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| Shizuko Ruth Shiramizu |
Shizuko
Ruth Egawa was born on December 14, 1919 in
Los Angeles County to Japanese immigrant parents, Yoshimatsu and Shina (Tanogaki)
Egawa. Shizuko married Kiyoshi Jimmie
Shiramizu, originally a farmer from Salinas, who had relocated to Los Angeles
to get away from farming. Her husband, Jimmie
was drafted in July 1941 and was sent to Texas for training and then to
Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Melvin was
born in February 1942 and a few days later, Executive Order 9066 was signed by President
F.D. Roosevelt. The Shiramizu family was forced to evacuate to the Salinas Assembly
Center rodeo grounds and were detained in horse stalls. After several months, they were transported
to the Arizona desert and assigned to live at the Poston concentration camp 2. They arrived in the middle of summer, on July 4, 1942 and lived with her husband's
family at Poston 214-8-CD.
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| Mr & Mrs Kiyoshi J. Shiramizu |
Shizuko's husband was one of a few
mainland-born Nisei who joined the 100th Battalion in Wisconsin. Tech/Sgt. Kiyoshi James "Jimmie" Shiramizu visited his baby son,
Melvin and his wife, Shizuko Ruth who were incarcerated at Poston 214-8-CD,
before shipped to Europe with the 100th Battalion. On January 10, 1944 near
Presenzano, Italy, Tech Sgt. Shiramizu volunteered to help rescue some wounded men from B
Company, since the unit was critically short of medics. Tech Sgt Shiramizu was
caught in a deadly mortar barrage. Although he had been severely wounded, he
said to take others first because he was a medic and could handle his
condition. He was seriously wounded in the abdomen, and died four days
later.
After the end of the war, Shizuko and Melvin moved with her husband's parents
and sister, Sumiye from Poston on August 14, 1945 and went to Denver, Colorado
to resettle. Mel grew up and later graduated from Dartmouth and had a
successful career as a computer manufacturing engineer.
Shizuko died at the age of 92, on May 24,
2012 in Lakewood, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her husband, Kiyoshi
James Shiramizu (1944).
Ruth is survived by her son Melvin
"Mick" Shiramizu; brothers; Tsugio and Ray Egawa; sister in law's, Louise Malmberg, and Sumi
Iwata; and brother in law, Tak Shiramizu.
Sources:
http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Shizuko-Shiramizu&lc=2379&pid=157781441&mid=5117026&locale=es-US
http://www.100thbattalion.org/history/veterans/soldiers-killed-in-action/kiyoshi-shiramizu/
