八二年所通過的〝美國排華法案〞，為華裔社區發展帶來極大的約束及困難。這一對華人極端不利的法案，終於在二次大戰期間，因為大量在美華人愛國從軍表現，及中、美兩國歷史性相互結盟關係，而得以在一九四三年未推翻。

隨著〝美國排華法案〞走進歷史，二次大戰後凱旋歸國華裔退伍軍人，得有天時、地利之便，紛紛利用國家提供退伍軍入福利，或回祖國接來新家庭、或接受職訓及高等教育，並開始在全美各大城市華埠遍地開花，將過去單身、枯燥、孤獨的華人聚居地，改變成充滿婦女及兒童歡笑聲的陽光社區。同時，有了更高學識，華裔們能一步步更靠近主流社會，為下一代進入美國大溶爐立下良好基礎。

美國二次大戰華裔退伍軍人，對推動華裔踏進美國主流社會，居功至偉。在普世都在讚揚美國二次大戰退伍軍人為〝最偉大的一代〞之時，二次大戰華裔退伍軍人，誠然亦可當之無愧！

今天，我們華裔子弟，分佈在主流社會各行各業都有極良好表現，而出類拔萃之輩，更大有人在。對此，我們歡慰之餘，更不能忘記中國古訓〝飲水思源〞之句。上世紀〝二次大戰〞，距今已有七十多年，當日大戰榮歸戰士，亦日漸凋零，而社會各界都紛紛爭取時間，以向餘日無多的英雄們，送上他們永恆的敬意。美國參、眾兩院頒發的〝國會金質獎〞，便是國家能給予他們最高的榮譽。

有見及此，由二零一六年十二月起，在鄭婉芬女士負責及美洲同源總會統籌下， 發起表揚〝二次大戰華裔美國退伍軍人計劃〞方案。經過兩年多努力的組織動員，包括從四面八方搜集〝二次大戰華裔美國退伍軍人〞資料、撰寫國會議案所需文件、尋求參、眾兩院議案提案人、提供及引導教育方面訓練，以爭取華裔社區及主流各界民意支持、到派出實力雄厚〝游說團〞積極與國會溝通。兩年多汗水沒有白流，心血也沒有荒廢，議案由國會參、眾兩院分別於二零一八年九月及十一月通過。現今，美國二次大戰華裔退伍軍人們，也終於得到他們應有的認同， 獲頒〝國會金奬章〞，而川普總統亦於同年十二月二十日，於〝美國排華法案〞廢除七十五週年前夕，正式簽署該法案，頒發〝國會金質獎〞，表揚所有於二次大戰期間在美參軍華裔軍人。

這次為表揚〝二次大戰華裔美國退伍軍人計劃〞方案中所搜集到各種資料，在爭取〝國會金質獎〞中為二次大戰華裔對國家的重大貢獻，提供了寶貴的信息。該資料不但為研究華裔在美成長歷史過程中，填補上一大空白，更重要的是亦可為後世子孫，對其祖輩為美國及世界和平所作犧牲及貢獻，提供強而有力的光榮証據。現在這些公開的數據記錄，已經被編纂成一個數據資料庫，清楚地列出了每人在軍中服役的貢獻。這個數據資料庫，亦為所有華裔社區提供了在這個偉大的國家中，對本身自我認同的根源作出指引，更對祖輩過去的光榮引以為傲。我們除了感念前輩們為我們打下現今的良好生存基礎外，更讓我們永遠緬懷他們勇敢的奉獻及所付出的犧牲。

黃宏達

美國退伍軍人協會前任全國主席

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The story of Chinese Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII is not well known. Despite the fact that immigrating Chinese to the United States were not allowed to become citizens and had no clear path to citizenship, the Chinese-American community stepped forward to serve the United States.

This book draws on a compendium of military and historical resources, service records and images identified, verified and collected over three years to create a Roll Call of Chinese-American WWII veterans. This book may not be the final word on Chinese and Chinese-American participation in WWII but it is intended to provide a starting point for discussion of their military service to this country.

The Book Is Divided Into Three Sections

Section 1 describes the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project and its work to secure a place in history and to honor the service of these heroic men and women. This section acknowledges the Project team members, partners, contributors and affinity groups that helped make the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal a reality.

Section 2 provides the first public record of every man and woman identified as serving in the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and the U.S. Merchant Marine Corps along with select data points about their service, when possible. The section is organized by State (the official Residence as recorded on a Veteran’s enlistment form or service record). Names are presented in alphabetical order by last name, first name and middle name or initial) as listed in their military service record. Other data points presented are branch of service, aliases (if any), serial number, date of enlistment, rank, place of birth, race and citizenship.

Section 3 contains unique images including enlistment cards, DD214s, Honorary Discharge papers, historic photographs, along with informational graphics. This section also includes a bibliography along with an index of the Roll Call presented in Section 2.

This book is written for veterans and their families and may be used by educators, scholars, students, researchers, historians, and military enthusiasts as a primary data source. It can also be used as a resource for American History and World studies curriculums. The story of Chinese and Chinese American participation in WWII on behalf of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and the U.S. Merchant Marine Corps offers a relevant, inspirational and essential lesson in the diversity of the United States of America.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

About this Book

Acknowledgments

Section One

Overview and Process

The Process for Data Collection and Verification

Section Two

Roll Calls Overview

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

District of Columbia

U.S. At Large

Undefined (US Military Standards)

Disparate Datasets Roll Call

Section Three

Overview

Graphs, Tables and Charts

Primary Sources

Bibliography

Public Law 115-337

Back Matter

Photo Index

Graphs, Tables and Charts Index

Main Roll Call Index

Disparate Datasets Roll Call Index

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project was a very complex undertaking. Hundreds of civic-minded civilians, veterans, retired military personnel, committees and affinity groups gave their time and support to get the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act passed in Congress and signed into public law. Many additional contributors stepped forward to get the first public record of Chinese and Chinese Americans veteran service collected, verified and published.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who helped move the Recognition Project across the finish line and whose commitment led to recognizing and preserving the memory and service records of the Chinese and Chinese American WWII service men and women. The preservation of these historical records provides irrefutable proof of the contributions and impact Chinese had during an important period in the history of the United States. Below are the names of the many volunteers, organizations, interns, Fellows and Associates who helped on this very important effort. Thank you. And please forgive me if your name was omitted. It was not intentional.

