Ken Nihei oral history interview, part 5 of 5, August 20, 2004
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.
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2004OH0483_05_Nihei
Ken Nihei oral history interview, part 4 of 5, August 20, 2004
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 Francisco before going home to his parents in Richmond. Ken met his wife while she was working in San Francisco. Ken and Masuko got married on June 8, 1952, and have two children and a grandson.
Ken had several jewelry businesses before working for American Airlines in the instrument department. Ken worked for American Airlines for 35 years. Ken had many diverse friends. He believes having a common interest brings people together.
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2004OH0483_04_Nihei
Ken Nihei oral history interview, part 3 of 5, August 20, 2004
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 battlefield. Ken discusses the risk of being a litter-bearer. His friend Tom Nishimoto died when he was a litter-bearer carrying Captain Cassey down the mountain.
Another job was escorting POWs down the mountain. Ken, Norbori, and Chizuo Uyeda took the POWs down and were attacked by mortar shells. They were not hit, but one of the POWs was wounded.
After Mount Fogarito, the Company marched into Carrera, Italy, and he recalls the townspeople were happy to see them. Ken was in combat with the German soldiers for several weeks until Genova.
Post-war, Ken was assigned to ship the German POWs back to Germany. The group was divided into two modes of transports truck and train. Ken and his men were on the train convoy, and they had to watch 400 POWs.
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2004OH0483_03_Nihei
Ken Nihei oral history interview, part 2 of 5, August 20, 2004
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 years old. From Fort Douglas, he boarded a troop train with 40 others to Camp Blanding for basic training. Ken was assigned to the 232nd Battalion.
After completing 16 weeks of basic training, he visited his family in Topaz before going overseas. The voyage was ten days, and Ken was seasick. Ken recalls his good friend, Tom Nishimoto. Tom was KIA, and Ken made contact with Tom's sister, Lilly, after 50 years.
In Marseille, he joined L Company. Ken boarded a landing craft ship on an overnight trip to Leghorn. For three-night, they practiced night marching. On the fourth day, General Clark gave a pep talk to the soldiers before they left for the frontlines in Azzano. The next day Ken was going to attack Mount Fogarito.
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2004OH0483_02_Nihei
Ken Nihei oral history interview, part 1 of 5, 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 family financially. In Sacramento, he worked in the rice field and a cannery. After saving enough money, he opened a delicatessen store in Downtown Sacramento. Ken's mother was a housewife who cared for seven children (five boys and two girls).
Ken grew up in a farming background in Sacramento. He enjoyed being outdoors, playing with his friends, and watching movies. The family moved around several times before setting in the Bay area.
Before the Pearl Harbor attack, Ken had aspirations to graduate High School and attend college. On December 7, Ken was at home listening to the radio when he heard the news about Pearl Harbor.
When Executive Order 9066 was signed by the President, Ken's family evacuated from their residence. Ken and his family went to Tanforan Assembly Center. He described the living conditions and life at Tanforan before going to Topaz, Utah.
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2004OH0483_01_Nihei