Headquarters Company
Harold Seiko Tamashiro, the third of five children, was born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1919. He moved to Honolulu to attend the Honolulu Community College. He was drafted into the army in 1940 and became an original 100th member. Serving in Headquarters Company along with his cousin, Arthur Tamashiro, he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
After the war, Tamashiro met and married Dorothy Wakahiro: they had three sons: Glenn, Randall and Neal.
Dorothy recalls that her husband didn’t talk too much about the war. However, she learned that her husband brought Kengo Otagaki down after a battle during which he had been severely injured. Kengo begged Harold to “shoot me, shoot me” as he was in so much pain and realized the extent of his injuries. Years afterwards, whenever they saw each other, Harold would tease Kengo, “Good thing I didn’t listen to you and shoot you. You wouldn’t have become Doctor Otagaki!”
After the war, Tamashiro worked at Hickam Air Force Base and eventually became the head of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Department.
![Harold Tamashiro [Courtesy of Edward Ikuma]](https://www.100thbattalion.org/wp-content/gallery/tamashiro_harold/ikuma_edward_001_kcc_harold-tamashiro.jpg "Harold Tamashiro [Courtesy of Edward Ikuma]")
![Members of Headquarters Company in Italy [Courtesy of Edward Ikuma]](https://www.100thbattalion.org/wp-content/gallery/tamashiro_harold/ikuma_edward_001x_kcc.jpg "Members of Headquarters Company in Italy [Courtesy of Edward Ikuma]")