Advocates, Supporters, Team Members, Interns, Associates and Fellows

Ellen Adams

Hui Lim Ang

Rod Azama

Salman Azmi

Andrian Basson

Samantha Berman

Lillian Bit

Ada Blazer

Rose Borden

Milton Bradley

Janie Bradley

Nick Britti

Benjamin Bryant

Kayden Hong Bui

Kalyn Cai

Alexander Chan

Doug Chan

Karen Chan

Kyle Chan

Carolyn Chan

Henry Chan

Melanie Chan

Phil Chan

Sue Chan

Robert Chang

Ravi Chaudhary

David Chen

Jenny Chen

Meng Chen

MG William Chen

Ai Cheng

Suellen Cheng

Terry Cherry

Cathy Cheung

Barbara Chin

Davace Chin

Jane Chin

Wai Wah Chin

David Ching

Raymond D Chong

Farad Chosky

Betty Chu

Derek Chung

Terry Chung

Sarah Chung

Antonio Chuy

Charles G Crawford

Nicole Dan

Kathleen Dang

Kamer Davis

Ben de Guzman

Jasper Diaz

Grant Din

Saumya Dobriyal

Jennifer Dong

Roger S Dong

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman

Rick Eng

Vincent A Eng

Kenneth Eng

Richard Foltin

Zachary Fromartz

Albert Fong

Alisa Gao

Frank Gao

John Gee

Nancy Gee

Martin Gold

Camille Gong

Ted Gong

Edmond Gor

Alma Grocki

Kenneth Hance

Cynthia Harbottle

Brenda Hee Wong

Rose Hom

Mike Honda

Bryan Hong

Jenny Hong

Judy Hong

Kathryn Hong

Cathy Qian Huang

Lily Huang

Merrill Huang

Gregory J Hugh

Kin Hui

Wade Ishimoto

Elizabeth Jia

Emily Jones

John Jung

Krystal Ka’ai

Stephen Kagawa

Allison Kramer-Mills

Ira Katz

Saif Khan

Paul Kincaid

Julie King

Kerri Kline

Jeffrey J Koh

Emeline Kong

Chris M Kwok

Munson A Kwok

Clarence Lam

Ivy Lam

Debbie Lamb

Erik Z Larsen

MG Calvin Kelly Lau

Louise Ledeen

Cathy C Lee

Christine Lee

Corky Lee

Betty Jean Lee

David Lee

Don Lee

Esther Zee Lee

Gloria Lee

Jasmine Lee

Joyce M Lee

Keith Lee

Kent Lee

Kevin Lee

MG Robert G F Lee

Sue Lee

Susan Lee

Murray Lee

Wally Lee

Wilson Lee

Nellie Leong

Sydnea Lewis

Bel Leung Hong

John K. Lem

Eva Li

Kaitlyn Li

Hillary Liang

Tony Liang

David T. Lin

Lindsay Linhares

Sheldon H. Lim

Joyce Liu

Yumeng (LuLu) Liu

Ambassador Gary Locke

Stan Lou

Jen Low

Vivian Low

Leslie Lum

Nelson Lum

Peterson Lum

Robin Lung

BG John Y Ma

Simin Ma

Mitchell Maki

Charles Mau

Jim McCallum

Mabel Menard

Jeffrey Bingham Mead

Norman Y Mineta

Eddie Moy

Eugene Moy

Evelyn Moy

Grant Moy, Sr.

Grant Moy, Jr.

Soo Lon Moy

Erika L. Moritsugu

Gilda Morris

Gabe Mui

Phil Tajitsu Nash

Shirley Ng

Stanley Ng

Michaela O’Brien

Joyce Osawe

Aurora Paik

Catherine Pereda

Coral Pietsch

Lauren Pong

Connie Poon Katz

Katie May Porter

CJ Purdy

Katherine Quintin

Kristin Quintin

Nisha Ramachandran

Benjamin Rhodeside

Jing X Rosella

Blair Rotert

Matthew Seelinger

Matthew Seto

Sanjita Shrestha

General Eric Shinseki

Frank R Shirer

Raymond Seid

Navdeep Singh

Cyndie Soo

Kelli Strong

Annlyn Stufflebeam

Jim Stufflebeam

Shelley Su

Michael Suen

MG Antonio M Taguba

Kam Tai

Philip Tam

Sherman Tang

Gil Thompson

Mini Timmaraju

David Toledo

Nestor Tom

MG Stephen Tom

William Tong

Lorraine Tow

Jessica Tsai

Stan Tsai

Daniel Tsang

Isabelle Tseng

Lucy Tung

Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman

Anastasia Walsh

Jimmy Wang

Eric Won

Alex Wong

Barbara Wong

MG Darryll Wong

Fang Wong

Herbert S. Wong

Jennings Wong

John Wong

Judy Wong

K. Scott Wong

Ken Wong

Kenneth Wong

Paul Wong

Siu G. Wong

Frank H Wu

George Wu

Annie Yee

Donald O Yee

Wayne Yee

Helen Ying

Al Young

Alex CJ Young

Mel Young

Michael H. Young

Richard Young

Christine Yu

Connie Yu

Edward Yu

Eliana Yu

Lina Yu

Susan S Yu

Steve Yuen

It is equally important to recognize the community, affinity groups, cities, municipalities and State Legislatures that helped get the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act passed in Congress. Again, if your group or organization does not appear in this list, please know that it was not intentional. Please send an email to [e-mail] and it will be remedied in the next edition.

