Kenje Ogata
Kenje Ogata | |
---|---|
Sergeant First Class | |
Unit | 451st Bomb Group, 726th Squadron |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Air Medal Purple Heart |
Kenje Ogata (Japanese: 緒方 健二,[1] June 1, 1919 – January 18, 2012) was an American soldier and one of five documented people of Japanese descent to serve in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.
Early years
Ogata was born on June 1, 1919, in Gary, Indiana, the son of Clay Kamezo and Wai (née Mitsuda) Ogata.[2] He grew up in Sterling, Illinois, participated in the Boy Scouts, and graduated in 1936 from Sterling High School. Following his graduation, Ogata worked in the plating room of the National Manufacturing Company.[3] Interested in aviation, he earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilots Training Program (CPTP).[4]
World War II
Following the
Ogata was transferred on December 31, 1943, to the Army Air Corps and assigned to the
Post-war
Ogata enrolled in college on the G.I. Bill and earned a degree from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry. After a fellowship in Honolulu, he founded a dental practice in his hometown of Sterling. He retired in 1996 and died in 2012.[6]
References
- ^ Hawaii Herald 1945.02.16: Page 6
- ^ Kenje Ogata Obituary, "Kenje Ogata Obituary - Sterling, Illinois". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Dr. Kenje Ogata Class of 1936". www.sterlingschoolsfoundation.org.
- ^ "Obituary, Rafu Shimpo: Los Angeles Daily Japanese Newspaper".
- ^ "The 15th Air Force was flying missions out of Foggia". www.2ndbombgroup.org.
- ^ "WWII Army Air Corps Gunner Ogata Dies at 92". Rafu Shimpo. March 13, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
External links
- Media related to Kenje Ogata at Wikimedia Commons