Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Grant Jiro Hirabayashi Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 5307 Composite Unit Provisional (Merrill's Marauders)
- Location of Service: Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Camp Savage, Minnesota; Bombay, India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/28498
The famed commandos of Merrill's Marauders, a unit of soldiers who slogged their way through the Burmese jungles to overcome the Japanese occupiers, consisted of a number of Japanese American, or Nisei. They served in both intelligence and combat capacities, translating captured documents and fighting where needed. Grant Hirabayashi was among these men, and he had to fend off not only the usual assortment of jungle-bred ailments such as dysentery and malaria, but also an allergy to the preservatives used in K-rations. Hirabayashi would later serve in India and China; in the late days of the war, he interrogated Japanese POWs, one of whom accused him of betraying his people.
Interview / Recording
Transcript
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PlayOn December 7, 1941, already in the Army, expecting a visit from his parents; they were eventually moved to a relocation camp at Heart Mountain, WY. 00:10:27.3 - 00:11:59.5
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PlayCurriculum at Camp Savage, Minnesota, where he was assigned to the Military Intelligence Service Language School. 00:16:37.0 - 00:18:29.1
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PlayHow he came to serve in Merrill's Marauders; only 14 men selected from 200 volunteers; to Bombay, India via San Francisco, New Guinea, and Australia; composition of the Marauders and origin of their nickname. 00:20:12.0 - 00:27:54.0
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PlayUnit's mission, to re-establish the supply line to China through Burma; fighting against heavy odds. 00:29:48.4 - 00:33:05.0
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PlayContact with the enemy on their 700-mile, 87-day march through Burma; depletion of the troops during the march; awareness in the high command of the troops' conditions. 00:35:00.9 - 00:39:25.6
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PlayUnable to swim, crossing a river and keeping his dictionary and maps dry, while a sniper fired at him. 00:49:55.0 - 00:51:15.0
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PlayNisei soldiers trying to sneak up on the Japanese to overhear their strategy sessions; how one soldier's report turned a surprise enemy attack into an American ambush. 00:53:54.6 - 00:58:00.0
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PlayRelations with Japanese POWs; one officer calling him a traitor but later relenting and providing valuable information. 00:28:37.8 - 00:33:38.6
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PlayAfter March 1944 air crash which killed Admiral Koga, Nisei soldiers translated documents picked up by Filipino guerrillas which contained master plan of attack on U.S. fleet; accolades for the Nisei effort by U.S. commanders. 00:36:34.9 - 00:43:01.9
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PlayNisei facilitating postwar occupation of Japan; his own role as a translator and interpreter in a military tribunal held in Yokohama. 00:43:41.0 - 00:47:14.4
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PlayHis most valued award: the Combat Infantryman's Badge: it showed that he survived because he had good comrades; one of three Nisei in the Ranger Hall of Fame at Ft. Benning, GA. 00:48:15.8 - 00:49:27.6
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PlayMarauders disbanded in August 1944; Hirabayashi to India, and then moves on to China; learning of Japanese plans for a tiny bomb with enormous destruction power, but his report to his superiors was dismissed; translator at surrender ceremonies. 00:15:30.3 - 00:22:20.4
About this Item
Title
- Grant Jiro Hirabayashi Collection
Names
- Hirabayashi, Grant Jiro
- Japanese-American Veterans Association (JAVA)
- Shima, Terry T.
Home State
- Maryland
Headings
- - Hirabayashi, Grant Jiro
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Asian
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 5307 Composite Unit Provisional (Merrill's Marauders)
- Location of Service: Fort Lewis, Washington; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Camp Savage, Minnesota; Bombay, India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Dates of Service: 1941-1945
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: veteran
Materials
- Video: Digital Betacam [2 items] -- Digitized Copy (collected unknown)
- Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [5 items] -- Photograph (collected 1943-2005)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected 2005-06-29)
- Manuscript: Memoirs [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
- Video: MiniDV [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2005-06-29)
- Video: VHS [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-03-03; 2006-03-03)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/28498
Cite as
- Grant Jiro Hirabayashi Collection (AFC/2001/001/28498), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Bombay, India
- Camp Savage, Minnesota
- China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater
- Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
- Fort Lewis, Washington