Affinity Groups

American Legion, Washington, DC

American Legion Cathay Post 186, Seattle, WA

American Legion Cathay Post 384, San Francisco, CA

American Legion Post 328, Boston, MA

American Legion Post 628, Los Angeles, CA

American Legion Post 1003. Chicago, IL

American Legion Kim Lau Post 1291, New York, NY

American Veterans Center, Arlington, VA

American Veterans Committee, Richmond, VA

Asian American Veterans Facebook Page

Asian American & Pacific Islander in the Military Facebook Page

Asian Pacific American Veterans Facebook Page

Asian Pacific Islander Americans in Public Affairs

Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

Association of the United States Army APAICS (Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies)

Army Historical Foundation

California Democratic Committee

Chennault Museum

Chinatown/South Cover Neighborhood Council, Boston, MA

Chinese American Bar Association

Chinese American Council of Sacramento, CA

Chinese American Museum of Chicago

Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles

Chinese American Council of Sacramento

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of D.C.

Chinese Historical Society of America

Chinese Historical Society of New England

Committee of 100

Council of Korean Americans

East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU)

Filipino Veterans Recognition Project

Friends of Clyde Rice and The Rice Place, Portland, OR

Friends of the Sikh Caucus

Flying Tigers Association

Iowa Asian Alliance

Japanese American Veterans Association

Japanese American Citizens League

Lee Family Association

Morgan, Lewis, Bockius, LLP

Moy Family Association

Museum of Chinese in America

National American Korean Service and Education Consortium

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)

National Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA)

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, HI

Organization of Chinese American Advocates (OCA)

Pan-Pacific American Leaders and Mentors (PPALM)

Portland Chinatown Museum

San Diego Chinese Historical Museum

San Francisco Chinese American Democratic Club

Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation

Spirit of 45

Tucson, AZ Chinese Cultural Center

U.S. Army Center for Military History

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1922, Orland, CA

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4618, San Francisco, CA

Washington Chinatown Development Company

Wing Luke Museum

Cities and Municipalities

Albany City Council, CA

Alhambra City Council, CA

Boston City Council, CA

Fremont City Council, CA

Hayward City Council, CA

Houston Mayor, TX

League of California Cities Asian Pacific Islander Caucus

Millbrae City Council, CA

Monterey Park City Council, CA

New York City Council, NY

Newark City Council, NJ

San Francisco Board of Supervisors, CA

Union City Council, CA

SECTION ONE

OVERVIEW AND PROCESS

How the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project Came to Be

Background

Chinese are the oldest and largest Asian ethnic group in the United States. In the 1840s, the Gold Rush in the Western states brought in Chinese laborers who came to work and earn money to support their families back in China, lured by the prospect of gold and the hope for a better life. Many Chinese came from the southeastern province of Guangdong. There, the United States became known as Gum San, Gold Mountain. When the mines dried up many of the Chinese went on to build railroads and levees, labor on farms and fisheries and work as launderers and cooks.

By 1940, according to the U.S. census, there were approximately 76,000 Chinese living in the United States along with 24,000 living in the U.S. territories of Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Marianas Islands. When the United States entered World War II, many signed up to serve in the U.S. military. Their contribution occurred despite the fact that the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was still in force to ensure that Chinese not born in the United States had no path to citizenship. The act remained in place until its repeal in 1943, two years after the United States declared War on the Empire of Japan.

Although many of the Chinese living in the United States at the onset of World War II were birth-right citizens (born in the U.S.), or had merchant, scholar or diplomatic status, others were living in the country as paper sons. The term paper son refers to a man, young or old, who entered the United States using documents declaring that he was the son of a Chinese man already living in the United States. This allowed many Chinese to enter the country legally as defined in the exclusionary statutes.

Project Startup

While touring the United States in 2016 screening the Heritage Series documentary, Honor and Duty: The Mississippi Delta Chinese, the small team of researchers working with the Heritage Series, discovered that few people were aware of the participation, service and sacrifice Chinese and Chinese Americans had given on behalf of the United States during World War II. Moreover, while contributions of other groups have been congressionally recognized, no national recognition had ever been given to Chinese and Chinese American service men and women.

At a gathering of Friends of Congressman Mike Honda on December 5, 2016, Chinese and Chinese American WWII Veterans became a topic of conversation among the author, retired U.S. Army Major General Antonio M Taguba, Congressional staff member Gil Thompson, educator and attorney Phil Tajitsu Nash, and a few other supporters. We discussed creating a small team to explore congressional support for a Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese American WWII Veterans. Japanese Americans who served in WWII had received a Congressional Gold Medal in 2010 and Filipino Americans in 2016. If the still-living Chinese American members of the Greatest Generation¹ were to be recognized for their service to the United States time was of the essence, as the 75th anniversary of WWII was quickly approaching.

In late December 2016, the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project was created in partnership with the Heritage Series, LLC (the author’s company) and the National Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA). The Project’s mission would be three-fold:

1. Recognize and honor the military service of Chinese and Chinese Americans who fought in WWII for the U.S. Armed Forces by advocating members of the U.S.115th Congress to support a bill, the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act;

2. locate and preserve service records of the men and women who served in the six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces; and

3. develop educational tools that tell the story of the Chinese and Chinese Americans who served during WWII so that the achievements and contributions of the ‘greatest generation ¹ ’ would not be forgotten.

