Harry M. Akune entered the United States Army on 12
December 1942 from the Amache Relocation Camp, Colorado, where he and his family had been
relocated as part of the government's action to remove 120,000 Japanese Americans from the
west coast during World War II. After graduating from the Military Intelligence Service
Language School, he served as a Translator/Interpreter to the US 33d Infantry Division in
British New Guinea in May 1944 and then to the US 6th Army in Hollandia, British New
Guinea, as part of the Allied Translator and Interpreter Service. In November, 1944
then-Specialist Akune was attached to the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team to provide
intelligence services for the amphibious invasion of Mindoro Island which became a vital
base for our aerial war against the main Japanese forces in the Philippines on the island
of Luzon.
The 503d Parachute RCT
became the lead unit in retaking the fortress of Corregidor, key to Manila harbor and the
site of the surrender of American and Filipino forces in 1942, the greatest defeat in
American military history. General (then Colonel) George M. Jones, commanding the American
Rock Force, recognizing the valuable services that Specialist Akune could provide,
personally asked him if he would volunteer in what became the most daring and dangerous
airborne assault in the Pacific war. Specialist Akune replied that he already felt as
though he was a member of the 503d and would be honored to continue to serve with them.
Without formal parachutist
training, on 16 February 1945, Specialist Akune was among the first Americans to land
among the splintered tree stumps, rubble, and enemy fire on the heavily-defended island
fortress. As with most parachute operations, the initial period required every soldier to
fight as infantry, and Specialist Akune joined his fellow troopers in firefights and
assaults on the rapidly-reforming enemy garrison. Later he would participate as an
infantryman in a number of combat patrols.
Shortly after the landing,
Specialist Akune was able to extract timely and valuable intelligence from the few
prisoners taken and documents he translated. This included the fact that the enemy
commander had been killed just before the airborne landing, that severe damage had been
done to the Japanese communication system, that the strength of the opposition was 5,000
and not the 850 previously estimated and that the nature of the enemy force included a
number of highly-motivated Japanese Imperial Marines who would not hesitate to give their
lives while taking ours. These findings enabled our land forces to design the most
effective offensive.
Specialist Akune also discovered
that there were 100 enemy motor boats packed with explosives in hidden caves around the
island ready to destroy Allied shipping, thereby allowing the Navy to take timely
countermeasures to avoid losses. Specialist Akune demonstrated that a human intelligence
capability is essential for success in a wide variety of combat situations. The 503d After
Action Report recommended that an intelligence specialist be permanently assigned to every
combat operation.
Colonel Jones and his staff have
stated many times that the personal bravery and truly outstanding actions of Specialist
Akune allowed our forces to take rapid and effective offensive action against a larger
enemy force, thereby shortening the duration of the campaign and significantly reducing
the number of American casualties. Specialist Akune has enjoyed the admiration, affection
and gratitude of his fellow paratroopers who consider him one of their very own.