Partial Transcript: Thomas talks about going to New York twice on leave before going overseas. He goes sightseeing around Columbia University and Harlem. In New York, Thomas can find Japanese food. Thomas shows an original menu from Miyako Restaurant (in New York). He reads some of the prices of the meals.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Mainland; Nisei; Nisei soldiers; travel

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Partial Transcript: Thomas continues to read the food prices from the original menu from Miyako Restaurant in New York. Thomas says a lot of guys eat there because of word of mouth. Thomas would correspond with his sister. He says she would cut out articles from the newspaper. He remembers going overseas in a group on ships. On the ship, is there is gambling to pass time.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; correspondence; family; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers; siblings; travel

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Partial Transcript: Thomas recalls going overseas on a cargo ship. The soldiers land in Oran and then travel to Naples. Thomas describes his first battle. He is in the messenger squad and following on a hillside road when German soldiers shoot.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; France; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers; Southern France

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Partial Transcript: The German attack shortly after landing is the first battle for everyone. If you are not scared then you are fooling yourself. The German guns are superior in comparison to American guns because the German guns are faster. Thomas did not learn about the German guns at basic training. Thomas says you can tell when you see the gun in person. He describes the difference s between the German tanks and the American tanks. Thomas is part of the messenger squad, and the messenger squad always stays with the Company Commander. The Company leads in the front.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; German soldiers; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; marching; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: Thomas discusses the Lost Battalion. Thomas is in the messenger squad. He recalls moving to a little hill and describes the locations of the Company and the process of how his company operates. His Company is not a fighting unit. He remembers digging a foxhole and sharing the hole with a First Lieutenant Second in Command Fred Kanemura. Fred tells Thomas to jump in with him. Fred jumps in the hole first, and then Thomas jumps in and covers Fred. The artillery fire starts.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; foxhole; France; German soldiers; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers; Vosges

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Partial Transcript: The German soldiers are firing at certain places and hitting the trees. The Company Commander tells Thomas to check on the other Company while there is artillery fire happening. Thomas's friend Fred Kanemura tells him not to go. Thomas says if he did not listen to Fred, he probably would not be here today. Fred saved his life. Thomas describes the German artillery fire is not everywhere. They are only shooting in a specific area and hitting the trees (called tree bursts). The shrapnels are raining down. Thomas heard some soldiers are buried alive because the ground shifted.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; France; German soldiers; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Killed in Action; Nisei soldiers; shrapnel; Vosges

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Partial Transcript: Thomas discusses the first battle the 442nd faced. Thomas says everyone wished for them to succeed. However, the 442nd got stuck and called Thomas's Company to help since they are the reserve. Thomas and his Company are on top of a hill. The road further up is cut off. Therefore, the German soldiers could not move. The squad of messengers and observers could not fight. They could only watch the German soldiers drive up to their area and park their vehicles. The German soldiers walked and vanish into the forest. Thomas says the Germans left behind a lot of their equipment.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; France; German soldiers; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: Thomas compares the battle area to a place in Hawaii called Rhine Top where the road runs left and right. The artillery observers had a hard time shooting, and the German vehicles got away. Thomas says if there are tanks, the tanks could have stopped the Germans. Another challenge is the hills. One side is the American soldiers, and the other hillside is the German soldiers. For the 442nd to relieve Thomas's Company, they need to come over the hill. As the 442nd show themselves on the hill, they are attacked by artillery fire. A few of the soldiers are hit.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; France; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: The German drop mortar shells. When the 442nd replacement comes, the mortar shells increased but not the range. The Tech. Sgt. that comes is a guy Thomas knows from back home. Thomas never sees him again after that incident. When Thomas returns to headquarters, there are a lot of soldiers injured. The ambulance could not come over the next hill. Thomas says it is sad. You cannot do anything to help, and the medics can only do so much. Thomas does not look at their faces and feels it is best not to know who it is. The situation would be more difficult if you know who they are.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; artillery fire; France; friendship; German soldiers; Hawaii; Japanese American soldiers; mortar; Nisei; Nisei soldiers; Nisei veterans; Southern France

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Partial Transcript: At the end of October, Thomas' Company crosses a river, and someone hits a landmine and explodes next to Thomas. Thomas is injured, but the guys further away are killed. Thomas does not understand how he survives. Thanksgiving Day, the Mess Sergeant makes some roast turkey for the soldiers and could not get it up the line. Things are still happening. When the food makes it up the line, the food is green. Thomas hears that the soldiers dust it off and eat the food. Thomas leaves Naples and goes to North Africa to the hospital. Thomas misses his turkey dinner.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; German soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Killed in Action; Naples; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: Thomas receives the Purple Heart for his injury from the landmine. During this time, he is with the 34th division. After recovering from his injury, Thomas returns to duty in Anzio. He says he is in Naples for a while because more equipment is coming and not soldiers. After the rescue of the Battalion, Thomas goes to the hospital for another injury - trench foot. Thomas is reclassified unfit for duty.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; France; Hawaiian soldiers; Italy; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei; Nisei soldiers; trench foot

