Background
Ohata was born in Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
Ohata was born in Hawaii to Japanese immigrant parents.
He was a Nisei, which means that he was a second generation Japanese-American. One month before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Ohata joined the United States Army in November 1941. Ohata volunteered to be part of the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion.
This army unit was mostly made up of Japanese Americans from Hawaii and the mainland.
He said the enemy came from both sides, and one point he came from one side and the enemy soldier came from the other education The only reason he lived was because he saw the guy first.".