Interviews

1. Basic Training

2. A visit to Jerome after OCS

3. Resisting transfer from Jerome

4. Appearance vs. Combat Effectiveness

5. Fully aware of discrimination in America

6. They had to succeed

7. Do it for all Asians

8. People with talent in the 100th infantry battalion

9. “Agreement of silence”

10. Horrible pictures of war

11. Near-death experience

12. General Ryder’s faith in the 100th infantry battalion

13. 442nd’s contribution to redress

14. Comfortable in combat

15. “Equal as a human being”

16. Commitments for a better life

Young O. Kim

(1919 - 2006) World War II and Korean War veteran

Basic Training

I did extremely well in basic training; I think I was born with the attributes to be a soldier…but I was the best shot in the whole group and I never had a gun in my hand before I joined the army and so like the sarge says,” what are you doing?” you know, cause I hit 10 bulls eyes in a row. I said, “I don’t know what I’m doing, just what you people told me to do!” [laughs] But despite that record, when I finished, you know, the first sergeant told me I could be a cook or clerk or a mechanic. I said,” well why can’t I be a regular soldier? I did very, very well, and I think I came out second in the whole group and I says, out of all of us in basic training” and I says, “why can’t I be a regular soldier?” He says," now, now, now, wake up, wake up," he says, “you got the wrong shaped eyes, you got the wrong skin”, he says," everything is wrong, he says,” you can’t be a soldier, people like you aren’t soldiers.”

armed forces discrimination interpersonal relations military racism retired military personnel United States Army veterans World War II

Date: August 28, 1995

Location: California, US

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Colonel Young Oak Kim (U.S. Army Ret.) was a decorated combat veteran as a member of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II and a respected community leader. He was born in 1919 in Los Angeles, CA to Korean immigrants.

Following the outbreak of war, he was assigned to the “all-Nisei” 100th as a young officer, but was given a chance for reassignment because the common belief was that Koreans and Japanese did not get along. He rejected the offer stating that they were all Americans. A natural leader with keen instincts in the field, Colonel Kim’s battlefield exploits are near legendary.

Colonel Kim continued to serve his country in the Korean War where he became the first minority to command an Army combat battalion. He retired from the Army in 1972. He was awarded 19 medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, and the French Croix de Guerre.

Later in life, Colonel Kim served the Asian American community by helping to found the Go For Broke Educational Foundation, the Japanese American National Museum, the Korean Health, Education, Information and Research Center and the Korean American Coalition among others. He died from cancer on December 29, 2005 at the age of 86. (August 8, 2008)