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Sergeant First Class Fred Teruo Suzuki

Headshot photo of Fred Suzuki wearing glasses.
  • Unit: Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division
  • Date of Birth: October 29, 1929
  • Entered the Military: April 18, 1950
  • Date of Death: July 7, 2024
  • Hometown: San Francisco, California
  • Place of Death: Los Angeles, California
  • Award(s): Korean War Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section A15, Row A, Site 53. Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, California
Contributed by Reynold Finnegan and Elijah Gubisch
Mentored by Ms. Aditi Doshi
Van Nuys High School
2024-2025

Early Life

On October 29, 1929, Fred Suzuki was born to Sozo and Moto Suzuki in San Francisco, California. The son of immigrant parents from Japan, Fred Suzuki lived a quiet life with his two siblings, Roosevelt and Franklin, first in San Francisco, and later in Delano, California. His childhood was shaped by his Japanese heritage during a time of deep national uncertainty, as the country called into question the loyalty of many Japanese citizens.

Fred Suzuki often visited his father’s restaurant in Delano. Additionally, his mother worked as a cook at the restaurant and, to alleviate financial burden, the family lived alongside two lodgers. They may have lived in the Nihonmachi, or Japanese section of town, which catered to Japanese immigrants who worked in agriculture, railroads, or oil fields.

Fred Suzuki was stranded in Japan during World War II and returned to the United States in 1947. During his time in Japan, he worked with the U.S. military occupation in Utsunogiya, Yochigi Prefecture, as a telephone operator.

Lined census excerpt showing the Suzuki family's demographic information.
The 1930 Census Record showing the Suzuki family living in Delano, Kern County, California. National Archives and Records Administration.
Photo of a stone lantern surrounded by people.
This Japanese stone lantern was gifted to the Central California city of Fresno by the Japanese business association in 1939. California Japantowns.
A newpaper article titled, "Largest Group of Stranded Nisei Return on Gen. Meigs."
Fred Suzuki returned to the United States from Japan in late 1947, along with other stranded Nisei. Pacific Citizen, December 6, 1947.

Homefront

Japanese Americans returned from incarceration camps to Los Angeles between World War II and the Korean War but continued to face prejudice. Because they had difficulty finding homes, many of them had to seek refuge in crowded camps, trailer parks, and in housing provided by religious groups. Furthermore, White homeowners often protested these camps under the premise of diminished property values. This exemplified how, even after the trauma of incarceration camps, much of the Nikkei community still faced adversity. 

Additionally, Los Angeles served as a center for military wartime production during World War II that supported efforts in the Pacific theater. This production continued through the Cold War and was largely focused on the aerospace industry. Fifteen out of the 25 major American aerospace companies were located in Southern California. One prominent company, Hughes Aircraft, made further technological advancements in missile and radar technology. 

Black and White photograph of a crowded trailer park.
View of a trailer park used for temporary housing for Japanese Americans recently released from concentration camps, 1946, Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.
Photo of a man working on electronics in a factory.
Radar testing at Hughes Aircraft Company, 1959. Hughes Industrial Historic District.
Photo of three men searching another man.
Japanese Americans are inspected as they leave Gila River incarceration camp, September 1945. National Archives and Records Administration.

Military Experience

Fred Suzuki enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Worden, Washington, in April 1950, and was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 1st Cavalry Division. The 1st Cavalry Division deployed to South Korea to help defend the Pusan Perimeter.

Fred Suzuki worked alongside Military Intelligence, where he specialized in interrogation, as indicated by his specialty number of “1266.” As an interrogator, he bridged linguistic differences between American troops and North Korean soldiers. Furthermore, his background in Japanese language and culture allowed him to communicate with North Korean POWs due to their previous occupation by the Japanese military in World War II.

During his service, Fred Teruo Suzuki received a Korean Service Medal, a UN Service Medal, and 3 Bronze Service Stars. He was honorably discharged on April 4, 1953.

Photo of a military training camp.
Fort Worden, Washington, was where Suzuki trained for the Korean War, 1950. The Leader.
Picture of tanks on an unmaintained road.
1st Cavalry Division soldiers riding in a tank during the Korean War, c. 1950. 1st Cavalry Division Museum, Army University Press.
Fred Suzuki’s DD-214 detailing his military service. Parts have been redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Veteran Experience

After Fred Suzuki completed his military service, he graduated from the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He then joined North American Aviation/Rockwell International and worked on several notable projects, including the Apollo capsule, B-1 Lancer, and the space shuttle.

When he was not working, he served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and later a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America. All four of his sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and graduated from college. 

Headshot photograph of Fred Suzuki with a graduation hat on his head.
Fred Suzuki’s 1958 yearbook photo from UCLA. Ancestry.
Photograph of a building with a sign labeled, North American Aviation, Inc.
Suzuki worked as an aerospace engineer at the North American Aviation facility in Palmdale, California, 1956. Los Angeles Public Library, Calisphere.
Photograph of a space ship.
In Fred Suzuki’s work as an aerospace engineer, he helped develop the Apollo 11 Command Module that explored the new frontier of space in 1969. National Air and Space Museum.

