According to Willie Tanamachi, there are two ways Japanese Americans joined the military. One way is being drafted before the war. Another way is enlisting. Willie’s brothers Goro, Saburo, Walter, and himself served in the military. Unfortunately,…
Araki continues his discussion on his assignments in Japan, working in Tokushima and helping to translate and interpret during the military occupation. Next, he talks about the black market during the occupation and how the big cities were the only…
Araki continues his recollection of his time after being drafted into the Army and having an assignment in Hawaii, guarding Italian prisoners of war. Next, he discusses the Japanese language and the importance of the characters that are used. He…
Riess discusses more about his father's background, including the legacy that he left in both Greece and the then Czechoslavakia. On trips back to those YMCA's, his father is still remembered by those that were there when it was first built. Next, he…
George Suzuki was born on April 6, 1922, in Astoria, OR. He went to Fort Snelling for Military Intelligence Service Language School. n May 1945, he completed training and was assigned to the Philippines for guard duty. When Japan surrendered in…
Tony Koura goes to Manchuria to observe the mission of the repatriates returning to Japan. Tony says the repatriates are older men, women, and children who are malnourished. However, they are happy to be going to Japan.
In October 1949, Ray Mayeda worked at the Civil Censorship until it was dissolved. Then Ray worked at Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) as a translator. He translated classified documents into English for a year.
When World War Two ended, Ray Kuniteru Mayeda attended the University of Minnesota for a year, and his finances were running low. Therefore, he decided to volunteer for two years and enlisted when he was in Chicago. Ray went to basic training at Camp…
Yoshimura begins the interview discussing how he came to be on the USS Missouri with General MacArthur when the emperor of Japan was announcing his surrender. As a child, Yoshimura had moved from America to Japan to begin his education and to learn…
Miyahara discusses coming back to Japan following his discharge in the United States. Once back, he decided to re-enlist with the Army Air Force, but was sent back to Japan. While there for the third time with the Army, he met his wife but because of…
While in Bruyeres, Tsuji would be wounded in action and talks about the intricacies of that. He also talks about his time in Marseille and being able to take a pass to explore the local shops and find that the black market was alive and well. He…
When Paul Takao Bannai hears the news of Pearl Harbor on December 7, his reaction is to help and defend the United States. Paul's parents support him and encourage him to defend America. By joining the 442nd and serving with the Military…
After getting wounded during the Lost Battalion campaign, Ota would return to the United States to recover and rehabilitate for about a year and a half. He discusses the recognition he received from other members of the military after the war and the…
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…
T. Yoshihashi discusses his participation and recollections of the European Theater in France. He talks about the battles he was in, and military assignments in between battles. He also shares anecdotes regarding: amenities at his command post; his…
During the Military occupation in Japan, Tommy Mayekawa works for the Third Military Railway Service Headquarters as an interpreter. He guards the trains to make sure they are not pilferage.
Living in Yokohama, Japan, Tommy does not encounter…
Ishizaki begins the interview with his outlook on the surrender of Japan. As he had previously volunteered for the Army, he was already in Manila, awaiting his shipment to Japan. Once arrived at Atsugi Air Base, he immediately noticed the flat…
Aki continues to talk about his experience as a prisoner of war on Wake Island. There, he would be treated pretty normally, although there were some casualties and they were guarded by the Japanese Army. He also talks about one incident that was…
Nishibayashi continues his recollection of his language training at Presidio and his thoughts about what to expect in an occupation. While shipping to Yokohama, he would enjoy a furlough in Hawaii before getting into Japan to begin his time there.…
Hiroki talks about his early life in Kauai. He discusses his family's move to Honolulu. He describes his mother. He talks about his childhood leisure time and being drafted. Hiroki talks about family finances and his high school experiences. He…
Nishimoto talks more about his war experiences, including learning some Italian and even seeing the Pope. After this, he talks about the rescue of the Lost Battalion, dealing with extreme darkness and heavy casualties. Next, he speaks about the…
Oshiro continues speaking on his time in occupied Japan and the language training that he received once he arrived there. He talks about the conditions of the Japanese civilians and the struggles that they faced on a daily basis. He talks about the…
Oda discusses his time in Mississippi, doing his basic training with the 442nd Regiment. There he would marvel at the amount of pine trees and the humidity of the South and would see the color segregation that was evident in the South. He would…
Hiraoka discusses about his experiences in Okinawa. He details about the role of cigarettes and getting Yellow Jaundice. Hiraoka also discusses about his experiences in San Francisco and his homecoming.
Akama discusses the difficulties of battle, his duties, and replacements. He recalls the Italian language, native foods, and the civilians. Akama also discusses about his post-war experiences in Italy.
Nagasaka discusses gambling that occurred during and on the way home from the war, making a nice profit while he ran the craps games with two other friends. He also talks about the cigarette rations they received and how you could sell them on the…
Uchida and Kinoshita discuss their time in Japan and seeing the devastation of Hiroshima and the occupation of Japan. They talk about their experiences talking with civilians and seeing the black market. Next, they talk about their life after…
Suehiro discusses his mindset during the war, which was readied by a letter written from his mother to not bring shame to his father. This got him to rid himself of cowardice and continue to push on during combat. He would experience this bravery…
Following the end of the war, Sakamoto would get out of the camp and head back to Los Angeles, where he would get a place with his brother in Bunker Hill and start working at Columbia Records, manning the hydraulic press to make the plastic records.…
Yano talks more about his war experiences, including his involvement in the Lost Battalion and the food that he would enjoy in Europe. He next talks about the end of the war and his plan to go to occupied Japan to see his mother, but upon returning…
Tahara gives an in-depth description of the rescue of the Lost Battalion in France. He talks about tree bursts and the German soldiers and weapons that he dealt with throughout the war. His duty during the battle would be to carry around a carbine as…
Sakoda discusses the reason why he didn't go to Anzio with the 100th Infantry Battalion, his experiences in Vosges Forest among German soldiers, and the censorship that was required for correspondence with his family back in Hawaii. He also talks…
In this segment, Matsuji "Mut" Sakumoto recalls more memories from his days in combat. He begins by remembering soldiers that were killed in action before moving on to discussing his trench foot and the time he spent in the hospital treating that.…
In this segment, Matsuji "Mut" Sakumoto discusses a variety of topics, including the Japanese language and culture, sports, his family religion, and taking up smoking cigarettes. Throughout the storytelling, Sakumoto also discusses his parents in…