Advocacy for the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act

A Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award that recognizes an individual or a group and requires an Act of Congress. The support of at least four voting members of Congress is needed to introduce such a bill: two Senators and two Members of the House of Representatives, one from each political party.

Candidate Designs Recommended. Images courtesy of U.S. Mint.

We developed a strategy and business plan identifying how best to get such a bill introduced. Shortly after January 3, 2017 when the 115th Congress was sworn-in, Gil Thompson and the author began scheduling meetings with staff members in both houses of Congress, targeting those members who were most likely to support the effort.

Meetings with staff members Lindsay Linhares from the office of Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Adam Tanga and Patrick Hu from the office of Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) were productive. However, Senator Hirono could not be the initial Democratic sponsor due to pressing issues in the U.S. Senate. We then reached out to the offices of Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and met with her General Counsel, Erika Moritsugu, and staffer Daniel Tsang. Senator Duckworth happily took the lead for the bill, S.1050, in the Senate. Ultimately, all three Senators signed on as the initial co-sponsors of the bill in the Senate.

We then moved to the U.S. House of Representatives to identify a Democrat and a Republican to co-sponsor a bill in the House. Meetings with Corey Jacobson with the office of Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Blair Rotert with the office of Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA) took place in January 2017. With the help of their staff, both Congressmen agreed to be the initial House of Representatives co-sponsors of H.R.2358, the Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act. On May 4, 2017, S.1050 and H.R.2358 were introduced in both houses of Congress, coinciding with the celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

During the years 2017 and 2018, with the help of hundreds of supporters, advocates and community groups from across the country who believed that Chinese and Chinese Americans were deserving of a Congressional Gold Medal, we walked the halls of Congress monthly during the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall sessions of the 115th Congress. Every congressional member’s office was either visited or called to secure support and co-sponsorship of S.1050 and H.R.2358.

Both bills required super-majority co-sponsorship votes (67 Senators and 290 House Members) to pass before the Act could be sent to the White House for signature to become law. The Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act (S.1050) passed in the Senate by unanimous consent on September 12, 2018 and in the House of Representatives (H.R.2358) exceeding a super-majority with 306 co-sponsor votes on November 30, 2018. Members of the House of Representatives decided that the language of S.1080 conveyed the right message and no modifications were necessary and adopted the Senate bill language. The Chinese American WWII Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act was sent to the White House for signature by the President and became law on December 20, 2018.

Research, Findings and Snowball Effect²

Our initial research into Chinese and Chinese American military service personnel at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in College Park, MD started in February 2017 with four interns from the University of Maryland (UMD) Asian American Studies Program led by Dr. Janelle Wong. The process began with identifying 621 common Chinese last names and their spelling. The spelling of these last names is within the social context of the 1930s and 1940s when immigration from China and other places where Chinese resided was very limited. A simple algorithm was written by intern Tony Liang to identify military service personnel from World War II Enlistment and Draft records with those common Chinese last names and their spelling. This became the Main Spine to our data.

February 16, 2017 - UMD Spring 2017 Interns Samantha Berman, Meng Chen (Left) and Tony Liang (Right) with author Samantha Cheng at the National Archive at College Park, Maryland.

The UMD interns and I also spent many, many hours researching and looking for images of Chinese American military service personnel in all of the WWII theatres of war. The team made its first discovery weeks into our search of two very important and significant photographs of Chinese American participation in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Corps. The images are provided with their provenance. These images have been retouched for clarity.

Preserving the Records of Service

We found that there is no single repository or archive with a list or database of the names of the Chinese and Chinese Americans who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII. The absence of such an archive makes Chinese American service during WWII easily overlooked in U.S. history books, thereby inadvertently erasing part of Chinese American contribution to U.S. history.

When the United States entered World War II, the military was scrambling to send service members around the world to support Allied Forces. Personnel paperwork and the maintenance of service records was not a top priority. Sadly, many of the WWII military service personnel records were further compromised in 1973 when an intentionally set fire at the National Personnel Records Center of the National Archives in St. Louis MO destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel files³.

U.S. Army Honorable Discharge and Separation Papers of James K. Cheng. Courtesy of the Cheng Family.

The need to archive the contributions of Chinese and Chinese Americans who served in WWII in the six branches of the U.S. Armed Services led to the creation of this book. Heritage Series has also created a comprehensive database to help researchers, academics, educators and the interested public learn more about the Chinese American WWII veterans. The data forms the Main Roll Call included in this book.

Further Education Over Time

The data and documents collected will be the basis for an online resource which anyone may access. This online resource is expected to be fully operational by 2024. This book can be used to develop K-12 educational materials for educators, school boards and education stakeholders to ensure the Chinese American story is part of curricula covering WWII. Additionally, to generate greater public awareness, we will develop a traveling exhibit telling the story of the Chinese American WWII experience.

---

¹ Phrase coined by author Tom Brokaw, formerly NBC News Anchor, regarding the generation of Americans who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WWII.

² In this particular instance, the Snowball Effect is defined as a process that begins when initial research is conducted to look into the service record of a particular Chinese person by their name and/or city/state from which they hailed. The research of identifying Chinese and Chinese American service personnel was built when other individuals with the exact or similar name or city/state of residence surfaced and was not known to us otherwise. This Snowball Effect has been very beneficial to the data collected for this project and book.

³ https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973

THE PROCESS FOR DATA COLLECTION AND VERIFICATION

Now and In the Future

Initial data collection

Bringing together the military service records into a single archive was a long and arduous process. It began with creating a list of 621 Chinese last names commonly used during the early 1940s. Then an algorithm was written and used to search databases available from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The databases included:

1. World War II Army Enlistment Records;

2. Records of WWII Prisoners of War;

3. World War II Prisoners of the Japanese; and

4. Records of Duty Locations of Naval Intelligence Personnel

Once this spine of Chinese service member data was created, additional names and information were culled from the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) database, public and private archives maintained by military organizations, the National WWII Memorial, the U.S. Navy Memorial, Chinese American historical societies, and rosters and cards maintained by American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts. On-line databases such as Fold3.com and Ancestry.com were also used. Primary source materials collected from veterans and their families were reviewed for accuracy and context. The 1940 census and Ancestry.com provided help in determining nationality when service records listed nationality as unknown. The individual datasets were merged to create the first comprehensive database of Chinese and Chinese American service members in the U.S Armed Forces during WWII.

