Junichi Buto

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Colonel Junichi Buto

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Born|  (1917-03-05) March 5, 1917 (age 108)

Honolulu, Hawaii

Died| June 24, 1980(1980-06-24) (aged 63)

Laurel, Maryland

Nationality| American
Citizenship| Hawaii
Alma mater| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Occupation| Varsity Victory Volunteers

Colonel Junichi Buto (March 5, 1917 – June 24, 1980) was a member of the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV) and trained with the 442nd Battalion where he was recruited to be an intelligence officer for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

## Contents

* 1 Early life
* 2 OSS
* 2.1 Recruitment
* 2.2 Training
* 2.3 China-Burma-India Theater
* 3 Personal Life and Death
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Early life[edit]

Junichi Buto was born on March 5, 1917, in Honolulu, Hawaii, as the son of Eiichiro and Kuni Buto.[1] Buto graduated from President William McKinley High School before attending the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. During his time at UH, he participated in the ROTC program where he served as a cadet captain and was placed in charge of Company K, which included soldiers of European-American descent.[2] After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he served as part of the Varsity Victory Volunteers from February 25, 1942 to January 31, 1943.[3] During his time in the VVV, Buto was the leader of the “quarry gang," which dedicated their time to breaking down boulders and using the resulting stones to build walls.[4]

## OSS[edit]

#### Recruitment[edit]

After graduating from UH with a degree in economics and business, Buto trained with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. During infantry training, he was one of fourteen soldiers recruited into the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) by Daniel Buchanan along with First Lieutenants Richard Betsui, Chiyoki Ikeda, Ralph Yempuku, and 20 other enlisted men.[2][5] He was initially selected partially due to his time as a cadet captain in the ROTC program, and due to his evaluation as an expert marksman during the ROTC’s Warrior of the Pacific competition held in June 1939 where he placed second, having scored 192 out of a possible 225 points.[2]

#### Training[edit]

In 1943, Second Lieutenant Buto and the other OSS recruits were moved from Camp Shelby to Camp McDowell in Illinois to take courses on radio transmissions, cryptography, and other field crafts. The group then proceeded to the Military Intelligence Services Language School (MISLS) at Camp Savage where the solders learned to translate Japanese military language.[2][5] In August 1944, they were moved one final time to Catalina Island for ranger combat training, which included "demolition, beach landings, infiltration, [and] jungle survival."[5]

#### China-Burma-India Theater[edit]

In February 1945, Buto was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant and was sent to Burma as part of the OSS Detachment 101 along with Lieutenant Ralph Yempuku; Sergeants Thomas Baba, Dick Hamada, and Fumio Kido; Technician fourth grade Shoichi Kurahashi; and Corporal Calvin Tottori.[2] Detachment 101 at the time consisted of "131 officers, 418 American enlisted men, and some 9,000 native guerrillas principally from the Kachin tribes."[6]

Buto also participated in Operation Gold Dust as an intelligence officer under Major George Boldt. During the operation, the group aimed to lower the morale of the Japanese soldiers through a campaign of psychological warfare.[7]

## Personal Life and Death[edit]

Buto married Ann Asako Kanemoto on February 9, 1946. By that time, Buto had been promoted to the rank of Captain.[8]

Buto retired with the rank of Colonel in 1974.[9]

Colonel Junichi Buto died on June 24, 1980, aged 63, in Laurel, Maryland. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery together with his wife.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ "1940 Census Population Schedules - Hawaii - Honolulu County - ED 2-150". April 14, 1940.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hayashi, Brian Masaru (2021). Asian American spies: how Asian Americans helped win the Allied victory. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533885-0.
3. ↑ "COL Jun Buto Recollections". www.javadc.org. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
4. ↑ Odo, Franklin (2008). No Sword To Bury: Japanese Americans In Hawaii. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 978-1-59213-803-6.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Yempuku, Ralph (2015). "OSS Detachment 101, China, Burma, India Theater" (PDF). Japanese American Veterans Association.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. ↑ McNaughton, James C. (2006). "Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II" (PDF). U.S. Army Center of Military History.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
7. ↑ "HD Stock Video Footage - OSS Morale Operations led by American in Burma for psychological warfare to demoralize the Japanese troops". www.criticalpast.com. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
8. ↑ "Marriage". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1946-02-16. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
9. ↑ "Hawaii Times 1981.05.06 — Hoji Shinbun Digital Collection". hojishinbun.hoover.org. Retrieved 2023-10-29.

## External links[edit]

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