Saiki relays some of the hardships he faced while in battle. He also talks about his life after the war ended up in Europe. Shares details about domestic life post-war.
Kimura discusses his parents; siblings; growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii; and talks about his father’s employment. He then talks about attending Japanese language school; discusses the languages he spoke at home; religion and attending church; learning…
Kimura discusses the attack on Pearl Harbor; describes Japan’s airplanes and the Japanese flag; and talks about how his father was picked up by the FBI. He then talks about volunteering for the Army; his brother’s employment at Hickam Air Force Base;…
Kimura talks about his first impressions of the 100th Infantry Battalion and his first day as part of Charlie Company; discusses his experiences crossing the Rapido and Arno rivers; discusses the Italian countryside; and talks about his combat…
Kimura discusses his combat experiences at Biffontaine which earned him the Bronze Star and Purple Heart; and discusses how he got wounded, as well as experiences with enemy fire during the battle at Biffontaine. He then continues to talk about his…
Kimura discusses his best and worst war experiences and talks about the camaraderie among soldiers. He then talks about his post-war life including going back to school for photography in Los Angeles and returning to Hawaii where he had a photography…
James Jin Kobayashi is born on November 25, 1921, in San Bernardino, California. His parents are Ishhinosuke Kobayashi and Taka Ishikawa from Japan. James's father comes to San Bernardino because his brother owns a restaurant. His father, Ishii,…
Besides attending primary school, James Jin Kobayashi attends a Japanese Language School. At home, he speaks half English and Japanese to his Issei parents.
James recalls the day of the bombing of Pearl harbor. He says it is regular business at…
James Jin Kobayashi goes overseas and meets with the 442nd in Southern France. He is part of F Company. He recalls going up the Northern Apennine Mountains and being at the frontlines.
James is at the frontline for two weeks before the…
Post-war, James returns to the United States and goes to trade school on a G.I. Bill. James learns to bake and becomes a baker for five years. Eventually, he changes professions and goes into produce because the job is stable with union pay.…
Goto describes growing up on a planation in Ewa, Hawaii and taking the train into Honolulu to go to school. After graduating from high school, Goto worked at a 7UP bottling company as a soda salesman and delivery man. He also talks about being a…
Goto begins by talking about working as a medical supply clerk and veteran service counselor; and then discusses volunteering for the Army and going to Camp Shelby for basic training. Goto talks about the differences between Mainland and Hawaiian…
Goto provides an overview of a headquarters company and all the various platoons that it is made up of. He describes his duties within the headquarters platoon, including following the battalion's executive officer. He also talks about what he…
Goto discusses getting injured in Carrara, Italy and talks about his friendships with other soldiers, including those that were killed in action, and what it was like seeing his war buddies postwar. He then talks about going back to Hawaii at the end…
Kikuchi discusses his father including talking about his immigration to the United States, employment, and experiences in college. He then talks about attending Japanese language school, attending high school, growing up in Los Angeles, playing…
Kikuchi describes Manzanar Concentration Camp including discussing the living conditions, barracks, food, and his job as a lifeguard. He then talks about his parents' jobs at Manzanar; discusses the riots; tells a story in which he escaped but…
Kikuchi talks about getting drafted; his induction; and basic training at Camp Shelby. He then talks about his relationship with Hawaiian soldiers; discusses weapons he carried; and talks about traveling overseas. Next, Kikuchi discusses landing…
Kikuchi tells a story regarding the capture of German soldiers; discusses his guard duty assignment; and talks about receiving orders to go to Italy. He then talks about his experiences in Nice and Marseille; discusses arriving in Livorno; and…
Kikuchi discusses experiencing enemy fire; talks about the end of the war; and discusses his combat experiences at Po Valley. He then talks about the Army point system; getting a pass to travel in Italy and Switzerland post-war; and attending college…
Kikuchi shows and describes photographs taken during World War Two while he was overseas including images of a bivouac area, other Japanese American soldiers, his platoon, and Milano, Italy. Lastly, Kikuchi shows and describes some of his wooden…
Kawagoye discusses his parents including his father's employment and death; and his mother's remarriage. He then talks about his childhood chores; siblings; attending high school; childhood friendships; and some of his post high school employment…
Kawagoye talks about his assignment at Fort Riley working with a butcher; discusses rations; and talks about his brothers' military service. He then talks about reporting to Camp Shelby and the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; discusses…
Kawagoye discusses the civilians and countryside in Italy; talks about his first combat experiences in Italy; and discusses what it was like to experience artillery fire. He then talks about his duties as part of an Antitank Company; discusses his…
