Richard Oguro

Richard Oguro was a member of the original battalion that left Honolulu in June 1942. At Camp McCoy, he was recruited into the Military Intelligence Service and eventually assigned to New Guinea and then to Japan after the war ended.

An elementary school teacher, Oguro was committed to making sure the contributions of the Japanese American soldiers in World War II were not forgotten. He was a member of Club 100, serving a term as president and participating in many committees. He was also active in the DAV (Disabled American Veterans).

Oguro assisted Joseph Harrington while he was collecting information for his book, “Yankee Samurai: The Secret Role of Nisei in America’s Pacific Victory.” The contributions of Japanese American soldiers who served in the Military Intelligence Service were not known until Harrington started his research for this book.

Oguro was a prolific writer, not only contributing articles to the club newsletter, but also responsible for the compiling and writing of two publications: “The Boys of Company B” and “Senpai Gumi.”

In the prologue to “The Boys of Company B,” he writes of 15 veterans of the Baker Chapter’s Steering Committee who met regularly to work on the project beginning in 1981. The book covers their journey from Hawaii, their experiences during training on the mainland, combat in Italy and France, and their continuing bonds 40 years after they joined the battalion.

A member of B Company before he was transferred to MIS, Oguro and a steering committee of 14 other veterans met in 1981 to recall their experiences. “Senpai Gumi,” Japanese for forerunners or those who came first, was started in November 1971 and was completed about 10 years later.

Around 1973, Oguro documented his experiences for his daughter Sharon who used this information for a class project.