Ken Nihei oral history interview, August 20, 2004

Ken Nihei was born in 1925 in Sacramento, CA. Ken grew up in Sacramento until he was seven years old and moved to Hayward (Bay Area) during the Great Depression.

Ken's father immigrated to the United States from Fukushima-ken, Japan, to help his…

Ken Nihei was a 16 years old high school student when he went to Topaz, Utah. The perimeter was open at camp, and there were no barb wires yet. Life was different at Topaz.

Ken received his draft letter to report to Fort Douglas when he was 18…

Overseas, every two months Ken's company moved to a different area.
Ken's first battle was on Mount Fogarito. In the Headquarters Platoon, Ken did various assignments. One job was to be a litter-bearer and carry the wounded soldiers off the…

Post-war, Ken Nihei and five other 442nd men escorted 400 German POWs to Rosenheim, Germany. Ken was in Italy for a year and eight months before going home.

In August 1946, Ken returned to the United States, and he took a short road trip to San…

Ken Nihei discussed the poem If by Rudyard Kipling and how it applies to life.

Ken recalls his wife Masuko and life with their children, Westley Paul and Judith Ann. Ken hopes his children to live a good life and enjoy every moment.