Fujimoto talks about moving to a different house after high school, discusses his siblings, and talks about how his sister helped him with school work. He then talks about food he ate during his childhood, his family’s religion, attending Japanese…
Julian Quayles' interview is combined with Ray Wells.
Raymond C. Wells is born May 5, 1922, in Eagle Colorado. Julian Minor Quayles, Jr is born January 15, 1917, in Staunton, Virginia. Both men serve in the 141st Infantry Battalion during World…
Julian Quayles' interview is combined with Ray Wells.
Wartime is a heavy discussion. However, in this interview, Ray Wells and Julian Quayles talk about the lighter side of World War Two. Both men highlight areas of v-mail, homecoming, and…
Ray Wells's interview is combined with Julian Quayles.
Raymond C. Wells is born May 5, 1922, in Eagle Colorado. Julian Minor Quayles, Jr is born January 15, 1917, in Staunton, Virginia. Both men serve in the 141st Infantry Battalion during World…
Ray Wells's interview is combined with Julian Quayles.
Wartime is a heavy discussion. However, in this interview, Ray Wells and Julian Quayles talk about the lighter side of World War Two. Both men highlight areas of v-mail, homecoming, and…
Shigeo Iwamasa is born November 12, 1923, in Waihee-Waiehu, Maui. Shigeo's father is an Issei from Yamaguchi Prefecture Japan, and his mother is from Hilo, Hawaii. Shigeo has five brothers and a sister.
In Berlin, Shigeo Iwamasa is assigned to be a driver. He describes the experience driving through the bombed cities in Germany. In Koblenz, there is a distinctive smell due to the dead bodies under the building rubbles. The bombed cities in Germany…
Leo Morishita is born December 24, 1923, in Shelley, Idaho. Leo's parents are from Hiroshima, Japan, and immigrates to the United States for a better life. When Leo's father arrives in the United States, he works on the railroad and later becomes a…
Leo Morishita gives a little fun fact about his last name Morishita. Morishita means underwood in English. Before his high school graduation, on December 7, Leo is at the Japanese American Citizen League (JACL) planning on an early Christmas party.…
Kawamoto discusses his parents and siblings. He details about his home life and education. Kawamoto also discusses about his hobbies and what is was like to grow up on California.
Ko Stanley Sameshima is born December 6, 1921, in Long Beach, California. Ko's parents are Issei from Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. His father immigrates to the United States at seventeen years old with dreams of a better future with his younger…
In the fall of 1941, before the Pearl Harbor attack, Ko Stanley Sameshima, is a student at Cal Tech University. Ko is doing well in his academic studies and is on the Varsity Cross Country Team. In Ko's spare time, he attends social school functions.…
Dan Uchimoto is born October 9, 1921, in Loomis, California. Dan's Issei parents immigrated to the United States from Japan for better opportunities. His parents are sharecropped farmers, raising canning tomatoes. People of Japanese descent are not…
Yoshiro "Yosh" Tokiwa is born on April 29, 1925, in Pismo, California. Yoshiro's Issei parents are from Japan. In Salinas, CA, his father is an independent farmer. Yoshiro has four siblings, three brothers, and a sister.
Robert "Bob" Takashi Sugimoto is from the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). He is born on November 28, 1919, in Watsonville, California. In 1906, his parents immigrated to the United States from Japan. Robert has four sisters and three…
At Camp Shelby, Robert Sugimoto learns he is AWOL because there are no traveling orders. He tries to visit his family at Poston. However, Poston is under the Western Defense Command. Although Robert is in Army, he is not allowed to go.
Minoru Miyasaki recalls the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. When President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, Minoru and his family went to Tanforan on a Greyhound Bus. The Miyasaki family left their belongings with Mr. Driscoll. However, in 1946…
Kenichi Muranaga is born on December 21, 1924, in Los Angeles, CA. Kenichi's father immigrates to the United States from Japan and meets Kenichi's mother in Hawaii. The two get married and move to Los Angeles, CA, before settling in Gardena, CA.…
After the war, Kenichi Muranaga gets married in 1946 and works serval jobs before starting his laundromat business in 1963. Kenichi and Yoshiko have one son, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Sato discusses his parents' immigration to the United States, their physical traits and personalities; and also discusses his father's employment. He then talks about his childhood and discusses religion, his childhood home, his family's Japanese…
Kazumura talks about his parents' immigration; his father's employment as a cook and horse jockey; and his father's experiences with discrimination. He then talks about his parents' physical traits and personalities; describes Pidgin English;…
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…
Coolidge Wakai guarded thousands of POWs in the Po Valley when the war ended. Later, Coolidge was transferred from guarding the POWs to Headquarters Company as a cleric.
After the war, Coolidge returned to the United States. He participated in a…
Edward Harumi Fujii is born on April 1, 1923, in Troutdale, OR. Edward's father and mother are from Yamaguchi-Ken, Japan, and they immigrate to the United States. Edward has five brothers and two sisters.
Edward Fujii's interview is with his wife, Aya Fujii.
When Edward Fujii receives his draft notice, he reports to Fort Dix, Utah, for his induction into the Army and then goes to Camp Fannin, TX, for basic training.
Ray Gerald Shiiki is born January 7, 1927, in Gresham, Oregon. Ray's parents are from Koga, Japan, and immigrated to the United States. They settled in Oregon. He has three sisters and one brother.
Before the war, Ray Shiiki's parents buy land in Damascus, OR. However, due to the alien land law, the property is under Ray's sister's name. Later Ray's parents discover they have been taken advantage of by a cannery worker.
