Kiyoji "Jonah" Morimoto discusses rank as Private FIrst Class (PFC), First Platoon, and Third Squad. At basic training, Morimoto describes the relationship between the Mainland boys and the Hawaiian boys. He recalls the nickname that the Hawaiians…
Kiyoji "Jonah" Morimoto discusses the lessons learned from the Luciano campaign. His company learns how to attack in combat and the amount of fire power to use against the enemies to scare them. He recalls the supply line being well supplied because…
After completing basic training at Camp Blanding and Camp Shelby, Don goes overseas on the Queen Mary. Don describes traveling in France to join the 100th and 442nd at the holding line.
Don is in holding a position in France for four months. This…
Don discusses his last duties towards the end of the war are marching and holding positions. Don mentions the dangers of minefields and German Schu-mines. Two weeks after the Gothic Line breaks, he recalls encountering friendly fire and witnessing…
Charles “Charley” Touoji Ijima goes to Schofield Barracks before going to the mainlands. He receives his basic training at Camp Shelby. He learns how to build different types of bridges and lay mines. At Camp Shelby, Charley describes his first time…
Taba continues with his time after he had joined the Army. After taking a train to Mississippi, he would begin his basic training at Camp Shelby, learning to be an assistant machine gunner. While there, he would join the 100th Infantry Battalion and…
Taba continues talking about his time in combat throughout Europe with the 100th Infantry Regiment. He talks about various battles that he was involved with, including the Gothic Line and the Lost Battalion. Shortly after this, the war came to an end…
Yoshihara talks about his experiences at Camp Blanding including his first impressions, his platoon sergeant, and basic training. He then talks about preparing to go overseas, and visiting his parents at Minidoka incarceration camp and his…
Kirihara discusses about the Champagne Campaign and the Gothic Line. He details about German weponary, the end of the war, and coming home. Kirihara also discusses about settling back into civilian life and meeting his wife.
Miyamoto finishes the story of joining the 442nd two weeks behind schedule because of a mistake in communications. He and his platoon narrowly avoided being sent into the Battle of the Bulge, and then, due to late arrival in Italy, they were spared…
Nunotani talks about the Champaign Campaign and the Gothic Line. He reflects on his experiences while in the 442nd. Nunotani describes the end of World War Two. He also discusses rations and his post-war activities. He talks about his military…
William Yoshito Thompson arrives in France and lands in Marseille. William's unit is the 2nd Battalion Head Quarters, which services the Rifle Company. In the Rifle Company, there is E Company, F Company, and G Company (the heavy weapons company).…
Ishida discusses traveling overseas to Europe and his first experiences there; meeting up with the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team; and his first combat experiences. He then talks about his guard duty assignment during the…
Shiozaki discusses going overseas, landing in Italy, and life as an infantryman. He details about the Lost Battalion, The Gothic Line, and what made Nisei soldiers great. Shoizaki also discusses about General Clark and getting wounded.
Kawamoto discusses why his parents moved back to Japan before the Pearl Harbor attack. He also talks about his experience being drafted in the army. He shares anecdotes regarding: basic training, battle experiences, and his post-war life.
Hagiwara talks more about his war experiences, starting with the Bruyeres-Biffontaine area, which included the Lost Battalion campaign. He also talks about the dense forest of the Vosges Mountains and getting into fights when other soldiers used…
After his arrival in Italy, Sato would join up with the 100th Infantry Battalion as a replacement. He talks about various war experiences, including the breakthrough of the Gothic Line, getting shelled and the Red Cross. Next, he talks about seeing…
Frank Matsuda hears the news the Army is accepting Japanese American volunteers. Frank signs up to volunteer and returns to camp to take his physical exam. He passes the physical exam and goes to Camp Shelby for basic training. Frank is a BAR man…
Matsui discusses about his experiences surrounding forced removal, going back to Elko, Nevada, and being drafted. He details basic training and experiences before shipping off. Matsui also discusses about his combat experiences in Italy.
The interview with Clarence Yayoi Tamayori is combined with Robert Tokuo Nagata.
Clarence and Robert discuss their duties during the Champagne Campaign. After the Champagne Campaign, Clarence is in Germany and works at a train station with the…
The interview with Clarence Yayoi Tamayori is combined with Robert Tokuo Nagata.
