ORAL HISTORY VIDEOS
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The Hanashi Oral History Video Archive is a valuable, professional-quality audio/visual resource for World War II Japanese American veteran information. The archive enables the Go For Broke National Education Center to create multimedia presentations that educate the public through technology on the legacy of the Nisei WWII veteran.
Please click on one of the Search links (Keyword, Category or Name) on the left menu bar to access the Hanashi Oral History Video Archive.
There are now 700 full-length interviews online in the archive.
View the list of the interviews currently available online.
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Registration is not required for the following sample video clips from the Hanashi Oral History Video Archive.
Reasons
for Serving
Display of Courage
Reflections on
Pearl Harbor
Accounts of Battle
Incarceration Experience
Positive Aspects of
War
Negative Aspects of
War
Perceptions of
the Japanese
Descriptions
Memorable Experiences
Opinions
For Future Generations
Reasons for Serving
Keyo
Takabayashi Interview Length: 2:19
Keyo Takabayashi shares his reasons for volunteering in spite
of what injured soldiers of the 100th Battalion told him.
Colonel
Young O. Kim Interview Length: 2:10
Colonel Young O. Kim goes into detail about why Japanese American
soldiers had to do well in combat.
Colonel
Young O. Kim Interview Length: 2:31
Colonel Young O. Kim elaborates on the time he was first transferred
to the 100th Infantry Battalion.
Don
Seki Interview Length: 1:45
Don Seki discusses how he felt about the attack on Pearl Harbor
and why he decided to volunteer.
Hiromi
Suehiro Interview Length: 2:20
Hiromi Suehiro reflects on how he did not want to bring shame
to his family by being a coward.
Display of Courage
Senator
Daniel Inouye Interview Length: 2:09
Senator Daniel Inouye describes the battle in which he gets heavily
injured and loses his right arm.
Harry
Akune Interview Length: 2:17
Harry Akune describes his first parachute jump onto Corregidor
Island.
Reflections on Pearl Harbor
John
Togashi Interview Length: 2:05
John Togashi recalls the reaction of his peers after the attack
on Pearl Harbor once he returned back to school.
Senator
Daniel Inouye Interview Length: 2:16
Senator Daniel Inouye recalls what happened on December 7, 1941
and how he felt about the surprise attack.
Accounts of Battle
Motoyoshi
Tanaka Interview Length: 1:11
Motoyoshi Tanaka describes one of his experiences at Monte Cassino
and just how close to death he and his fellow soldiers were.
Ron
Oba Interview Length: 2:06
Ron Oba shares some of his experiences as a 442nd cook during
the war and how close he was to the front line.
Tsuneo
Takemoto Interview Length: 1:39
Tsuneo Takemoto recalls some of his experiences at Bruyeres where
several men were lost in battle.
Thomas
Espineda Interview Length: 2:16
Thomas Espineda describes his first experience at battle.
Hideto
Kono Interview Length: 1:40
Hideto Kono describes one incident of cave flushing in Iwo Jima.
Incarceration Experience
George
Matsui Interview Length: 1:01
George Matsui shares his opinion on the Executive Order 9066 and
briefly discusses the notion of ‘shikata ga nai.’
George
Katagiri Interview Length: 2:26
George Katagiri describes his experiences at the assembly center
and his realization of the seriousness of the situation.
Joseph
Ichiuji Interview Length: 1:55
Joseph Ichiuji depicts life in camp and how things changed for
the family.
Positive Aspects of War
Makoto
Takiguchi Interview Length: 1:14
Makoto Takiguchi explains how important camaraderie and friendship
is between fellow soldiers.
Grant
Hirabayashi Interview Length: 1:29
Grant Hirabayashi expresses his feelings upon returning to the
states.
Takejiro
Higa Interview Length: 1:15
Takejiro Higa claims that it was a good thing to be sent to the
Pacific theater.
Negative Aspects of War
Ray
Nosaka Interview Length: 2:02
Ray Nosaka discusses one of the negative aspects of war- killing
and shooting one another when everyone is human.
Ray
Nosaka Interview Length: 1:53
Ray Nosaka claims one of the hardest things he had to experience
in the war was confronting parents about their son’s death.
Takejiro
Higa Interview Length: 2:07
Takejiro Higa shares how difficult it was to return to Okinawa
as a soldier during World War II.
Perceptions of the Japanese
George
Katagiri Interview Length: 1:48
George Katagiri remembers how Japanese civilians viewed him.
George
Takabayashi Interview Length: 2:05
George Takabayashi remembers his first POW interrogation and how
the Japanese soldier was ashamed of being captured.
Descriptions
Rusty
Kimura Interview Length: 2:15
Rusty Kimura goes into detail about what goes on at the Military
Intelligence Language School (MISLS).
Colonel
Christopher Keegan Interview Length: 1:36
Colonel Christopher Keegan describes how the mainland and Hawaiian
Japanese Americans came together to form the 442nd RCT.
Grant
Hirabayashi Interview Length: 1:20
Grant Hirabayashi goes into detail about the mission of Merrill’s
Marauders in Northern Burma.
Norman
Ikari Interview Length: 1:35
Norman Ikari describes the effects of the German 88 shell.
Memorable Experiences
Rusty
Kimura Interview Length: 1:40
Rusty Kimura explains how he got his nickname of ‘Rusty.’
Harry
Akune Interview Length: 1:29
Harry Akune talks about the time he had an encounter with a Dutch-New
Guinea boy.
Opinions
Dick
Narasaki Interview Length: 2:23
Dick Narasaki elaborates on what the 442 did at the Gothic Line
and how its exploits helped with redress.
Isamu
Inouye Interview Length: 2:21
Isamu Inouye gives his opinion on how his unit was different from
a white unit.
Larry
Sakoda Interview Length: 1:38
Larry Sakoda shares his feelings about the rescue of the ‘Lost
Battalion.’
Choichi
Shimabukuro Interview Length: 1:30
Choichi Shimabukuro explains how the experiences of war changed
his life.
Colonel
Iwao Yokooji Interview Length: 1:42
Colonel Iwao Yokooji shares his thoughts on how the Caucasian
soldiers were no better than the Japanese American soldiers.
Warren
Tsuneishi Interview Length: 1:50
Warren Tsuneishi shares how he felt about fighting against the
Japanese.
Joseph
Ichiuji Interview Length: 1:58
Joseph Ichiuji compares the American camps with the Jewish camps
created during World War II.
For Future Generations
Hideo
Kami Interview Length: 1:12
Hideo Kami claims he has shared his war experiences with his children
and hopes they can learn from it.