Military Service Record Verification

To verify information, we sought out official records, including DD Form 214, and separation and discharge papers. These were collected from veterans and their families at events across the country, and received by fax or email and via the on-line intake form at www.caww2.org/preservation. Protocols were established to process the information collected – for example, use of names as written on military service records as the default naming convention.

Methodologies and Protocols used in Verifying Military Service

When verifying the records of member’s military service, records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) were used. The following standards and conventions were established and followed:

1. Soldier’s name and service appears in enlistment and/or draft record in NARA’s WWII records.

2. Military service could also be verified using other primary sources:

a) Submission of the DD Form 214, Separation or Discharge Papers;

b) American Legion and/or Veterans of Foreign Wars membership rosters or card catalogs;

c) Appearance in veteran organization roll calls and/or publications;

d) Photograph of the soldier in uniform which was then verified by a Recognition Project Historian;

e) Copies of letters confirming military service from a state or federal agency;

f) Copies of letters written home to friends and/or family from a WWII Theatre of War;

g) Newspaper articles identifying the soldier having served in WWII;

h) Verifiable artifacts with the name and/or the serial number of the service member;

i) Online registries for WWII Veterans;

j) Participation in the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Submission Guidelines

Scans:

Documents and images must be scanned at a minimum of 600 dpi (dots per inch) or higher in black and white or color.

a. Color images are acceptable but NOT preferred as color photos were not readily available in the 1940s and may alter the context of the image.

b. If you do not own or have access to a scanner, please go to any of the following possible resources to scan documents and images:

i. University and college libraries;

ii. Public Library – please check with your neighborhood library before going;

iii. Retail outlets such as Kinkos/FedEx, UPS Stores and Office Depot/Office Max;

iv. Ask a Neighbor or family member to help.

Release Form:

Veteran data and images (not available via NARA or other public domain sites) were released to Heritage Series, LLC for inclusion into the Recognition Project’s database. The Heritage Series, LLC and the preservation team created, developed and managed the data, aids and educational tools including, but not limited to books, traveling exhibits and other by vehicles of learning about Chinese American WWII Veterans.

Submitting Additional Names for Inclusion in the Future

We understand that this book may not include all of the Chinese and Chinese Americans who served in WWII on behalf of the U.S. Armed Forces. Although we exercised our best efforts to identify and capture all who served, we know we did not. If you know of a Chinese American who served in WWII and their service record is missing from our database, please contact us at [e-mail]. It is our intention to include any missing service member brought to our attention in later editions of this book and in future online database.

SECTION TWO

OVERVIEW

According to the U.S. Census of 1940 ¹, when the United States entered WWII, there were under 100,000 Chinese citizens and immigrants living in the United States and its territories. When the Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project began, our initial research indicated that approximately 20,000 Chinese and Chinese Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces in all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Army Air Corps, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard and in the U.S. Merchant Marine Corps. They served in all six theaters of WWII: Western European, Eastern European, Mediterranean, Africa-Middle East, China-Burma-India, and Pacific-Asia. These service men and women were not segregated like the Japanese or African Americans and served in every capacity in the military.

The majority of Chinese and Chinese Americans who served during WWII were either in the Army or the Army Air Corps. In 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, Hawaii and Alaska were territories of the United States. When looking at the Chinese and Chinese American WWII veteran data, interesting patterns began to appear. Chinese who were not born in the United States were often recorded and their nativity categorized as White, Negro (Black), Mongolia, Tibet, Hawaiian or Japanese².

In the identification of Chinese veterans, the author made final determinations regarding race using historical context, name, and the race of the veteran as defined by the respective sources. A number of veterans were mixed race; this is especially present for veterans whose state of residence is Hawaii. Veterans who were identified as Chinese according to their respective source are defined as such in the Roll Call. Additionally, veterans who were defined as another general term (e.g., Asian, Oriental, etc.) were reassessed to make a final determination.³

Race aka Nativity of Chinese and Chinese Americans as categorized by the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII

Another pattern that became clear in the data was that the state of Idaho had an extraordinary number of Chinese and Chinese Americans in their rosters. Upon further investigation, it became apparent that these Chinese and Chinese Americans who were listed as being from Idaho were in fact from the territory of Hawaii. Because Hawaii was not a state in the Union, next in the alphabet following Hawaii was Idaho. Hence the curiously large number of Chinese and Chinese Americans listed as being from the state of Idaho.

The following chart was created by identifying veterans whose State of Residence was defined as the state of Idaho. Of the total number of veterans, 2,384 (98%) were originally defined as residing in Idaho, Limited Service or Hawaiian Islands in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records. This designation was redefined as Idaho in the database and in this Roll Call for modernization and simplification purposes.⁴ See Idaho summary table in Section 3

Army and Army Air Corps

Although Chinese and Chinese Americans were not segregated, an all Chinese and Chinese-American unit was established, the U.S. Army Air Corps 14th Air Service Group and the 987th Signal company. These units were stationed in the China Burma India (CBI) theatre. Chinese and Chinese Americans served side by side with other American soldiers supporting the 14th Army Air Corps. This group was based in Chungking, China while the famous Flying Tigers operated from Kunming, China prior to the U.S. officially entering WWII.

