After losing a leg, two fingers, and the site in one eye, Ken Otagaki tries to return to his life before the war. Though he absolves his girlfriend of any need to stay with him, Janet knows he is not the type to sit around and feel sorry for himself and she tells him that she is not going anywhere.
Together, they move to the Midwest so Otagaki can get a Master's Degree. Eventually, they go to California for a PhD, have five children, and return to Hawaii where Otagaki teaches at the University of Hawaii and is ultimately appointed to high public office by the governor of Hawaii. Not bad for - in his own words - a country bumpkin from the Big Island.
Army Corporal Dr. Kenneth Kengo Otagaki's ashed were installed at the National Memorial Cemetery of Pacific's columbarium Court 7, Row C, Niche 512.
