Teruto Tsubota
Encyclopedia
Teruto "Terry" Tsubota (born in Pahoa, Hawaii, on July 28, 1922) is a second-generation Japanese-American (Nisei
) and a former U.S. Marine
.
(MIS) combat translator with the 6th Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa
in 1945, when he was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment. After the war, Tsubota stayed in Okinawa Prefecture
. In 1947 he married Kiyoko, a young local woman who has survived being conscripted as a nurse and whom he met in a refugee camp. Together, they raised three children. He has retired from the U.S. government service in January 1993.
Today, Tsubota remains a hero
to the Okinawans as the man who has personally prevented many combat deaths and civilian suicides during the battle. In 2000 he accompanied Okinawa's governor and other officials during Bill Clinton
's visit to the prefecture, and in 2004 he was one of the honored guests at the 59th anniversary of the battle held in the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
. In 2007 the story of Tsubota and his fellow Japanese-American translators was told by James C. McNaughton in “Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II”.
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
) and a former U.S. Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
.
Biography
Tsubota was credited with valiantly saving hundreds of civilian lives while serving as a Military Intelligence ServiceMilitary Intelligence Corps (United States Army)
In the United States Armed Forces, Military Intelligence refers specifically to the intelligence components of the United States Army...
(MIS) combat translator with the 6th Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in 1945, when he was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment. After the war, Tsubota stayed in Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
. In 1947 he married Kiyoko, a young local woman who has survived being conscripted as a nurse and whom he met in a refugee camp. Together, they raised three children. He has retired from the U.S. government service in January 1993.
Today, Tsubota remains a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
to the Okinawans as the man who has personally prevented many combat deaths and civilian suicides during the battle. In 2000 he accompanied Okinawa's governor and other officials during Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's visit to the prefecture, and in 2004 he was one of the honored guests at the 59th anniversary of the battle held in the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum
is a museum in Itoman, Okinawa, Japan.-External links:*...
. In 2007 the story of Tsubota and his fellow Japanese-American translators was told by James C. McNaughton in “Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II”.
External links
- Living by His Father's Words, Marine Corps Bases Japan Home Page, July 18, 2008