Victor Akimoto

Before the War

Victor Akimoto was the second of four sons and four daughters born to parents Masanori and Mary Akimoto. Masonori and Mary immigrated from Japan to the United States in 1907. The Akimoto family originally settled in Idaho. When Victor was six years old, he began losing his hair and the family moved to Los Angeles for better access to health care. In school, Victor was an accomplished athlete. He was a gifted boxer, respected community leader, and role model among peers.

Military Service

Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Victor volunteered for the military. He was inducted into the military on January 2, 1942, and sent to Fort Warren in Wyoming. He trained there until FDR announced the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, after which he applied to transfer to Camp Shelby Training Center in Mississippi to join the other Nisei service members. Later, his brothers Johnny and Ted joined him at Camp Shelby. As he was already serving in the military, he was not subject to Executive Order 9066 or incarceration.

At Camp Shelby, Victor obtained the rank of sergeant. He was well respected amongst the other enlisted men at the training center. Once he learned that his younger brother Johnny would be deployed to the European theater, Victor took a voluntary demotion to Private so he could be deployed with his brother Johnny, in the hopes of being able to protect him. Unbeknownst to Ted, Victor also arranged a deal with their commanding officer to never send Ted into combat, in order to ensure his survival as well.

Victor joined Company A of the 100th Battalion, part of the group that was sent after the “Lost Battalion,” the 141th Infantry. The battle was one of the bloodiest battles undertaken by the 442nd/100th, but after four days of intense fighting they succeeded in liberating the 141st. The 100th Battalion became known as the “Purple Heart Battalion” due to their astonishing acts of bravery and the horrific casualties they sustained.

During one battle, Victor was shot in the leg and captured by German forces. He was held in the Bad Orb POW camp, infamous for its poor living conditions. The gunshot Victor sustained fractured his femur and became infected, eventually turning gangrenous. In an effort to save Victor’s life, the decision was made to amputate his leg above the knee—without the aid of anesthesia. After the amputation, Victor refused food and died on December 14, 1944. He was initially buried in a civilian cemetery in Seligenstadt, Germany. After Bad Orb was liberated, the Department of War exhumed his body and brought him to France.

While the Akimoto family was aware that Victor was missing, they were not notified of his capture and death until six months after the fact, causing unbearable agony for the family as they waited for any news from the Department of War. The full details of his death were classified and not made known to his family until many years later.

After the War

After the end of the war, Mary and Masinori gave the Department of War permission to bury Victor in a cemetery for American soldiers in France. They also requested that Johnny’s remains be exhumed and moved from Italy and laid to rest next to Victor. They are now buried side by side in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France.

Information provided by the Akimoto family and "When the Akimotos Went to War" by Matthew Elms

If you or your family was incarcerated at Amache and would like to be featured, please email us.