Harold Okumura oral history interview, part 1 of 2, February 27, 2011

Okumura begins the interview talking about his whereabouts when the war ended and Japan surrendered and his thoughts on the atomic bomb. At the time, he was already in the Army and had gone through his training, so he was sent overseas to begin his work in occupied Japan. He would stop off at a few islands before getting to Okinawa, helping to talk with Japanese civilians that were hiding out in caves. Next, he talks about how he came to learn Japanese as a sansei. After this, he talks more about his time in Japan, including the reconstruction and talking with Japanese civilians to understand their lives better. Okumura also discusses the harsh living conditions that the American soldiers dealt with in Okinawa, sleeping in a tent that would get soaked during the typhoons. He would spend more time in Okinawa, interpreting and helping when needed with the reconstruction, before getting discharged and heading back to the mainland. He would end up Hawaii and start a family, which now includes 10 grandchildren.

video/m4v

0:54:48

2011OH1036_01_Okumura

http://www.goforbroke.org/oral_histories/mp4/1036-Okamura-Harold-1.m4v

1923 Sep 01

Yes