Cohesion and Communication Challenges Among Chinese American Troops during WWII

Because there was no national language in China during WWII, these units faced unique internal communication problems. Chinese and Chinese Americans with roots from cities north of Canton such as Shanghai or Peking spoke Mandarin and those with roots from areas such as Hong Kong, Canton or Hoy Ping spoke Cantonese or Toisanese, respectively, with many other village dialects from throughout China mixed in.

This unusual language challenge was unexpected by the U.S. military. There was an assumption that Chinese and Chinese Americans sent to serve in China spoke the same dialect. Often, Chinese spoke the dialect of their family village and many of the Chinese Americans could not speak or understand another dialect. To further complicate matters, the ages and circumstances of the service men and women varied so dramatically that hope for a cohesive Chinese American group quickly evaporated.

Women Veterans

Of the nearly 350,000 women who served during WWII, hundreds of Chinese and Chinese American women served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) soon renamed the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)⁵, the U.S. Navy Reserve aka WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service)⁶, the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)⁷, the U.S Marine Corps, a branch of the US Coast Guard Women’s Reserve aka SPARS⁸ and the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps⁹. On May 15, 1942 Public Law 554¹⁰ created the WAAC within the U.S. Army. Then on July 1, 1943, President Roosevelt signed a bill converting the WAAC to the WAC. In 1978 all WAC units were integrated with the male units¹¹.

Women veterans are included using several datapoints collected through public databases and from the respective sources of origin. This Roll Call used several sources to identify Chinese female veterans. For example, the seven names from the Women’s WWII Memorial who were later confirmed to be Chinese were included and identified as female. When a clear determination was not available from the source, the author identified the existence of female or woman associated with the respective veteran to make a final determination. Veterans who served in the Women’s Army Corps, Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) were identified as female.¹²

Hazel Ying Lee Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Gee Maggie Courtesy of transportationhistory.org

We were not able to identify the exact number of Chinese and Chinese American women who served during WWII, however there are hundreds in the Roll Call of this book. That said, there were only two Women Airforce Service Pilots of Chinese descent, Helen Ying Lee and Margaret Maggie Gee. After an exhaustive search, Hazel Ying Lee’s service records are not in our database as we were unable to locate them. Margaret Maggie Gee is defined as being in the Army Air Corps and not WASP based on her service records, however we were able to confirm both Hazel and Maggie’s service with the WASP’s from several primary sources. In 1977, WASP members were granted veteran status and were awarded their own Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. See women’s summary table in Section 3

Data Data Data

Data collection was conducted via traditional research techniques, intake events around the country at Chinese centric American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts, along with intake forms on the Recognition Project’s web site www.caww2.org. This has been ongoing since the establishment of the Recognition Project in January 2017. As mentioned in Section One, under Methodologies and Protocols used in verifying Military Service, we amassed a tremendous amount of information and materials including separation papers, honorary discharge papers, enlistment cards and other supporting documentation. In compiling this data, we relied on coding and advanced data analysis techniques to aggregate the information provided and what was discovered and uncovered.

Entries in this work are based upon research of all known Chinese American WWII veterans via primary source and/or other sources. Of the individuals identified in this work, 2,763 were listed on the CAWW2.org website as of August 2020. The research team was able to cross reference their names against the main spine database. However, for 333 of the veteran names included on the CAWW2 website, the team has not been able to obtain access to their primary source documents, hence their names have been included in the Disparate Datasets Roll Call.

Data Sources and Errors

Information used to generate this Roll Call came from over 30 different sources and personal correspondence with historical experts and family members of the veterans. While many of the sources contain rich information on Chinese veterans, there remains veterans who may not have been properly accounted for in this Roll Call.

A significant number of service records for veterans in the Main Roll Call were collected from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records. As of May 2020, approximately nine million men and women who enlisted or reenlisted in the United States Army are in the NARA records. Navy and Marine Corps enlistees are not included in those records. These veterans may be missing from this Roll Call if their data were not collected from another source. For those records that were able to be scanned, other limitations exist. For veterans who may have been missed, the author collected additional information from over 30 other primary and secondary sources to ensure the maximum number of Chinese veterans was captured in the Roll Call.

Additionally, there are technological limitations in the NARA records. NARA estimates approximately 13% of the microfilmed punch cards could not be scanned into the electronic file and are not represented in the enlistment records. Scanned data have a 4.7% character error and a 1.3% error for serial numbers. The author scanned the datapoints of all the veterans to identify entries that may have scanning errors (e.g., birth year or enlisted date outside of the possible range), duplicative data, and other information that was unreadable.¹³

Main Roll Call and Disparate Datasets Roll Call

The Main Roll Call is the main spine of the database created by using the spelling of 621 common Chinese last names in the 1940s from the National Archives’ 9,039,940 World War II Army Enlistment Records and includes veterans whose service was identified through other official records. The Main Roll Call was then broken down by each State of the Union at the onset of WWII (48 states), plus the territories of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and is presented in alphabetical order by State.

The Main Roll Call contains 19,337 veterans who have an identified state of residence. The remaining 3,490 veterans could not have a state of residence confirmed and were categorized into the Disparate Datasets Roll Call according to their respective primary source.¹⁴

One source of data collected by the author included a list of only names and serial numbers with no other associated data points. To identify if these veterans have already been recorded in the Main Roll Call, an automated validation process was used. Veterans who had a name and serial number match were determined to be duplicates and were removed from this list. Additional research was performed to collect as much information as possible for veterans whose name and serial number were not found in the Main Roll Call. For veterans who had no other associated data points, their names are listed in the Disparate Datasets Roll Call.

Within the Main Roll Call are a minimum of three (3) to a maximum of eight (8) data points regarding a veteran’s service including an alias, if available. If, after cross referencing the veteran’s name and service record we were unable to identify three data points or more, the veteran’s name appears within the Disparate Datasets Roll Call. This is so no veteran’s name and service to this nation would be excluded.

