Title: Akira R. Toki Papers and Photographs
Inclusive Dates: 1941-2002

Creator:

• Toki, Akira R.

Call Number: WVM Mss 854

Quantity: 0.6 linear ft. (2 archives boxes) of papers, 3 folders of photographs, 8 video cassettes.

Repository:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Have questions? Contact the Reference Archivist

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Veterans Museum (Map)

See the catalog entry for current shelf locations and additions.

Abstract:

Papers and photographs of Akira R. Toki, a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Wartime materials, including correspondence, military papers, and newspaper clippings, portray the ordeal Toki faced to enlist in the Army in the face of widespread discrimination against Japanese-Americans. They also document his distinguished service in the war that earned him a Purple Heart. A Madison law firm wrote a letter of support for Toki after he was picked up by police while driving home on furlough and his Japanese heritage raised suspicions. Research files, largely secondary sources, provide substantial history and insight into the Japanese-Americans who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. Magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and printed internet pages delve into the discrimination they faced during the war, touch upon their training at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, describe their valorous service in Europe, and detail their general lack of recognition following the war that has only been addressed at the end of the twentieth century. The package for a Japanese-American World War II action figure, materials relating to the delayed awarding of Medals of Honor to members of the unit, and a unit marching song are of interest. Other materials reveal details about Toki's civilian life, from a middle school in Madison being named in his honor in 1992 to his decades of community volunteer work at a local hospital. Photographs include several shots of Toki in uniform during the war and as a civilian afterward. An oral history interview, conducted by Wisconsin Public Television, is included among the videos and features Toki describing his military experiences.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.wvm-mss00854

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

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.

The papers of Akira R. Toki are divided into 4 series: World War II, Personal, Photographs, and Videos.

World War II (1941-1945) contains documents relating to Toki's Army service during the war. In a typed letter to his parents, Toki informed them that he had been wounded in the head but was recovering well. Notification cards from the Army reported his wounding and recovery as well. A letter from a Japanese-American friend, also serving in the military, to Toki passed on information about mutual acquaintances and asked about news from home. A Madison law firm wrote a letter of support for Toki after he was picked up by police while driving home on furlough and his Japanese heritage raised suspicions. Newspaper clippings show the interest that the Madison press took in Toki and his family during the war. Also included is a poem written by Toki's mother about her feelings while her son was in the Army.

Personal (1943-2002) pertains to Toki's post-war life. His research files contain mostly secondary sources about these two Japanese-American units in World War II. Magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and printed internet pages convey a great deal of information about the units, their role in the war, and their significance in history Along with the stories of the men who joined those units, mention is made of those Japanese-Americans left behind in internment camps. Also included in this series are newspaper clippings relating to the awarding of the Medal of Honor to several Japanese-American veterans in 1996. Ephemeral items include programs from the 60th Anniversary of the formation of the units, the box cover for a Japanese-American soldier action figure, and the marching song of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Newsletters, itineraries, and speech transcripts document a reunion the veterans held at Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, as well as trips to Europe and France. Other materials relate to the Madison middle school named after Toki in 1992, as well as several research papers written by students who interviewed Toki about his experiences in the war and in life. Newsletter articles praise his long years of volunteer service at the Middleton Memorial Veterans Administration Hospital. Newspaper clippings provide details about Toki's life as a farmer and civilian. His participation in military funerals is documented by the Madison area firing squad roster. Also in this series are programs from various events attended by Toki honoring Japanese-American and Wisconsin veterans. Patriotic materials include literature about the American flag, patriotic songs, and information about the origins of the Purple Heart medal.

Photographs (1943-1945, undated) contains several photographs of Toki from World War II in Army uniform. There are also undated shots of an older Toki, both by himself and visiting a military cemetery in France.

Videos (1995-2002) contain recordings collected by Toki that relate to his service or to the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. There are three video tapes containing an oral history interview conducted with Toki for Wisconsin Public Television in which he describes his military service. A recording of a dedication at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin shows Japanese-American veterans as honored guests. The series includes a recorded documentaries about the 100th Battalion and 442nd RCT.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Akira Toki, Madison, WI, 2003. Accession Number: Mss 2003.32. This collection was organized as a result of the National Historic Publications and Records Commission project grant (2003-075).

Processing Information

Processed by Russell Horton in 2005.

	Series: World War II
	Subseries: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	Toki to parents, 1945
Box   1 Folder   2	Friend to Toki, 1943
Box   1 Folder   3	Regarding Toki's Japanese heritage, 1942
Box   1 Folder   4	Menus, 1943-1944
Box   1 Folder   5-6	Newspaper clippings, circa 1942-1945
	Subseries: Notifications	⇧
Box   1 Folder   7	Draft classification, 1941
Box   1 Folder   8	Wound and recovery, 1945
Box   1 Folder   9	Poem by Toki's mother, undated
Box   1 Folder   10	'The story of the 442nd combat team,' circa 1945
Box   1 Folder   11	Training certificate, 1944
	Series: Personal	⇧
	Subseries: Activities
Box   1 Folder   12	Madison firing squad roster, 2002
Box   1 Folder   13	Programs/ceremonies, [1982-2001]
Box   1 Folder   14	Trips to France, 1974, 1994, 2002
Box   1 Folder   15	Volunteer service, 1995-2002
Box   1 Folder   16	Toki Middle School (Madison, WI), 1993-2002
Box   1 Folder   17	Student papers about Toki, 1991-1995
Box   1 Folder   18	Certificates of appreciation, 2001
Box   1 Folder   19-20	Newspaper clippings, [1968-2002]
	Subseries: Research files	⇧
Box   1 Folder   21	100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, 1991-2001
Box   1 Folder   22	60th Anniversary of service, 2002
Box   1 Folder   23	Combat team action figure box cover, 2000
Box   1 Folder   24	Marching song, undated
Box   1 Folder   25	Medal of Honor, 1996-2001
Box   2 Folder   1	Camp McCoy events, 1994-1995
Box   2 Folder   2	Japanese-American National Museum, 1995-1997
Box   2 Folder   3	Patriotic materials, 2000-2001
Box   2 Folder   4	Purple Heart materials, undated
Box   2 Folder   5	World War II veterans reminiscences, 1985-1995
	Series: Photographs	⇧
Color Ph   2 Folder   50	Akira Toki [6] , undated
Paper Print   2 Folder   50	Akira Toki (paper print) [6] , undated
Color Ph   2 Folder   51	French cemetery [3] , undated
Paper Print   2 Folder   51	French cemetery (paper print) [3] , undated
Ph   16 Folder   23	World War II [7] , 1943-1945
	Series: Videos	⇧
Video   1 Folder   10	Fort McCoy Dedication with 100th Battalion veterans, 1995
Video   1 Folder   11	Go For Broke Educational Foundation, undated
Video   1 Folder   12	Go For Broke/Men in War, undated
Video   1 Folder   13	'Most Decorated- The Nisei Soldiers,' undated
Video   2 Folder   1	'One Puka Puka- 100th Battalion,' undated
Video   2 Folder   2-4	Wisconsin Public Television Interview with Toki, 2002