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

Kim,Young O.

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

“Agreement of silence”

I find it true among the veterans - now, even among ourselves - I think combat is such a horrible experience that few if ever, want to talk about what happens in combat. And so there is this…agreement of silence. And not only do they not talk to their wives, their children, or anybody else, but we don’t even talk to each other, you see.

We do get together, we love to get together, we’re extremely comfortable together. You know, 24 hours a day in combat seems like eternity. You know, when you don’t know when you’re going to die any moment, you know, life could come to an end and people are asking you to do what is normally almost an impossible task, at peace time no one would ask you to do, and you’re constantly…that pressure to achieve something that’s almost physically impossible in great, great danger. You learn to depend upon each other, so much so that when you haven’t seen somebody even for five, ten, fifteen, twenty years and you see them again, not only are you overjoyed, but nothing has changed.

100th Infantry Battalion 442nd Regimental Combat Team armed forces military 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)