Commemoration

On July 7, 2024, Fred Suzuki passed away at the age of 94. He rests at Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Suzuki will long be remembered and revered for his loyal service to his country, his contributions to the aerospace industry, and his devotion to his family.

Fred Suzuki’s niche at Los Angeles National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, March 31, 2025.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bruin Life Yearbook/Southern Campus Yearbook. University of California, Los Angeles. School Yearbooks, 1900–2016. Digital images. https://ancestrylibrary.com.

California. Kern County. 1930 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestrylibrary.com.

Fred Suzuki. DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Fred Suzuki. California Birth Index. Accessed October 23, 2024. https://californiabirthindex.org/birth/fred_teruo_suzuki_born_1929_1324795.

“Fred Teruo Suzuki.” Rafu Shimpo [Los Angeles, CA], October 3, 2024. https://rafu.com/2024/10/fred-teruo-suzuki/.

Kaku Akagi Collection. Personal Narrative. 1951. Veterans Legacy Project, Library of Congress (AFC/2001/001/91502). https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.91502/.

“Largest Group of Stranded Nisei Return on Gen. Meigs.” Pacific Citizen [Salt Lake City, UT], December 06, 1947. https://pacificcitizen.org/wp-content/uploads/archives-menu/Vol.025_%2322_Dec_06_1947.pdf.

“Obituary: Sozo Suzuki.” Rafu Shimpo [Los Angeles, CA], April 4, 1970. https://gpa.eastview.com/rafu/newspapers/trs19700404-01.1.3.

Sozo Suzuki. California, Federal Naturalization Records, 1888–1991. Digital images. https://ancestrylibrary.com.

Sozo Suzuki. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918. Digital images. https://ancestrylibrary.com.

Secondary Sources

“Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia.” National Air and Space Museum. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/command-module-apollo-11/nasm_A19700102000.

“The Beginning of Hughes Aircraft Company.” Hughes Industrial Historic District. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://www.hugheshistoric.com/hughes-aircraft-company/.

Caldwell, Tim. “70 years ago, Fort Worden finds a new mission.” The Leader. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.ptleader.com/stories/70-years-ago-fort-worden-finds-a-new-mission,67889.

Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California. California Department of Parks and Recreation, Office of Historic Preservation, 1988. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/5views/5views.htm.

“Fred Teruo Suzuki.” Find a Grave. Updated September 4, 2024. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274350047/fred-teruo-suzuki.

“Fred Teruo Suzuki.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/FREDTERUOSUZUKI/a71183.

“Fresno.” California Japantowns. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.californiajapantowns.org/fresno.html.

deGuzman, Jean-Paul. “Japanese American Resettlement in Postwar America: The Los Angeles Experience.” In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. Oxford University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.270.

“Photo Essay: Japanese Americans Return to the West Coast After WWII Incarceration.” Densho. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://densho.org/catalyst/photo-essay-japanese-americans-return-to-the-west-coast-after-wwii-incarceration/.

“Image / North American Aviation, Inc.” Calisphere University of California. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://calisphere.org/item/f6e883befef65aa92ac4bd5a63c5ce13/.

Jenks, Hillary. “Bronzeville, Little Tokyo, and the Unstable Geography of Race in Post-World War II Los Angeles.” Southern California Quarterly 93, no. 2 (2011): 201–35. https://doi.org/10.2307/41172572.

“Korean War Veterans Memorial.” National Park Service. Accessed April 7, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/kowa/learn/historyculture/design.htm.

Kumamoto, Akira Olivia. “Solemn monument to Japanese American WWII detainees lists over 125,000 names.” NBC Los Angeles, February 19, 2024. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/japanese-american-national-museum-wwii-detainees-monument/3342990/.

“Little Tokyo / Bronzeville, Los Angeles, California.” Densho. Accessed October 27, 2024. https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Little_Tokyo_/_Bronzeville,_Los_Angeles,_California/.

McNaughton, James C. “Nisei Linguists and New Perspectives on the Pacific War: Intelligence, Race, and Continuity.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed January 21, 2025. https://www.history.army.mil/html/topics/apam/Nisei.htm.

Miyamoto, Archie. “Remembering the Korean War: Japanese Blood Was Shed in the Defense of South Korea.” Japan Forward. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://japan-forward.com/remembering-the-korean-war-japanese-blood-was-shed-in-the-defense-of-south-korea/.

“Photo Archive Korean War.” 1st Cavalry Division Association. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://1cda.org/photo-archives-korean-war/.

Portillo, Meghan. “NCOs Have Been Leaders of Change throughout History of 1st Cavalry Division.” NCO Journal, October 15, 2013. https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2013/October/10-15-ncos-have-been-leaders-of-change-throughout-history-of-1st-cavalry-division/.

“The Southern California Space Industry.” Hughes Industrial Historic District. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.hugheshistoric.com/southern-california-aerospace-industry/.

“UCLA Engineering Milestones.” UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. Accessed October 27, 2024. https://samueli.ucla.edu/history/.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.