Before James Bond was falling from the sky and after J. Edgar Hoover wore a dress at the FBI, there was the Sugimoto family. Obviously, the Sugimoto's don't have the fancy spy gear and arch nemesis like Bond or have an entire country under surveillance. What they do have is their intelligence.
The family legacy began with Sam Sugimoto prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sam was pulled out of basic training to become one of the first Japanese-American students in what is now known as the Defense Language Institute.
Sam set a high bar during World War II for his family to follow. He assisted in regaining control of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines by translating military intelligence to troops in the field.
While in Alaska, he helped a fellow lieutenant capture an anti-aircraft cannon and translated the manual for the gun to be used against Japanese troops.
As World War II came to an end, so did Sam's military career. In 1946 he transitioned to the Central Intelligence Agency. He and his wife, who also worked in the CIA, later had two children.
Following in his footsteps at 18 years of age, their son John volunteered for combat while he was stationed in Phu Bai, Vietnam. He worked as a signal intelligence analyst by day and a mortar platoon gunner by night, squeezing in sleep when he could. During the 1972 North Vietnamese Army Easter Offensive, the base came under rocket attack. The mortar platoon returned fire and his team destroyed the rocket launcher and its crew.
Just as his father transitioned out of the military into public service at the end of the war, so did John. He went into civilian law enforcement as a police officer, married and had four children of his own.
John's youngest daughter, Emily, found she also has a natural ability to learn new languages and a desire to serve the public. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University with a bachelor's degree in linguistics, studying German and minoring in French. After researching her family's military background she sought guidance from her father to join the Army.
"I am very proud of both my father and grandfather," Emily said. "I feel honored that I have the opportunity to continue upon the same path."
Emily said she looks up to her older brother, Daniel, who enlisted as an infantryman in 2004. He attained skill badges in airborne, pathfinder and jumpmaster and is now a Staff Sergeant assigned to 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.
"Considering all that my father, grandfather, and brother have accomplished during their time in service is quite a difficult act to follow, but because we all are such independent people, I feel no competition or pressure to go above and beyond what they have or are currently doing," Emily said. "Each of us has had our own goals and motivations in joining the military. The deep military roots that my family has is actually one of my greatest motivations in striving to become successful in this line of work."
With the help of the U.S. Army Career Center team in Tukwila, Wash., Emily enlisted as a military intelligence linguist.
John sent the career center team heartfelt thanks for making his daughter's goal a possibility.
"Emily couldn't have asked for a more fitting career path to fulfill as she continues our family's Army tradition," John said. "The teams kindness, enthusiasm and comprehensive professionalism helped tremendously to solidify her decision to enlist and made the process pleasant and efficient."
Based on how she scored on Defense Language Proficiency Test, Emily was selected to study Korean and was placed in an accelerated program at the Defense Language Institute, Monterey, Calif., where she will learn how to read, write, listen and speak the language.
She is scheduled to graduate in August of 2014 and continue training at Good Fellow Air Force Base in Texas for an additional four months before traveling to her first duty station, which likely will be in Korea.
"I am very excited to start a new chapter in my life, which points in the direction of a very bright future," Emily said. "Now that I am also a part of our family's military tradition, I feel a deeper sense of gratitude for all they have experienced in order to grant me such an opportunity."
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