Corporal Shigeru Ito

Early Life

Shigeru Ito was born in North Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi on July 13, 1930. His parents, Kazuma Ito and Kasai Toyota, immigrated from Japan and had seven children. In the 1940 federal census, Kazuma Ito worked as an electrician on a sugar plantation and Kasai is a laborer on the plantation. Their 15-year-old son, Goichi, worked as a laborer on a construction site.

Ito attended Kohala High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1949 at the age of 19.

Homefront

North Kohala, Hawaiʻi is remote, rural, and beautiful. The people who lived there in the 1940’s and 1950’s mostly worked in sugar cane production and came from many different ethnic backgrounds. The remote nature of North Kohala led to a very tight-knit community despite their differences in backgrounds and languages.

The community included immigrants and their children from China, Japan, and the Philippines. They mixed with the descendants of Portuguese immigrants and native Hawaiians. The remote nature led many to intermarry within the community which not only led to a true sense of community, but to a rich mix of cultural and ethnic heritages. With so many languages being spoken, Pidgin English became the dominant tongue within the close-knit farming community.  

World War II had a big impact on the community, especially among the Nisei (the children of immigrants from Japan born in the United States). People of Japanese ancestry were moved to camps on the mainland United States, but as they made up nearly one-third of workers in Hawaiʻi, it was impossible to intern them without destroying the economy. There were, however, restrictions put in place on the movements of people. World War II brought the people of North Kohala closer together.

When the Korean War broke out, many Nisei young men, inspired by the 442^nd Regimental Combat Team from World War II, enlisted to fight for their country.

Military Experience

Military files for Shigeru Ito were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Ito served as a corporal in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During the Korean War, corporals often found themselves right at the front lines. Because of the tough terrain and specific battle strategies, most fighting was done through smaller units in Korea. As team, section, or squad leaders, corporals guided their men through this dangerous environment.

In Korea, the front lines were constantly changing during the first year of the war. Eventually, they settled near the 38^th Parallel for the last years of the war. The soldiers who fought in Korea had to deal with not only Communist forces from North Korea (and later, China), but also with brutally cold winters, hot and humid summers, and a tough landscape.

In the Army, the smallest combat unit (three to five soldiers) is called a fire team. Corporals sometimes led these fire teams. The Army put a lot of responsibility on its lower-level leaders like corporals. The Team Leader is the first line of leadership in a unit and reports to the Squad Leader. Corporals often held this role in Korea and were also responsible for leading and training soldiers.

Corporals did a lot more than just fight. They were the ones making sure tanks, planes, and trucks worked properly, and they also helped care for the wounded. Some were clerks who made sure all the paperwork was done right. Even though these soldiers didn’t always engage in direct combat, they still played a huge role in the war. And when the fighting stopped, many were ordered to stay behind and patrol the demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the 38^th parallel.

Veteran Experience

Shigeru Ito married Joann Duck Soon Kim after the war. They had six children together and stayed married until his death in 2004.

After his service in the U.S. Army, Ito worked for the Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) for many years. This organization runs the exchanges, or retail establishments on military bases. His work with AAFES took him his family to Japan, Panama, and  Fort Benning, Georgia. Later, Ito served as the President of the AAFES Retirees Association.

Ito was a member of the Striplin Terrace United Methodist Church. He and his wife also ran a dry cleaning business in Columbus, Georgia.

Commemoration

Shigeru Ito died on January 16, 2004. His wife, Joanne, passed away in 2012. They are buried together at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Alabama.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

AAFES Logo. U.S. Army. Accessed March 11, 2025. https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/resource/aafes/.

Filling, weighing and sewing sacks of raw sugar at Plantation mill, Hawaiian Islands. Photograph. c.1910-1920. Library of Congress (2016824528). https://www.loc.gov/item/2016824528. 

Hawaii., Hawaii Island. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. http://ancestry.com.

“Joann D. S. Ito.” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, October 12, 2012. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ledger-enquirer/name/joann-ito-obituary?id=20753465.

North Kohala Coastline, Hawaii Island. Photograph. c.1935. Digital Archives of Hawaiʻi (PP-29-11-028). https://digitalarchives.hawaii.gov/item/ark:70111/0f31.

North Kohala in the Late 19th Century. Map. Images of Old Hawai‘i. https://i0.wp.com/imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/North-Kohala-Sugar-late-19th-Century-Rechtman.jpg. 

Rank insignia for a U.S. Army Corporal (E-4). Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Army-USA-OR-04a.svg.

“Shigeru Ito.” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, January 18, 2004. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/ledger-enquirer/name/shigeru-ito-obituary?id=21827592.

Shigeru Ito. U.S., Social Security Application Index, 1936-2007. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Shigeru Ito. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Sugar plantation. Hawaii. Showing shipping port in distance. Photograph. c.1910-1920. Library of Congress (2016824459). https://www.loc.gov/item/2016824459. 

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Bond, Boyd D. Email interview with authors. November 8, 2024.

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“History & Culture.” Korean War Veterans Memorial. Accessed March 11, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/kowa/learn/historyculture/index.htm. 

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“Shigeru Ito.” Find a Grave. Updated July 4, 2011. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72727974/shigeru-ito. 

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“Striplin Terrace UMC – Northwest.” The South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Accessed March 11, 2025. https://www.sgaumc.org/churchdetail/235006. 

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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.