World War II vet receives medal after 65 years
Feb 17, 2010

By Meghan Erkkinen
Fife Free Press

Almost 65 years after he fought in a pivotal World War II battle, Milton resident and former Fife Mayor Bob Mizukami received a Bronze Star medal for his heroism.

Mizukami was a member of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, an Asian-American unit composed mostly of Japanese-Americans. The unit became the most highly decorated in United States history. On Aug. 30, 1944, Mizukami and the 442nd faced stiff resistance on the south side of the Arno River in Italy.

Mizukami said he does not remember much about that day, but he recalls his time in Italy.

“We were pretty busy at that time,” he said. “It was hot and muggy and a terrible time to be fighting a war.”

Still, Mizukami humbly accepted the medal, saying he did not deserve it for anything heroic he did individually.

“I didn’t save a million lives or anything, but you have to look at this as the unit doing these things,” he said. “There were some guys in our outfit who did some pretty heroic things, but they were only doing their job as part of a unit.”

Mizukami received his bronze medal Jan. 13 – an upgrade from the combat infantry badge he received previously. While he is grateful for the recognition, he said many of the people who deserve Bronze Stars are no longer alive.

Mizukami was born in 1922 in Star Lake, Wash. He grew up in Renton and attended school there until his family moved to Fife in 1937, when he was a sophomore in high school. Mizukami graduated from Fife High in 1940.

Two years later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed executive order 9066, allowing the internment of Japanese-Americans living along the West Coast. Mizukami, his parents and his two brothers and two sisters were sent to a relocation camp at the Puyallup Fairgrounds, and then to the Minidoka War Relocation Center in southeastern Idaho, leaving behind their home and greenhouses in Fife.

A year after Roosevelt’s executive order, in February 1943, the 442nd Infantry Regiment was activated and recruiters began looking for troops in internment camps.

“The whole reason we were in camp was because they were testing our loyalty,” Mizukami said. “We thought we could do some good by proving we were as good a citizen as anyone else.”

He and his younger brother, William, volunteered then and there. Their youngest brother, Frank, was too young to go with them but was sent overseas for the latter part of the war. Bob and Bill Mizukami arrived in Europe shortly after D-Day, in June 1944. A month later, Bill Mizukami was killed in action.

After also receiving a Purple Heart during his service, Bob Mizukami was discharged from the military in 1945. He went to Spokane, where his parents were living, and there he met his future wife, Lily. Together, they had two children. Shortly after arriving back in the United States, Mizukami returned to Fife, where his family purchased their old house and continued to grow flowers and vegetables. Mizukami became involved in the local government and served on the Fife incorporation committee in the mid-1950s. He served on the first Fife City Council, and continued to serve the city on and off for 25 years. From 1980 to 1987, he served as mayor.

About five years ago, Mizukami and his wife moved to the Mill Ridge Village retirement community in Milton. Lily Mizukami died two years ago, just two months short of the couple’s 60th anniversary.

Although Mizukami said he is proud of his Bronze Star, he is not sure he deserves it.

“I’m kind of proud of it, but I’m kind of embarrassed…It’s a team thing, it’s not just about individuals,” he said of his time in the military. Still, he added, “I think it’s kind of nice that they’re so thorough, going through the records and all.