Tommy Mayekawa oral history interview, part 3 of 3, February 11, 2012
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Description
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 any hostility from the locals for being Japanese in a United States Military uniform. If the locals need food, Tommy says he would share and help them as much as possible.
However, there are Military restrictions on what he can and cannot give to national locals.
Tommy discusses the benefits of being a Japanese American in Japan. Being Japanese American, it is easy for Tommy to go out and eat at the local restaurants. After the Peace Treaty, Tommy visits his relatives freely.
In August 1946, Tommy is discharged from the Military and works as a civil service employee for 55 years in Japan. Tommy is married to Kayoko and has three children.
When Tommy's children graduate high school, they move to the United States to attend college. After Tommy's retirement, he returns to the United States and settles in California.
Tommy discusses receiving the Congressional Gold Medal for his Military service during World War Two. He hopes his war and camp experience will educate future generations on the Nisei legacy.
Living in Yokohama, Japan, Tommy does not encounter any hostility from the locals for being Japanese in a United States Military uniform. If the locals need food, Tommy says he would share and help them as much as possible.
However, there are Military restrictions on what he can and cannot give to national locals.
Tommy discusses the benefits of being a Japanese American in Japan. Being Japanese American, it is easy for Tommy to go out and eat at the local restaurants. After the Peace Treaty, Tommy visits his relatives freely.
In August 1946, Tommy is discharged from the Military and works as a civil service employee for 55 years in Japan. Tommy is married to Kayoko and has three children.
When Tommy's children graduate high school, they move to the United States to attend college. After Tommy's retirement, he returns to the United States and settles in California.
Tommy discusses receiving the Congressional Gold Medal for his Military service during World War Two. He hopes his war and camp experience will educate future generations on the Nisei legacy.
Identifier
2012OH1054_03_Mayekawa
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Date of Birth
1921 Apr 22
Location of Birth
War or Conflict
Branch of Service
Entrance into Service
Unit of Service
Citation
Mayekawa, Tommy: narrator, Horsting, Robert: interviewer, and Go For Broke National Education Center: publisher, “Tommy Mayekawa oral history interview, part 3 of 3, February 11, 2012,” Japanese American Military History Collective, accessed April 24, 2024, https://ndajams.omeka.net/items/show/1052591.