Roy T. Uyehata

Bougainville Island, July 1944

Uyehata was born in Salinas, California, on December 9,1917, the eldest child of Shinbei (naturalized Sbiu) and Misao Uyehata, immigrants from Hiroshima Prefecture. He grew up in the farming community of Gilroy, attending both regular and Japanese language schools in the area. After graduation from high school in 1935, he worked for six years on the family truck farm until he was drafted for Army service in April 1941. He received his basic training at Ft. Ord and was selected for the first MISLS class at Camp Savage, June-November 1942. It was during this period that his parents and two younger sisters were evacuated to the Poston Relocation Center, Arizona.

From 1943-45, Sgt. Uyehata served with distinction in the Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Luzon campaigns, and was awarded the Bronze Star medal following the first two battles.

Discharged in November 1945, Uyehata returned to farming for a while, and then entered Heald Engineering College in San Francisco, earning his BSEE degree in 1949. He and Kiyoko Yasubira of Fresno were married in 1950, and then he was recalled to active service with the outbreak of the Korean War. From 1951-1954, he served in military intelligence capacities, and was awarded the Commendation Ribbon with Medal Pendant in 1952. He was separated from active service in 1954 but continued to serve as a reserve officer, assigned first to the 6227th USAR School and then to the 601st Mobilization Designation Unit, both at the Presidio, San Francisco. His military education continued at the Associate Adjutant General School, the Military Intelligence School, the Associate Command and General Staff College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was promoted to the grade of lieutenant colonel, USAR, in 1969, and was placed on the retired list in 1977.

Uyehata's civilian career from 1954 to 1992 took him into Silicon Valley high tech companies -- Applied Technology, Memorex, Sperry Univac, and Seagate Technology -- as an engineering supervisor or quality engineer.

Roy and Kiyoko Uyehata, now residing in Cupertino, have two sons, two daughters, and two grandchildren. Among Uyehata's main hobbies are photography and the collection of historical data relating to Japanese Americans and Nisei veterans. He and his wife like to travel to foreign countries to view their art treasures and the many wonders of the world.