![]() ![]() Suddenly, a mortar shell hit the patrol and exploded, killing three men and seriously wounding four others, including Otagaki. “You can’t abandon your friends,” he emphasized. He and seven others were part of a night mission to rescue wounded comrades. ![]() Otagaki’s time in battle ended in January 1944, just before the deadly battle for Cassino. “Spark’s (Matsunaga) injuries weren’t as severe, so I told Spark, ‘I’m going to get the others first.’ “He said, ‘OK, OK.’” “Turtle was all banged up,” recalled Otagaki. Among the injured was Yoshinao “Turtle” Omiya, who was permanently blinded by the falling shrapnel. ![]() In one rescue, he was part of a litter bearer team that witnessed the impact of a “Bouncing Betty” explosion that killed several and wounded other members of Dog Company at Hill 600. In November 1943, a little more than a month after the 100th Infantry Battalion entered battle in Italy, Otagaki was selected to be a member of the rescue teams that raced toward danger to reach the wounded. ![]() I resented the separate toilets, water fountains theaters, where blacks had to sit far back in the balcony.” “I saw prejudice firsthand in the South, where we trained for a time. Wow! Those were experiences I did not have before,” he said. “The boat ride to the Mainland, the train ride across the country, the gambling, new shoes, food, the whole works. ![]()
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