Clarence and Robert discuss their duties during the Champagne Campaign. After the Champagne Campaign, Clarence is in Germany and works at a train station with the…
Matsumura recounts his harrowing experiences of close range combat on Italian soil with the 442nd Infantry Regiment. He was wounded several times in various campaigns and witnessed the injuries and death of much of his fellow servicemen. He details…
Seichi Sakaida discusses his leaders and squad members. He is in basic training for almost a year before deployment overseas. He lands in Naples, Italy. Seichi is in K Company and the mortar pool unit. His duty is to support the infantrymen.…
From Fort Meade, Leo Morishita goes to Newport Dunes, Virginia, for additional training and his final medical shots. Leo boards the USS West Point and goes overseas. The voyage takes 24 days, and Leo describes the daily routine on the ship before…
Ishikawa discusses about his journey to the Mainland and his experiences at Camp Shelby. He details about his experiences in Italy. Ishikawa also discusses about his experiences in France and leaves a message for future generations.
Kimura discusses his reaction to arriving in Naples following his basic training. Next, he talks about his job as a mine sweeper throughout the war and the dangers that he faced while doing that. He also talks about the various battles that he was…
Kenichi and Kiyoshi Muranaga leave Amache to work on a sugar beet farm. Kenichi describes their living accommodations and their duties at the farm. Their father also has a job but he works in the mess hall at Amache.
Murumoto discusses Executive Order 9066 and his camp experiences. Murumoto is able to leave camp to work on the farm by answering the loyalty questions yes yes and is drafted to military service. Murumoto goes to Camp Shelby for basic training before…
Continuing Murakami's recollection of his Army experience, he discusses the basic training at Camp Shelby, where he was put into the Headquarters regiment. During this time, there was a lot of fighting between the Hawaiian and Mainland soldiers,…
Murakami discusses his part in the Gothic Line push. Once they completed that mission, he was able to head back to the United States. After arriving in New York, the regiment learned they would be flown back to California, which left them in high…
Shima continues his recollection of joining the 442nd Regiment in Europe after V-E day. He would become involved with the public relations team and be chosen for temporary duty. He would head to New York to hand out public relations papers to…
Dr. Coolidge Shiro Wakai was part of the 100th Company B. He was born December 2, 1925, in Kappa, Kauai, Hawaii. Coolidge's father was a missionary for Japanese Immigrants and established the first Christian church in Kappa, Kauai. Coolidge has six…
Ohta begins the interview with an introduction and talking shortly about his family background, his parents being from Maui. Next, he talks about what it was like to grow up in Hawaii up until the Pearl Harbor attacks. After that, he would join the…
Takehara discusses his responsibilities and experiences as a medic during combat. He would end up treating a lot of soldiers' wounds and seeing a lot of casualties as he would run around through combat to those in need. Along with that, he also…
Shiosaki continues his recollection of being drafted into the Army and arriving in Le Havre, France as a replacement soldier for the 100th/442nd Regiment. Next, he talks about his various experiences in Europe, including the Gothic Line push and…
Taira Fukushima and his brother Jim are together for 442nd and replacements. On the mainland, Taira is a medic aide, and Jim is a litter bearer. Taira has limited training as a medic, but Tech Sergeant Hirata and Sergeant Matsuda give him support…
John Togashi describes witnessing combat for the first time and experiencing enemy artillery fire. Next he recounts the 442nd move into Italy and fighting along the Gothic Line. Lastly he describes assaulting a hill in which he gets wounded by mortar…
Kazuo Fujii recounts his unit going to southern France, and shipping out back to Italy to participate in the attacks on the Gothic Line. Next, he talks about his platoon sergeant and how everyone followed his orders, and then the Nisei soldiers…
Yoshio Nakamura recounts a touching story about a Caucasian man buying his lunch, and then the process of going overseas to Europe, but his unit gets quarantined due to an outbreak of measles. Next, he discusses meeting up with his unit in southern…
Ogawa discusses more about his experiences at Camp Shelby. He details about visiting his family at Poston Concentration Camp and how they faired after the war ended. Ogawa also discusses his experiences in Italy and France.
Takahashi discusses General Dahlquist and more about The Lost Battalion. He details about heading back to Italy and his experiences in Italy for the second time. Takahashi also discusses the various aspect of war.
Hinatsu discusses the Champagne Campaign and the Gothic Line. He details about about the end of the war in Europe. Hinatsu also discusses coming home and starting a career.
After the President of the United States signed Executive Order 9066, Enoch Kanaya and his family evacuated to the Portland Assembly Center. The Portland Assembly Center was a place where horses lived. Enoch describes the living conditions of the…
Before going overseas, Tetsuo Asato went on furlough and visited his sister in California. Tetsuo departed on the Aquitania. Although the voyage was rough, Tetsuo did not get seasick. He landed in Glasgow, Scotland, and traveled to South Hampton to…
Tetsuo Asato was 19 years old when he went overseas. He recalls the weight of carrying his weapons. The heaviness of the weapons did not become too strenuous on Tetsuo until he was trying to climb the mountain. Tetsuo recalls being a litter-bearer…
