U.S. Army Awards $450,000 to Go For Broke National Education Center to Support Oral Histories of Nisei Linguists in Occupied Japan

In October 2008, the U.S. Army awarded the Go For Broke National Education Center a $450,000 grant to collect oral histories of Japanese American soldiers in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) who served as linguists in occupied Japan. The Center for Military History will use these recordings for a sequel to Dr. James McNaughton's book, entitled "Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service during World War II," published in 2006 by the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

Ted Tsukiyama, Pam Funai,
Jimmy Tanabe, and Edwin Higashino

"The Nisei linguists who served in the Military Intelligence Service during World War II and the postwar period were vitally important to the reconstruction of Japan and the development of a lasting peace and key political and economic alliances," said Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), a strong supporter of the National Education Center and its Hanashi Oral History Program. "It is important that we study the successes of the MIS as a model for how our nation can move forward in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Hanashi has already built the largest oral history archive of its kind, meeting or exceeding industry standards. To continue this level of quality, the National Education Center has asked Dr. Kristine Dennehy, Associate Professor, Department of History at California State University, Fullerton, to serve as a historical analyst on the program. Dr. Dennehy has academic degrees in Japanese language and Asian studies, and has spent a considerable amount of time in Japan researching at Sophia University and Kyoto University. Dr. Dennehy will review related records and materials held by the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution and other repositories.

Jiro Ikemori

The first round of interviews were conducted in Oahu and Maui, January 16-19, 2009, with the help of Jimmy Tanabe, MIS veteran and member of the MIS Club in Honolulu. The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii and the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center contributed the use of their facilities as venues for the interviews. The National Education Center would like to thank the board and staff members of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii for their continuous support. The National Education Center also exends a heartfelt thank you to the interviewers and camera crew members, Richard Hawkins, Craig Yahata, Kristine Dennehy, Jimmy Tanabe, and Ted Tsukiyama, for their trememdous efforts throughout the weekend.

Currently, the team plans to conduct interviews throughout California and Washington D.C. in 2009. Four additional regions to be determined next year.

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