Asian American Women Serve as Army Corps Translators in WWII

By Carol Acquaviva

Despite the obstacles, there have been some advancements made during wartime by marginalized groups within the United States military. Throughout World War II, the U.S. rallied available resources, and as in conflicts past, the Army realized the potential of women to contribute to the effort.

The California Room recently acquired a photograph depicting a group that includes Japanese American servicewomen at Hamilton Field in 1946, prior to their overseas deployment.

Members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) at Hamilton Army Airfield, before deployment to Tokyo, January 23, 1946. At front, L-R: Atsuko Mori, Miwako Yanomoto, Chito Isonaga, Edith Kodama, Fumiko Segawa, and Shizuko Shinagawa. Back Row, L-R: Mary Nakamura, Matsuko Kido, Hisako Hirakawa, Toyoma Nakanishi, Marie Minata, Sgt. Rhoda Knudten and Technician Fifth Grade Bertha Chin. Anne T. Kent California Room Collection.

January 23, 1946: Hamilton Field, Calif. — Hopping off from Hamilton Field Today for Tokyo are these WACs who will serve as translators and office help at the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur.

View of hangers and shops at Hamilton Field, circa 1940s. Anne T. Kent California Room Collection.

The Women’s Army Corps (WAC) began as Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) in 1942. On July 1, 1943 the “Auxiliary” was dropped, and the WAC became an official part of the Army. By the end of the war there were over 150,000 women who were finally classified as something more than civilian volunteers; they were provided benefits and some semblance of status within the military. These were the first non-nurse women to serve within ranks of the US Army.

Recruiting Publicity Bureau, United States Army, 1944.

WACs undertook a variety of job positions including switchboard operators; postal clerks; mechanics and drivers; stenographers; and typist-clerks. Most served stateside, while some were stationed around the world. One group, comprised partly of WAC who were Nisei (those whose parents were born in Japan), utilized their dual language skills as translators, interpreting documents, photographs, and other material. WAC members assigned as translators and linguists undertook rigorous training to prepare for their service and understand Japanese and American military jargon.

Although the war had ended in September 1945, the United States military — with General MacArthur in charge — led the Supreme Command of Allied Powers (SCAP) in the occupation and stabilization of a defeated Japan.

Miwako Yanamoto (1923–2006). Anne T. Kent California Room Collection.

Enlisted Los Angeles native Miwako Yanamoto was a “Nisei WAC.” She recalled that, upon departing Hamilton Field for Japan, the group first traveled to Hawaii, then the South Pacific for six weeks, as the women were bumped off planes for what the Japanese American Veterans’ Association (JAVA) describes as “higher ranking officers or men whose mission was more important than document translation.”

The JAVA further explains:

During this time they were called “mannequins of democracy,” serving as unofficial ambassadors. But as soon as they arrived in Tokyo, they learned that General MacArthur did not approve of enlisted women serving overseas. He ordered them to either return to the United States as WACs or serve one-year contracts in Japan as civilians with the Civil Intelligence Service.

Yanamoto remained in Tokyo, working for the War Department as a civilian, and receiving better compensation for her work. But witnessing a war-torn Japan was difficult.

She describes the destitute situation in which people were living in the subways and scrounging for food in garbage cans. There were many orphans who were trying to survive in any way they could. “It was tough times for the Japanese,” she said.

Another Japanese American WAC described her service in positive terms:

It was enriching and I formed a lot of friendships — friends for life. It was a learning experience for me…. I knew they needed WACs to take desk jobs so the fellows could go to the front. We did it for all Japanese Americans. I was proud to be an American.

The WAC became permanent by act of Congress in June 1948. Thirty years later it was disbanded due to the inclusion of women into all but the combat branches of the Army. As of 2008, about 5% of enlisted recruits in the Army were women who identified as Asian (Source: Council on Foreign Relations).

For further reading:

The Indomitable Florence Finch: The Untold Story of A War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs by Robert J. Mrazek (2020).

Integrating the US Military: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Since World War II, Bristol, Douglas Walter Bristol and Heather Marie Stur, Editors (2017).

The Only Women in the Room: A Memoir by Beate Gordon (1997).

Yankee Samurai: The Secret Role of Nisei in America’s Pacific Victory by Joseph Daniel Harrington (1979).

Websites:

Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC)

Japanese American Veterans’ Association (JAVA)

“Women in the Army” online exhibit and historical resource portal from the U.S. Army website

Densho Encyclopedia: “A free on-line resource about the history of the Japanese American WWII exclusion and incarceration experience”

The MacArthur Memorial, Norfolk, Virginia, Archives & Library