Kawaguchi, Kojiro F.

Kojiro F. Kawaguchi was a first generation Japanese-American, or Nisei, living in Japanese Town, San Francisco, California when the United States (U.S.) entered World War II (WWII). He and his family were interned at the Tanforan Assembly Center in San Bruno, California, on 28 April 1942. They were transferred to the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah on 15 October 1942, where Kawaguchi taught high school. After signing a loyalty oath in February 1943, he initially volunteered for service with the U.S. Army's 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Under pressure from his parents and friends, Kawaguchi instead accepted a job in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in September 1943. He eventually volunteered to attend the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Service Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and served with the U.S. Army in occupied Japan for three years.