Norman Ikari oral history interview, June 26, 1999

Norman Ikari begins the interview talking about growing up in Seattle, Washington where he would fish often, and go to a baseball games with his father. Due to the Great Depression, his family would move down to Los Angeles, facing his first bout of…

Ikari continues to talk about his work life before the war, getting his start in chick sexing and discussing the technique to learning whether a baby chick was a male or female at the hatchery. Next, he talks about being at Los Angeles City College…

Ikari discusses where his family ended up after Executive Order 9066 was signed, sent to a mixture of Rohwer, Poston and Manzanar Concentration Camps. While visiting on leave, he would see the barbed wire in certain sections of the camp and the…

Ikari continues talking about his basic training at Camp Shelby, joining E Company and preparing for their shipment overseas. They would ship out from Newport News aboard a liberty ship, gambling, playing cards and listening to music throughout the…

Ikari talks more about being wounded during combat, getting shot in the legs and nearly losing consciousness before getting saved by the medics. He talks about his mentality when being shot in the line of fire and being taken to the aid station. Once…

Before getting discharged from the Army, Ikari was asked to participate in an objective Army program, in which they wanted Nisei soldiers to dress in Japanese uniforms and act as one would in the Japanese Army in order to help train new recruits.…

Ikari discusses the bonds of the Nisei veterans and how combat brought those bonds much closer. After this, he shows off some of his artifacts from the war, including an M1 rifle tool, a travel order and his discharge papers.