PERSONAL FOCUS:
TAKASHI SENZAKI- 442nd Regimental Combat Team
As
an American citizen born in Los Angeles, California in 1921, Tak
Senzaki would never have imagined he would be incarcerated just
because of his race. Like other Japanese American families, the
Senzaki family was forced to evacuate their home and was incarcerated
in a War Relocation Authority (WRA) camp shortly after the U.S.
entry into World War II.
The Senzaki family was imprisoned in a camp set up at Rohwer,
Arkansas. Rohwer housed more than 7,000 Japanese Americans from
the Los Angeles and San Joaquin area. Families were housed in
one room barracks arranged in blocks. Tak and a few others from
his block signed up for military duty immediately when Army recruiters
came to Rohwer.
Since his oldest brother was exempt from the draft and his other
brother had a hearing problem, it was up to Tak to heed his father's
serious advice -"yamato damashi" - give all
you have on the battlefield -- don't bring shame on the family.
His father blessed him for taking the family's name to war and
for honoring their country. The Army assigned Tak to the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, an all-Japanese American fighting unit.
He was 22 years old.
The 442nd landed in Italy and fought in many major battles. Tak
became a seasoned soldier. In October 1944, Tak found himself
hiking in the forests of France strapped with a heavy pack and
rifle, constantly faced with the threat of being shot or stepping
on a land mine. The temperature was near freezing. The dense fog,
rain and cold made travel even more difficult than usual. His
feet began to swell inside of his boots. Above him in the dense
forests, artillery was exploding in the trees, turning tree branches
into deadly projectiles.
Tak and the other men of the 442nd were ordered to rescue the
“Lost Battalion,” men from the 1st Battalion, 141st
Infantry of the 36th "Texas" Division. The Texans had
advanced beyond their lines and found themselves surrounded by
German troops. Other American units had tried to rescue them with
no success. The situation was getting grim. A desperate communication
received from the Texans said, "No rations, no water, no
contact with headquarters…four litter cases." For five
full days the Texans had no food at all.
Fighting was hand-to-hand, head-to-head, tree-to-tree and an
inferno of grenade and small-arms fire. Tak’s unit lost
both their platoon and assistant platoon leaders and most of their
men. With only eight men, Tak took charge. Five surviving members
of the 2nd Platoon joined them. Known for his keen sense of direction,
Tak avoided contact with the Germans by staying off the main trail.
It was two of his men who made first contact with the beleaguered
Lost Battalion. Major Claude D. Roscoe of the Lost Battalion recalled,
"The first man I met of the 442nd was Tech Sgt. Tak Senzaki
of Los Angeles. We all had tears in our eyes and were glad to
see them." At the end of the two week fighting period in
October, that included the rescue of the Lost Battalion, the 442nd
suffered more than 800 casualties while saving the lives of 211
Texans.
Tak’s skill and leadership role in the rescue of the Lost
Battalion was a source of pride for his family back home. In a
letter to his brother, Tak wrote, "In charge of the platoon
now. Only had one man killed in my squad and he was on a special
mission for the company at that time so I've got a damned good
record. Hope to keep it up now that I have a platoon."
Tak was one of the fortunate ones. He survived and returned home
to his loved ones. After being discharged from the Army, he rejoined
his family who left camp. Together they moved eastward, settling
in Minneapolis. Hoping to pursue his education, he moved to Chicago
to stay with his sister. Unable to obtain his high school transcripts
to enter college, Tak found work in a grocery store in Chicago.
Later, he returned to Los Angeles where he worked for some large
[market] chains until he retired. Few who see this mild manner
man today know that Tak Senzaki was instrumental in saving the
lives of so many others while in combat.
ACTIVITIES
Framework Standards Context
California Standards
Grade 11
11.7 Students analyze the American participation in World War
II.