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Partial Transcript: Thomas talks about Unagi, the Japanese word for freshwater eel. In the river, there are dikes, and there are tiny Unagi about three to four inches long. The Nisei soldiers would catch the Unagi and cook it with soup. Thomas says the Japanese boys are crazy. They say everything is edible, somethings Thomas has never seen before. Thomas tried some of the food.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; France; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei; Nisei soldiers

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Partial Transcript: As a messenger, Thomas says he did not get lost. From the Company Commander's post, he would need to deliver messages to the platoon or squad. He did not have to bring any messages at night because there is a radio. Thomas talks about his recovery from the landmine and how the medics remove the shrapnel from his leg. Thomas recalls a time helping a Caucasian soldier at the hospital tent. The soldier has two legs and one arm in a cast. During the day, when the sunlight hits the tent, the smell of blood is horrible, like rotten flesh. Thomas would search look for sticks and wish he had Chinese chopsticks. Thomas and a few others would clean the wounds and feed him.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; company; correspondence; Hawaiian soldiers; hospital; Japanese soldier; Nisei soldiers; platoon

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Partial Transcript: Thomas' wounds are not severe from the landmine explosion. He goes to Naples to the replacement depot to return to the unit in Anzio. Thomas is injured again. This time he gets trench foot. Trench foot is when your feet are frozen. Every day you are walking in water, and it is cold at night. Soldiers are instructed to carry extra socks. However, when you change to new socks, the shoes are still wet, and then the socks will get wet. There is no time to take off your shoes to dry them. The feet get swollen and discolored. The doctor reclassified and no combat duty. Thomas's outfit gets assigned to go to Southern France. Around this is time, Thomas and a few others are assigned to drive the 25 jeeps to Epinal, France.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; Anzio Beach; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei soldiers; Southern France; trench foot

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Partial Transcript: When Thomas is injured, he is reclassified from his duties. His new assignment is to be a driver. He briefly discusses his homecoming and returning to the mainland. Overseas, Thomas would occasionally receive correspondence from his wife.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; correspondence; discharge; France; Italy; Japanese American soldiers; Mainland; Nisei soldiers; San Francisco

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Partial Transcript: Overseas, Thomas would receive correspondences with his wife during wartime. She would write about family affairs and send photographs of their daughter. After the war, Thomas returns to the mainland to Florida. The other soldiers returned to New York. Thomas says they never have the chance to parade. He is asked to carry the flag for the parade, but it did not happen. After arriving in Florida, he takes a train to the west coast to San Francisco and a boat back to Hawaii. The trip back home takes a few months. During those months of waiting, he remembers the guys going out at night to eat Chop Suey.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: correspondence; family; Hawaii; Hawaiian soldiers; Japanese American soldiers; Mainland; Nisei soldiers; Nisei veterans; photographs

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Partial Transcript: In Marysville, Thomas waits to return to Hawaii. During those months, Thomas is with a group of soldiers other than the 100th. Thomas says there is no big homecoming for him. He did not get to be in a parade. When Thomas left the line, there are only 14 guys. Out of the 14 guys, there are only three originals - himself, Tech. Sergeant, and Buck Sergeant. The Buck Sergeant use to be Thomas's neighbor. The other guys are replacements, and Thomas did not know who they are. Later Thomas writes to Fred Wada from Los Angeles, CA. Another person Thomas knows is Albert Takahashi.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; Hawaiian soldiers; homecoming; Japanese American soldiers; Mainland; Nisei soldiers; post-war

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Partial Transcript: Thomas discusses replacements. They come into the war and get killed in action. It is hard to make friends or get to know the person. In Thomas's squad, some guys got injured but no one is killed in action. There is some replacement in the messenger squad but he did not know some of the guys. The messenger squad is a small group of five to seven men.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; France; Hawaiian soldiers; Italy; Japanese American soldiers; Killed in Action; Nisei soldiers; Southern France

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Partial Transcript: September 5, 1945 (or 1946) Thomas, reunites with his wife and daughter. Thomas does not see his daughter for about four and a half years. Currently, Thomas and his daughter are living together. She is retired. Thomas also sees his parents when he returns from war. When Thomas is overseas, his mother has a stroke. His father has throat cancer.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; Hawaii; Hawaiian soldiers; Issei parents; Japanese American soldiers; Nisei; Nisei soldiers; Nisei veterans; post-war

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Partial Transcript: When Thomas returns to the mainland, he is discharged from his Army service. Coming home, he looks for work and works at the post office as a mail courier. Thomas works for the federal government for 27 years. He lives at a state-federal housing calling Manoa when he returns to Hawaii. A lot of veterans are living there. Yoshio Takenouchi is the 100th replacement, and he passes away on June 12, 2007.

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords: 100th; family; homecoming; Japanese American soldiers; Mainland; Nisei soldiers; Nisei veterans; post-war

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