The Disparate Datasets Roll Call consists of veteran’s names from primary sources other than the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) such as books, periodicals, other reliable sources and membership lists from Veteran organizations, such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Names from the CAWW2 website are listed under the CAWW2.org dataset during the years in which their names were provided.

Veterans whose NARA Nativity (Place of Birth) is identified as China or Mongolia or Sinkian or Tibet have been included in the project’s Main Spine and are cross referenced by State. This nativity category has been reduced to China in the interest of physical space in the Main Roll Call. If the veteran’s service record did not correlate with a State dataset then the veteran’s name was listed in the Disparate Datasets Roll Call, according to their primary source.

Data points that identify Chinese and Chinese American service men and women as U.S. At Large or Undefined in their military records are reflected as such. Other primary source datasets (listed in Section 3) were cross referenced and incorporated into the main spine.

Interesting and Curious Finds

In the Main Roll Call, under every veteran’s name is the data point of Race (Ethnicity) as noted in their military service record form. Oftentimes, this does not reflect their actual race or ethnicity. There are many reasons for this with the first being subjective to the person doing the initial enlistment intake. The author defers to the military record and relies on the specificity of that information.

We found an extraordinarily large number of Japanese sounding names of service members who were categorized as Chinese on their enlistment papers. In several cases, when we delved deeper into the available documents, we found that their true ethnicity was recorded in hospitalization records as Japanese. All of these veterans remain listed in the Main Roll Call as Chinese as they were categorized by the U.S. Military. We found this to be very interesting and a bit curious.

To provide a bit of context, on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt, remanding over 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans to concentration camps in fear for the nation’s security.

The guidelines and rules for Japanese American enlistment into the U.S. Armed Forces changed almost annually for the duration of the war. As military intake is often subjective, being categorized as Chinese may have had some advantages as China was America’s ally and servicemen of Chinese descent were not segregated and moved around freely within the U.S. Armed Forces. These findings along with their supporting documentation will be shared with military and Japanese American historians for further investigation.

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¹ https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-nonwhite/population-nonwhite.pdf

² A category in the National Archives Records Administration’s (NARA) Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 – 1946 (Enlistment Records) World War II Army Enlistment Records, created 6/1/2002 – 9/20/2002, documenting the period ca. 1938 – 1946

³, ⁴ Statistics provided by Kayden Hoang Bui, the project’s data expert.

⁵ https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/women-wwii

⁶ ibid

⁷ ibid

⁸ ibid

⁹ ibid

¹⁰ https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/77th-congress/session-2/c77s2ch312.pdf

¹¹ https://www.armywomen.org/wacHistory.shtml#:~:text=Rogers%20introduced%20another%20bill%20in,as%20Di-rector%20of%20the%20WAC .

¹² Statistics provided by Kayden Hoang Bui, the project’s data expert.

¹³ https://aad.archives.gov/aad/content/aad_docs/rg64_army_serial_faq.pdf

¹⁴ Statistical language was provided by Kayden Hoang Bui, the project’s data expert.

Alabama

Bryan, Frank T.

Serial Number: 14055768

Branch of Service:

Army Air Corps

Rank: Aviation Cadet

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 31, 1941

Year of Birth: 1918

Place of Birth: China

Race: White

Citizenship: USA

Chang, Danny

Serial Number: 32966635

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 8, 1943

Year of Birth: 1910

Place of Birth: California

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Chin, Robert W.

Serial Number: 34812609

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 21, 1943

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: Alabama

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Gee, Wing Y.

Serial Number: 34818189

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 2, 1943

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Not Yet A

Citizen

Gong, Dong J.

Serial Number: 34871836

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Aug. 28, 1943

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: Mississippi

Race: White

Citizenship: USA

Goon, Charles

Serial Number: 34875227

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 22, 1943

Year of Birth: 1924

Place of Birth: New York

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Lawson, Jimie L.

Serial Number: 34752069

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

May 29, 1943

Year of Birth: Undefined

Place of Birth: Alabama

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Lee, Charles S. Jr.

Serial Number: 2721274

Branch of Service: Navy

Rank:

Chief Machinist’s Mate

Date of Enlistment:

Undefined

Year of Birth: Undefined

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Undefined

Citizenship: Undefined

Lee, Joe F.

Serial Number: 34380989

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 3, 1945

Year of Birth: 1918

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Leo, King L.

Serial Number: 14176002

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 8, 1942

Year of Birth: 1912

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Undefined

Citizenship: Undefined

Loo, Lee D.

Serial Number: 34337914

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Aug. 15, 1942

Year of Birth: 1902

Place of Birth: California

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Mok, Chun S.

Serial Number: 34807689

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

May 28, 1943

Year of Birth: 1924

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Mok, Jerry Loo

Serial Number: Undefined

Branch of Service:

Undefined

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 23, 1944

Year of Birth: 1926

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Undefined

Quan, Kahn

Serial Number: 9837171

Branch of Service: Navy

Rank: Seaman 1st Class

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 3, 1944

Year of Birth: 1926

Place of Birth: Alabama

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Sawada, Tom

Serial Number: 34104214

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

May 24, 1941

Year of Birth: 1918

Place of Birth: Alabama

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Wah, Lau H.

Serial Number: 34872756

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Sept. 13, 1943

Year of Birth: 1908

Place of Birth: South

Dakota

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Wah, Loo H.

Serial Number: 34399150

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 10, 1942

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Wing, Hom F.

Serial Number: 34394770

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 12, 1942

Year of Birth: 1897

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Wong, Ark Y.

Serial Number: 34701397

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jan. 16, 1943

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Alaska

Hing, George Wong

Serial Number: Undefined

Branch of Service:

Undefined

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 30, 1942

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Undefined

Hung, Lew S.

