Jotoku Asato oral history interview, part 2 of 2, April 26, 2008

Asato continues talking about his first combat while in Italy, at the Rome-Arno area. He talks about being able to see Florence from a distance and the tree bursts that could kill a soldier instantly. While there, he would get sick and end up in a hospital, joining instead, a chemical mortar company where he would be the only Japanese American in the unit. Soon after, he would hear of the end of the war while in Germany and head back to the United States. After stopping first in Boston and San Francisco, he would get back to Hawaii and get discharged at Fort Kamehameha. He would rest for a short time at home and do some labor work before heading back into the Army for the Korean War. He talks about the combat there, and moving up to sergeant first class, in charge of one of the squads. He would once again return to Hawaii, but this time with his wife, whom he met in Japan. He talks about his family, including children and grandchildren and talks about picking up some war artifacts before he came back, including a German helmet.

video/m4v

0:46:57

2008OH0856_02_Asato

http://www.goforbroke.org/oral_histories/mp4/856-Asato-Jotoku-2.m4v

1923 Dec 18

Yes