Biographical Note
Kenje Ogata was born on June 1, 1919, in Gary, Indiana, to Clay (Kamezo) Ogata and Wai (Owari) Mitsuda Ogata. He was reared in Sterling, Illinois, where his family ran a cafeteria at the local YMCA. After graduating from Sterling High School in 1936, Ogata went to work in the plating room at the National Manufacturing Company, and trained as a pilot with the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
On December 8, 1941, Ogata enlisted in the United States Army, with the intention of serving in the Army Air Forces. However, due to his Japanese ancestry, he was instead assigned to the Medical Corps, serving first with the 32nd Medical Training Battalion at Camp Grant, Illinois, and later as company clerk with the Replacement Depot at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. On March 5, 1943, he married Wilma Reiff, whom he met while working at the National Manufacturing Company.
From 1942-1944, Ogata repeatedly requested a transfer to the Army Air Forces, and in April 1944, his transfer was approved. He trained in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lincoln, Nebraska, and at Davis-Monthan Airfield, Arizona, before being deployed to Foggia, Italy, with the 726th Bomb Squadron, 451st Bomb Group, 49th Wing, 15th Air Force. Ogata flew 35 missions as a ball turret gunner in a B-24 bomber. He was shot down twice, but avoided capture or serious injury on both occasions.
Ogata was discharged on June 7, 1945. Following his service, he returned to work at the National Manufacturing Company, and attended the University of Illinois on the GI Bill. He graduated from the University of Illinois Dental School in 1953, and practiced dentistry in Sterling, Illinois, for 41 years. He died on January 18, 2012.