Akira Richard Toki was born in Madison, Wisconsin on January 17, 1916. His parents were Japanese immigrants who owned and operated a farm on the outskirts of the city. He graduated from Madison East High School in June 1941 and continued working on the family farm.
Toki was inducted into the Army on February 12, 1942 and sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois and then to Camp Robinson, Arkansas for basic training. Toki and several other Japanese-American soldiers were segregated at Camp Robinson and remained behind after the other troops completed the basic training and moved on. Toki and the others made stops at Camp Grant, Illinois and Camp Blending, Florida before going to Camp Shelby, Mississippi where they became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a unit composed entirely of Japanese-Americans with white officers.
In August 1944, Toki shipped to Naples, Italy where he joined the 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd RCT as a replacement. He served as a sergeant in Company A of that unit for the remainder of the war, seeing action throughout France and Italy. On April 5, 1945 an enemy bullet hit Toki's face, sending him to the hospital for a little over one month. Toki remained in Europe until November 1945.
Upon returning to Madison, Toki continued working on the family farm. He joined numerous veterans' organizations and began volunteering at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital in Madison when it opened. In 1992, Orchard Ridge Middle School in Madison changed its name to Akira Toki Middle School to honor Toki's service to the community and country.