Kawagoye discusses getting wounded in France; talks about being awarded a Purple Heart; and discusses his combat experiences in Bruyeres. He then talks about the rescue of the Lost Battalion; discusses the different types of mines German soldiers…
Kawagoye discusses corresponding with his family while overseas; talks about his assignment processing German POWs post-war; and discusses the Army point system. Next, Kawagoye talks about traveling back to the United States and his stopover in…
Kawagoye discusses his grandsons; talks about his friendships with veterans; and discusses his involvement in community groups and the 100th/442nd Veterans Association. He then talks about the Go for Broke monument; provides some thoughts regarding…
Yoshimura discusses growing up in Wyoming on a farm, and going to school. He details about his family moving to Japan where he lived until he was fifteen. He then discusses moving to California by himself where he lived in a boarding house, and…
Yoshimura talks about getting drafted, and getting sent to Camp Shelby for basic training. Yoshimura discusses his duties at Camp Shelby laying and clearing mines as part of an anti-tank company, his interaction with Hawaiian soldiers; and the types…
Yoshimura discusses his assignments protecting tunnels during the Lost Battalion rescue and while in Sospel, as well as his experiences during the Champagne Campaign. He also talks about communicating with his family during the war, earning a Bronze…
Yoshimura discusses starting a gardening and landscaping business with his brother-in-law, being a part of the Norwalk Japanese Community Center, and talks about some of his hobbies. He then talks about values and lessons he learned from his Issei…
Masuo Tsuda talks about his family coming from the Ehime prefecture in Japan, and settling in the Watsonville area of California, starting a farm. Masuo would grow up on that farm, learning how to farm while attending both english and Japanese…
Tsuda discusses playing football in high school and being named the team captain. Next, he talks about where he was when he first heard on the radio that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. Due to the executive order 9066, he and his family would…
Tsuda talks about facing discrimination after the war and not being served at a gas station. He would go on to volunteer with the Army, get inducted at Fort Douglas and began basic training at Camp Shelby. There, he would join up with E company and…
Tsuda continues his recollection of his experiences overseas including getting trench foot and dealing with cold weather. He next talks about the various campaigns he was involved with including Bruyeres and the experience of liberating that area.…
After his time overseas, Tsuda would head back to the United States and get his discharge from the Army. He would attend school with the GI Bill and learn about horticulture. He would become a landscape contractor and would marry and have children.…
Sugihara discusses growing up during the Depression Era. He details about his family and their background. Sugihara also discusses about his education and social activities.
Sugihara discusses his ties with Japan and relatives. . Sugihara discusses about Pearl Harbor and its aftermath. He details about basic training at Camp Shelby and the difference between Mainland and Hawaiian soldiers.
Sugihara discusses most memorable moments during the war, Prisoners of War, and the war ending in the European Theater. Before going home to the United States, Sugihara receives an opportunity to attend the University of Florence. He recalls an…
Sugihara discusses the projects he works on for the Department of Agriculture. One of his successful project is the improvement of dry eggs. Sugihara meets his wife in college and they get married after she graduates. They have one daughter and their…
Kumagai discusses his father's various jobs, and talks about his mother, siblings, religion, and speaking Japanese at home. He then talks about his experiences growing up during the depression, discusses the community he grew up in, and talks about…
Kumagai talks about working at a farm full-time after graduating high school, and discusses his uncle who was in the Japanese Army. He then talks about his experiences with discrimination; and discusses the attack on Pearl Harbor and the aftermath…
Kumagai discusses having to leave his belongings behind after his family’s forced removal to Walerga temporary detention facility. He then talks about his brother’s military service, his experiences at Tule Lake incarceration camp, and describes…
Kumagai talks about his combat experiences at Po Valley; volunteering to be a litter bearer; and his assignment processing German POWs. He then talks about returning back to the United States and his post-war employment in welding; getting married;…
Suga discusses his family's business growing flowers, his father's childhood in Japan, and his mother. He then talks about his childhood including discussing the importance of education and working;attending Japanese language school; and the…
Suga discusses the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack; and talks about the formation of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He also talks about Nisei soldiers; Jewish concentration camps; discusses some of the uncertainties Japanese American faced…
Suga talks about his first combat experiences in Italy including digging a foxhole; discussing the terrain; and witnessing soldiers wounded and killed in action. He also talks about studying different European languages while overseas; different…
Suga discusses his private practice when he was a lawyer, talks about working for the IRS while he was preparing to pass the bar exam, and discusses the letter he received from his boss when he retired from the Los Angeles district attorney's office.…
