Arthur Satoshi Komori ( ja, 小森 敏, 1915-2000) was a
Japanese-American
are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asia ...
who served as a spy for the United States in Pre-war Philippines.
Service
Eight months before the
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
, Arthur Komori was recruited by American military intelligence while attending the
University of Hawaiʻi
The University of Hawaiʻi System, formally the University of Hawaiʻi and popularly known as UH, is a public college and university system that confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven com ...
.
He enlisted in the Corps of Intelligence Police of the United States Army on 13 March 1941. On 22 April 1941, he was sent to the Philippines to gather intelligence. He was relieved of his assignmenti following the outbreak of World War II.
He fled to Australia following the
fall of Bataan. He continued to serve in U.S intelligence in Australia, and rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. Following the end of the war, he was stationed in Japan.
After the War
He served as an attorney and formerly served as a District Court judge.
By November 20, 1999, he had been diagnosed with senile dementia and
Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...
.
Komori, died in Wilcox Hospital in 2000 at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife, Rosa, daughter Rosemary Gardner, brother David, sisters Aiko Hirai, Mary Setlak, Martha Yasue and Viola Imai, and two grandchildren.
Recognition
Komori was awarded the
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
Wh ...
in December 1945.
In 1988 he was elected to the
Military Intelligence Hall of Fame
The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to military intelligence. The hall is ...
at
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, appr ...
, Arizona.
Further reading
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Komori, Arthur
1915 births
2000 deaths
American military personnel of Japanese descent
United States Army personnel of World War II
World War II spies for the United States
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni
University of Baltimore School of Law alumni
United States Army officers