Hanashi Oral History Program

"Hanashi" means "talk" or "story" in Japanese. As the Go For Broke National Education Center's preservation initiative, the Hanashi Oral History Program records the life histories of Japanese American veterans who served in the United States military during World War II. These rich stories are used in developing educational resources and articles, such as the story in this edition of "eTorch" on 232nd Combat Engineer Company veteran Minori Sueda, and select media projects such as Go For Broke's documentary, "A Tradition of Honor," which utilized more than 40 interviews from the Hanashi archive.

The time to capture their stories is now! Nisei veterans are 80 years of age and older and their stories must be preserved. When they pass on, so will this important chapter of American history. To ensure the oral histories are diverse and representative of the entire Nisei WWII veteran story, Hanashi travels throughout the U.S. to record their stories, from which curriculum materials, Website resources, documentaries, etc., could be created and made available to teachers, researchers, and the general public.

The Hanashi Oral History Program was started in 1998 by 10 volunteers and has grown to a base of approximately 100 volunteers from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, all of whom have found a personal connection with the Nisei veterans. Currently, a single staff member manages the program.

Hanashi's goal is to interview 1,200 veterans by 2010 – including those from the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and other units, including women. As of October 2006, Hanashi has conducted 740 veteran interviews. If you are a veteran, know of a veteran to be interviewed, or want to volunteer for the Hanashi program, please contact Tim Yuge, Hanashi program manager, at 310-222-5705 or tim@goforbroke.org.

Hanashi Facts:

• Each interview is approximately 2-3 hours long
• Hanashi uses professional-quality digital video equipment to ensure quality and the life of the interview
• A volunteer crew consists of an interviewer, audio technician, and videographer
• No experience is necessary to volunteer, Hanashi trains volunteers to become interviewers, audio technicians, and videographers
• Funding primarily comes from grants and individual financial support
• The Hanashi archive is searchable and viewable at the Go For Broke website at www.goforbroke.org; as of October 2006, 400 are accessible and eventually all interviews will be online
• Hanashi interviews are used in teacher training workshops and curricula, multimedia projects, documentaries, and other educational resources

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