Top of page

Staff Sergeant Kenje Ogata receiving the Air Medal, 1945.

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
  • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
  • Unit of Service: Company B, 32nd Medical Training Battalion, Medical Corps; 726th Bomb Squadron, 451st Bomb Group, 49th Wing, 15th Air Force
  • Location of Service: Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois; Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lincoln, Nebraska; Davis-Monthan Air Field, Tucson, Arizona; Topeka, Kansas; Foggia, Italy; European Theater
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/76800

View full service history

"I know you were hoping that I wouldn't apply for a transfer but ... my conscience would never rest so long as I live, if I didn't assert myself and fight for what I believe to be right." (Letter to Wilma, 2/25/1944)

Enlisting the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Staff Sergeant Kenje Ogata assumed that, having gone through the Civilian Pilot Training Program, he would have no trouble securing a spot on a bomber. Instead, he was shunted into the Medical Corps. After two years of advocating for a transfer to the Army Air Corps, he was finally given a chance to fly-but as a turret gunner, and not a pilot. During the course of completing 35 missions out of Italy, he was shot down twice over enemy territory. His letters to his wife, Wilma, convey not only his dedication to her, but also to doing his patriotic duty, even as his country discriminated against him.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

Interview with Kenje and Wilma Ogata 11/14/1994

Kenje Ogata Collection
Interview / Recording

[ General Order Number 1860: March 29, 1945 Award of the Air Medal Third Oal Leaf Cluster ]
[ Class A Pass Fort Sheridan, Illinois Exp. Date June 30 1944 ]
[ Army Air Forces Physical Fitness Teast and Record Card ]

Show more resources (151)

[ Personal Affairs Check Sheet ]
[ Army Air Forces Pilot and Crew Member Physical Record Card ]
[ General Order Number 3400 September 14, 1944 Award of the Air Medal ]
[ Gerneral Order Number 4326 November 3, 1944 Award of Air Medal First Oak Leaf Cluster ]
[ General Order Number 7 January 28, 1945 Award of the Purple Heart ]
[ Authorization to wear ribbons, decorations and citations ]
[ Mission Log ]
[ Indivudual Pre-embarkation Health Certificate April 13, 1945 ]
[ Memorandum To: Returnees housed in Alamac and Essex Hotels. May 24, 1945 ]
[ Casualty Information of Crew Members ]
[ Instructions For Presentation of Claims November 15, 1945 ]
[ Memorandum: Incoming Combat Crew Personnel Tucson, Arizona May 17, 1944 ]
[ Special Order Number 121 May 1, 1945 ]
[ Honorable Discharge and DD-214 Enlisted Record and Report of Separation June 7, 1945 ]
[ To: Chief of the Air Corps April 23,1942 ]
[ To: The President, Aviation Cadet Examining Board, Camp Grant Il. April 27, 1942 ]
[ Kenje's Story ]
[ The Russian Army Was Our Host ]
[ Undated: From U.R. DeVoe ]
[ Dear Ed January 14, 1943 ]
[ To: The President, Aviation Cadet Examining Board, Camp Grant Il Application for Aviation Cadet. October 14, 1943 ]
[ To: The President, Aviation Cadet Examining Board, Camp Grant Il Application for Aviation Cadet. October 25, 1943 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 11, 1942 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 3, 1943 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 3, 1943 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 5, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 11, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 31, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 2, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata Tuesday Midnite February 8, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 23, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata Western Union Telegraph Money Order February 25, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 25, 1944 ]
[ Post Card To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 28, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 29, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 29, 1944 ]
[ Anniversary Card To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 1, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 1, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 2, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 3, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 6, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 8, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 11, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 14, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 15, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 16, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 19, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 20, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 22, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 25, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 27, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 28, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 2, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 3, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 4, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 11, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 12, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 13, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 17, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 19, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 21, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 23, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 27, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 1, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 2, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 6, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 10, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 11, 1944 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata May 15, 1944 ]
[ Western Union Telegram To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 22, 1944 ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 21,1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 22, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 24, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 26, 1945 ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 27, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 28, 1945 7PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 25, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 27, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 29, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata January 30, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 4, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 3, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 8, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 9, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 10, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 11, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata Febraury 12, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 13, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 10, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 15, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 14, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 17, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 16, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 18, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 20, 1945 ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 7, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 21, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 22, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 23, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 24, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 25, 1945 6:30 PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 26, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 27, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata February 28, 1945 9:45PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 2, 1945 2PM ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 2, 1945 8PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 3, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 4, 1945 ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 5, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 6, 1945 7PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 7, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 8, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 10, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 10, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 12, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 13, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 14, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 15, 1945 9PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 16, 1945 8:30PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 17, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 18, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 19-20, 1945 ]
[ V-MAIL To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 21, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 24, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 25, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 23, 1945 11:30 PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 26, 1945 10PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 30, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 27, 1945 10:30PM ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata March 28-29, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 1, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 3, 1945 ]
[ To Wife: Wilma Ogata April 4, 1945 ]
[ Western Union Telegram To: Mrs. Wilma R. Ogata January 12 1945 ]
[ Adjutant General's Office To: Mrs. Wilma R. Ogata January 14, 1945 ]
[ Fifth Air Force Office of the Commanding General To: Mrs, Wilma Ogata January 25, 1945 ]
[ Western Union Telegram To: Mrs. Wilma R. Ogata February 3, 1945 ]
[ Headquarters, Army Air Forces Washington DC To: Mrs. Wilma R. Ogata February 17, 1945 ]
[ Silk map of Europe carried by veteran when he was shot down over Hungary on December 26, 1944. ]
[ 1936 Hungarian 10 pengo note. ]
[ 1944 Hungarian 50 pengo note. ]
[ 1938 Soviet 1 Ruble note. ]
[ 1942 Surbian 500 Dinars note. ]
[ 1941 Romanian 1000 Lei note. ]
[ Supplement to Biographical Data ]
[ Crew and next of kin addresses ]
[ Press Release: Public Relations Offic Davis-Monthan field Tucson, Arizona. ]
[ Restricted: Publicity in Connection with Escaped, Liberated, or Repatriated Prisoners of War March 29, 1945 ]
[ Sheet music "Furlough in Paradise" Dedicated to all restcamps of the U.S. Army Air Forces. ]
[ Last Will and Testament of Kenje Ogata ]
[ Chrismas Bonus from the National Manufacturing Co. January 3, 1943 ]

