The dedicated military service of Japanese Americans during World War II was recalled August 10 when two veterans, Dr. Warren Tsuneishi and Joe Ichiuchi, shared World War II stories in a program, "Japanese Americans in World War II: Service on Two Fronts" sponsored by the Library's Asian American Association.
Dr. Tsuneishi, former chief of the Asian Division, presented stories of three Japanese American military heroes. In his talk, "Military Intelligence Service in the War Against Japan," Dr. Tsuneishi discussed the experiences of three GIs: Sgt. Richard Sakakida, Sgt. Roy Matsumoto and Sunao Ishio, founding president of the Japanese American Veterans Association. Their stories are also published in the book Nisei Veteran: An American Patriot (Japanese American Veterans Association of Washington, D.C., 1995).
Dr. Tsuneishi was in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) in the Philippines, Okinawa and Korea. He was trained in Japanese at the MIS language school. Total immersion classes in military Japanese were held five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m., with exams and a close-order drill on Saturday morning, he said.
In addition, two months of infantry basic training were held. The training emphasized translating military Japanese, POW interrogation, military intelligence and Japanese culture.
In his talk, "Go for Broke," named after his regiment's motto, Mr. Ichiuchi retraced his steps to Italy, France and Germany and described the irony of liberating Jews from Nazi concentration camps even as his own people were being held in Japanese prison camps in the United States.
Recalled Mr. Ichiuchi, "One law professor was quoted as saying, 'One thousand persons were sent to the concentration camps on a record which would not convict a dog.'"
Mr. Ichiuchi was drafted in 1941, served 45 days in the U.S. Army and was then discharged. Upon returning to his native California, he and approximately 120,000 Japanese American men, women and children were herded into internment camps because the U.S. government believed they might pose a security threat.
Two years later, Japanese men were called to serve. Mr. Ichiuchi was one of the first in his camp who volunteered. He said, "I felt I must not give up the opportunity to show my loyalty as an American and to serve my country."
He was assigned to Headquarters Battery A of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, which supported the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of two all-Nisei (Japanese American) teams in the U.S. Army.
"In less than two years, the ... 442nd Regimental Combat Team fought in seven major campaigns in Europe and won recognition as the most decorated unit of World War II. During the war's last 45 days in Germany, the 522nd fired over 150,000 rounds for seven different divisions and units and achieved every objective assigned," he said.
The 522nd was the only Japanese American unit to fight in Germany. In addition, the 522nd was among the first Allied troops to liberate Jewish prisoners from Nazi concentration camps in Dachau.
Mr. Ichiuchi described the scene at the camps as "...a sight I will never forget." The Jewish prisoners suffered malnutrition, some feeding themselves with "...strips of meat from the carcass of a dead animal on the edge of a road."
Mr. Ichiuchi said he found it ironic that he, a victim of American prison camps, would help to liberate Jewish prisoners from Nazi concentration camps.
The program concluded with a brief question and answer session. One person asked if American soldiers training with the Japanese Americans expressed any bitterness toward them. Mr. Ichiuchi responded, "They treated me well ... as one of the GIs." Dr. Tsuneishi pointed out that "The older guys make the decisions. We were OK with our peers."
In response to a question of how the men were accepted after returning from the war and if they experienced any resentment, Mr. Ichiuchi told of his post-war experience trying to get a job at the Internal Revenue Service. "After passing the IRS agent exam, the official asked me what country I served."
Another person wanted to know how friends and relatives in Japan reacted to their service. Dr. Tsuneishi responded, "They are an extraordinarily polite people and would never say anything to embarrass you. They might ask you, 'Well, how did you feel fighting against Japan?'" The audience laughed in amusement at Dr. Tsuneishi's response.