James Mamoru Fujii was born on May 28, 1926. His parents were Bukichi "Ben" Fujii and Yoshino Yamakado Fujii. James' mother was the second wife after the first wife passed away. In the first marriage, James' father has three children.
James Fujii grows up in a rural area. After the war, the community doubled in size. James felt everyone got along after they knew one another. In his opinion, the Japanese American community did not rebel against racism after the war. They are happy…
James Fujii felt the teachers were instrumental with the move to Nyssa. The teachers protected the Japanese Americans from discrimination. In 1944, James graduated high school. He recalls spending three and a half years in Nyssa during wartime.…
Kawakami discusses his family and childhood. He details meeting an uncle in Japan and his experiences during the Great Depression. Kawakami also discusses his experiences with prejudice.
Jumpei "Jumpy" Mine is born on August 4, 1920, in Montebello, CA. Jumpei's father is a hard-working man. Jumpei's mother, Jen Mine, passes away early.
Jumpei grows up in Montebello and helps his father with farming. Jumpei's favorite sport is…
Jumpei Mine narrates photographs from his wartime.
Overseas, Jumpei encounters some close calls. He shares his stories about a hand grenade, a three-story building, and a fence. Besides his close calls, he says the scariest thing is the German…
Staff Sergeant Joe Hayashi is a Medal of Honor recipient. The interviewees recall their childhood with Joe. His older sister Chiye Hayashi Watanabe, cousin Henry M. Hayashi, and half-brother, Seiichi Nakawatase. Chiye is born in Blanco (Salinas, CA)…
Chiye (Hayashi) Watanabe, Seiichi Nakawatase, and Henry Hayashi recall celebrating New Year during their childhood. The families would get together and make mochi. New Year is like a social event.
Henry M. Hayashi discusses his time at Fort Sheridan and Camp Shelby before going overseas. Joe is also at Fort Sheridan and Camp Shelby with Henry. Henry grows up in Los Angeles, CA, where there is diversity, and everyone gets along. When Henry goes…
Hiltey discusses how his captivity ends, meeting his wife and having children. Post-war, he discusses his employment, hobbies and goes to schools and speaks about his wartime experience. Hiltey leaves a message for his future great children and the…
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…
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.
After the passing of Ray Mayeda's mother, Ray's father sent his two sisters and younger brother to live in Japan with their grandmother. Later, Ray's father and Ray went to live in Japan too. After living in Japan for a few years, in 1939, Ray…
Yoshida discusses her grandfather; and her experiences visiting Japan with her husband and daughter post-war which included visiting cemetaries and learning about her mother's family. She then talks about her mother; her relationships with her…
In high school, Harold Horiuchi enjoys playing basketball. In Seattle, Harold plays basketball for the Fieldhouse Team as a Center. Harold plays basketball in the Japanese American Community too.
In 1938, Harold graduates high school and goes to…
Matsuda discusses his family, childhood neighborhood and home. He details different aspects of his childhood including schooling, social activities, education, and friends. Matsuda also discusses his life after high school and remembering December 7,…
Taira Fukushima discusses the importance of family. For example, when he is a student, he gets a paper route job, and with the money earned, he shares it with the family. In the 1930s, there was a notion that tuberculosis was hereditary. By getting…
Mr. Saiki discusses how his family came to the United States and his early life growing up in Stockton, California. His parents first worked in Hawaii before coming to California and working on a farm in the Sacramento Delta. Eventually the family…
Ted Wakai recounts his family's arrival in Hawaii. He discusses his childhood memories of his father, mother, and siblings. Lastly, there are stories about his school experiences up to boarding school (high school).
George Oiye begins the interview by describing his family and childhood experiences growing up in Montana. Next, he describes his parents' emphasis to Americanize, as well as discussing the small Japanese American population in Montana. Lastly, he…
Mr. Seiso Kamishita describes his personal history and family background. He talks about his siblings, childhood, and growing up poor. He also describes his education background.
Kazuo Fujii begins the interview with background information on his family, and his early childhood being influenced by his primary school teachers. Next, he describes having to work hard on the family farm, and then taking it over after graduating…
Mr. Yamane introduces himself and describes what Honolulu was like when he was growing up, as well as what brought his father to settle in Hawaii.Mr. Yamane discusses his father's success as a businessman and describes the multiple businesses that…
Willie Tanamachi discusses life on the farming Texas with his 12 siblings. Growing up in the 1920's there was no electricity and he cherished opportunities to go to the county fair and movies.
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,…
Hiroshi "Hershey" Miyamura discusses learning his family history through relatives. His father, Yaichi Miyamura, and mother were from Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan. He immigrated to Gallup, N.M. briefly before returning to Japan to bring Hershey's mother…
Michael and Jimmy Doi’s parents are from Yokohama, Japan. After eloping, they went to Oxnard, CA. In Oxnard, Michael and Jimmy's father was a farmer, and their mother was a housewife. There were four sons (Dick, Sam, Michael, and Jimmy) and one…
When Jimmy Doi was classified as an enemy alien, he found a job working at a defense plant. Then his status changed to 1A, he was sent to Camp Blanding. A few weeks later, Jimmy’s brother, Michael Doi, left Camp Blanding to go overseas.
Michael Doi was born on May 25, 1920, in Camarillo, CA. Later the family moved to Oxnard, CA, when Michael was five years old. On December 7, Michael went to Los Angeles to watch a movie, and news of Pearl Harbor was announced. During this time,…