Serial Number: 39215347

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 23, 1943

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Lum, Edwin M.

Serial Number: 514149

Branch of Service:

Marine Corps

Rank: Private 1st Class

Date of Enlistment:

Undefined

Year of Birth: Undefined

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Undefined

Citizenship: Undefined

Arizona

Ahang, Ong H.

Serial Number: 39847875

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 3, 1942

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Art, Ng W.

Serial Number: 39139328

Branch of Service:

Undefined

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Aug. 30, 1943

Year of Birth: 1906

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Asawa, George

Serial Number: 37649525

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Corporal

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 29, 1946

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: California

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Ben, Gin L.

Serial Number: 39848858

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Aug. 8, 1942

Year of Birth: 1920

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Bing, Wong S.

Serial Number: 39852332

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 7, 1942

Year of Birth: 1898

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Bun, Chan

(Chan, Bun)

Serial Number: 8123089

Branch of Service: Navy

Rank: Seaman 2nd Class

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 28, 1943

Year of Birth: 1899

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Undefined

Chan, Edward

Serial Number: 19110636

Branch of Service:

Army Air Corps

Rank: Private 1st Class

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 7, 1942

Year of Birth: 1912

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Chan, Lyman

Serial Number: 818533

Branch of Service:

Marine Corps

Rank: Private 1st Class

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 5, 1943

Year of Birth: 1924

Place of Birth: California

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Chee, Joe M.

Serial Number: 39857758

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 16, 1943

Year of Birth: 1905

Place of Birth: China

Race: Japanese

Citizenship: USA

Chin, Ming S.

Serial Number: 39849652

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Sept. 4, 1942

Year of Birth: 1914

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Chow, Frank R.

Serial Number: 19135132

Branch of Service:

Army Air Corps

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 12, 1942

Year of Birth: 1922

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Chung, Wilbert T.

Serial Number: 19109817

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 27, 1943

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dang, Lyman

Serial Number: 39858174

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 24, 1943

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dea, Wigitson

Serial Number: 39848899

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Sergeant

Date of Enlistment:

Jan. 15, 1946

Year of Birth: 1922

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dean, Woo S.

Serial Number: 39094821

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 10, 1942

Year of Birth: 1915

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Don, Benjamin Jack

Serial Number: 39578984

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 17, 1944

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Don, Dan Dock

Serial Number: 38103369

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 14, 1942

Year of Birth: 1912

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Don, Faye

Serial Number: Undefined

Branch of Service:

Undefined

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 1941

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Undefined

Citizenship: USA

Don, Franklin

Serial Number: 39854223

Branch of Service:

Army Air Corps

Rank: Sergeant

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 21, 1942

Year of Birth: 1905

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Undefined

Citizenship: USA

Don, Jack H.

Serial Number: 39861758

Branch of Service:

Undefined

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 15, 1943

Year of Birth: 1911

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dong, Douglas L.

Serial Number: 39860702

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 15, 1943

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dong, Fred Y.

Serial Number: 39857986

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Apr. 19, 1943

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: Canada

Race: Chinese

Citizenship:

Not Yet A Citizen

Dong, Harry Y.

Serial Number: 19271693

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 7, 1946

Year of Birth: 1926

Place of Birth: California

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dong, James

Serial Number: 39847831

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 3, 1942

Year of Birth: 1920

Place of Birth: Arizona

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dong, Warren W.

Serial Number: 39853382

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 2, 1942

Year of Birth: 1918

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Dong, William Y.

Serial Number: 39857915

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 18, 1943

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: Canada

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Not Yet A

Citizen

Doo, Wong Thick

Serial Number: Undefined

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 16, 1940

Year of Birth: 1917

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fat, Yee

Serial Number: 39853084

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 25, 1942

Year of Birth: 1922

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fe Yen, Robert Yup

Serial Number: 39862129

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 27, 1943

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: Nevada

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fon, Chew C.

Serial Number: 39861608

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jul. 14, 1943

Year of Birth: 1910

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fong, Charles Y.

Serial Number: 39856305

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Feb. 12, 1943

Year of Birth: 1912

Place of Birth: Northern

Africa

Race: Chinese

Citizenship:

Not Yet A Citizen

Fong, Gee M.

Serial Number: 39855374

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jan. 21, 1943

Year of Birth: 1910

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fong, Phillip

Serial Number: 39579253

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Mar. 21, 1944

Year of Birth: 1925

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fong, Shim K.

Serial Number: 39583587

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Apr. 21, 1944

Year of Birth: 1923

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fong, Tung Y.

Serial Number: 39866803

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Oct. 13, 1944

Year of Birth: 1921

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Fook, Lee

Serial Number: 39852568

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Nov. 13, 1942

Year of Birth: 1905

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Foon, Yee W.

Serial Number: 39853877

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Dec. 14, 1942

Year of Birth: 1916

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Gee, Jim Wah

Serial Number: Undefined

Branch of Service: Navy

Rank: Undefined

Date of Enlistment:

Jan. 21, 1947

Year of Birth: 1924

Place of Birth: Undefined

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: Undefined

Gee, Moon J.

Serial Number: 39441832

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 8, 1945

Year of Birth: 1913

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Gee, Nguey G.

Serial Number: 39861251

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 30, 1943

Year of Birth: 1918

Place of Birth: China

Race: Chinese

Citizenship:

Not Yet A Citizen

Get, Daniel Y.

Serial Number: 19106041

Branch of Service: Army

Rank: Private

Date of Enlistment:

Jun. 2, 1942

Year of Birth: 1920

Place of Birth: Arkansas

Race: Chinese

Citizenship: USA

Get, Jin K.

Serial Number: 39853525