About this Item

Title

  • Kenje Ogata Collection

Names

  • Lawrence W. Calkins
  • Ogata, Kenjalin
  • Ogata, Kenje
  • Calkins, Jeanette I.
  • Kenjalin Ogata

Home State

  • Illinois

Headings

  • -  Ogata, Kenje
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army Air Forces/Corps.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Asian

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army Air Forces/Corps
    • Unit of Service: Company B, 32nd Medical Training Battalion, Medical Corps; 726th Bomb Squadron, 451st Bomb Group, 49th Wing, 15th Air Force
    • Location of Service: Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois; Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lincoln, Nebraska; Davis-Monthan Air Field, Tucson, Arizona; Topeka, Kansas; Foggia, Italy; European Theater
    • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
    • Dates of Service: 1942-1945
    • Entrance into Service: Enlisted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran flew as a ball turret gunner and waist gunner in a B-24 bomber. He was shot down twice.

Materials

  • Video: DVD [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2008-08-18)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2001-11)
  • Manuscript: Biography [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 2001-2011)
  • Manuscript: Civilian papers (certificates, forms, wills, etc) [3 items] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944-1949)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1944-2002)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [3 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1942-1945)
  • Manuscript: Diaries and journals [1 item] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1944)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [29 items] -- Photograph (collected 1924-1988)
  • Photograph: Digital print [1 item] -- Photograph (collected 2008)
  • Manuscript: Maps [1 item] -- (collected 1944)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 1943-1945)
  • Manuscript: Military papers (orders, personnel/201 files, etc) [2 items] -- Mixed (handwritten and typewritten documents) (collected 1945)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [1 item] -- Handwritten document (collected 1945)
  • Artifact: Artifact [5 items] -- (collected 1942-1945)
  • Manuscript: Creative works [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/76800

Cite as

  • Kenje Ogata Collection (AFC/2001/001/76800), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Lawrence W. Calkins, Kenjalin Ogata, Kenje Ogata, Jeanette I Calkins, and Kenjalin Ogata. Kenje Ogata Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76800/.

APA citation style:

Lawrence W. Calkins, Ogata, K., Ogata, K., Calkins, J. I. & Kenjalin Ogata. (1942) Kenje Ogata Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76800/.

MLA citation style:

Lawrence W. Calkins, et al. Kenje Ogata Collection. 1942. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.76800/>.