Oshiro shares his parents immigration story. He talks about his siblings. He discusses his birthplace and his childhood community. He shares his earliest memories. He talks about his family's farm work on a plantation. Oshiro describes what he did in…
Oshiro continues to talks about Japanese language school. He discuses his religious upbringing. He talks about his experiences while in high school and post-high school. He describes Pearl Harbor before World War Two. Oshiro discusses his carpentry…
Oshiro continues to discuss volunteering for the military. He describes his journey to Camp Shelby. He talks about being assigned to a unit. He briefly talks about his basic training. He describes the relationship between the Hawaiian soldiers and…
Oshiro talks about landing in Naples, Italy and his journey through Italy. He explains his interactions with the 100th Infantry Battalion. He describes his first combat experience. He discusses his military assignments. He talks about his role in the…
Oshiro continues to discuss his work with gliders. He explains how he was injured. He talks about rejoining his unit after he recovered from his injury. He explains how he communicated with his family while he was overseas. Oshiro briefly talks about…
Oshiro continues to talk about his veteran reunion trip to Europe. He talks about the horrors of war and his friends who were killed in action. He discusses his military decorations. He describes his return to the United States. Oshiro describes the…
Uno discusses why his family settled in Salt Lake City and his father's employment in the railroad industry. He then talks about moving to Los Angeles, his family's forced removal to Santa Anita temporary detention facility, and the reasons why his…
Uno discusses his childhood including talking about values, religion, his neighborhood, playing games, his siblings, friendships, and playing sports. He then talks about his family's forced removal to Santa Anita temporary detention facility and…
Uno discusses the loyalty questionnaire he was given while at Amache incarceration camp, talks about his mother's reaction to his military service, and discusses the induction process including having to get surgery before joining the Army. Next, Uno…
Uno discusses his squad leader who was killed in action; and talks about his first combat experiences and duties as an ammunition bearer. He then talks about his experiences in the Vosges Forest being attached to the 36th Division, and discusses the…
Uno talks about the rescue of the Lost Battalion, and his Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) assignment setting up observation posts during the Gothic Line. He then talks about processing German POWs, and volunteering for Military Intelligence…
Uno discusses his life after retiring from the YMCA which included working for the federal government, becoming ordained as a deacon, and volunteer hospice work. He then talks about attending 442nd veteran reunions, discusses his children, and talks…
Ichikawa discusses his parents, childhood, and home life. He then talks about his feelings regarding Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and his thoughts about forced removal after Executive Order 9066. Ichikawa then describes his experiences at…
Ichikawa talks about his time at Camp Shelby. He then talks about preparing to go overseas by learning about weapons and how to listen for artillery. Before heading overseas, Ichikawa received a furlough and spent time in New York and Baltimore,…
Ichikawa discusses the different roles and weapons used within an Anti-Tank Company including the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR); and also describes the sounds of the German soldiers’ guns, bazooka training, and keeping in contact with Anti-Tank…
Ichikawa discusses the purpose of an Anti-Tank Company, and recalls stories of other soldiers having to dig foxholes during a battle in Vosges, as well as their experiences with glider invasions with airborne units. He then talks about his parents,…
Tsukahara discusses his family and childhood. He delivers newspapers to help the family. In high school he is in Reserve Training Officer Corps. After high school graduation he attend junior college for 2 years before moving to Los…
Tsukahara discusses what Little Tokyo is like in the 1930's. He details about December 7 and its aftermath. Tsukahara discusses forced removal and going to Santa Anita Temporary Detention Center.. He illustrates the living conditions and the…
Tsukahara discusses being inducted in to the Army and basic training. He explains the difference in the types of mines and his mission. Tsukahara discusses about his travel overseas and landing in Europe.
Tsukahara discusses being a glider and supporting the ground troops in combat. Tsukahara discusses getting injured and being hospitalized. He details about rescue of The Lost Battalion and the casualties. Tsukahara discusses about coming home.
Tsukahara discusses his experiences in Europe and being injured. He details about his post-war life, employment, and family. He also has a few words for the future generation.
Goro discusses his family and what it was like growing up in Holualoa, Hawaii. He details about the family's hotel volunteering for the Army. Goro also discusses about hos experiences at Camp Shelby and his experiences in Europe.
Goro discusses about the end of the war and coming home. He details how business and the community has changed overtime. Goro also discusses about his family, future plans for The Kono Hotel, and gives a message for future generations. Goro's wife is…
