Interviews

1. Growing up with both Japanese and American influences

2. Starting to get angry

3. Finding out Roosevelt wanted Japan to attack

4. Strictly American, but sympathize with Japan

5. Parents expected to be taken by the FBI

6. Angry about the mistranslations of his father’s testimonies

7. Not able to go to Manzanar on a furlough

8. 525 Quartermaster Corps

9. Fort McClellan soldiers

10. “All I have dear to me is in the camp”

11. Try to be a bridge between both countries

12. Common Grounds

13. Interpretation of Nikkei

14. The Meaning of “Nikkei” (Japanese)

Cedrick Shimo

(1919-2020) Member of the 1800th Engineering Battalion. Promoted Japan-U.S. trade while working for Honda's export division.

Strictly American, but sympathize with Japan

It’s like a father and mother fighting, you know like - I know my folks, they weren’t anti-America, they loved the United States, they loved Japan too, they loved both country and to be fighting, it was the worst thing that could possibly happen even to me. I said, gosh in a way, when Japan was being successful, going down, I said hey, good. They’re successful, they’re show…you know, a powerful nation, you know.

But, it’s one of those ambivalent feeling here, gee…[laughs] You love both countries, but you have to choose between one side. Well, naturally I’m an American, so you know, I’m strictly American but I sympathized with Japan’s position, there even. I think there was, what was that, reverend at the last minute, he was trying to prevent this war…I forgot, there were a lot of Americans, were trying to prevent the war, they understood Japan’s position, you know.

And if I had a white face, I probably would have been called to Washington to become a semi-expert on Japan and, but being with this face, automatically you become pro-Japanese you know.

patriotism World War II

Date: March 25, 2005

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Sojin Kim

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

Interviewee Bio

Cedrick Shimo was born in 1919 and grew up in the diverse neighborhood of Boyle Heights. He was active in the Boy Scouts, kendo and the Cougars, a Japanese American athletic club. He received his draft notice the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor while he was at graduate school in Cal Berkeley so he joined the army and signed up for the Military Intelligence Service Language School. However, when he was denied furlough to visit his mother in Manzanar, he became outraged and refused to fight overseas and was placed in the 1800th Engineering Battalion – a segregated group of German, Italian, and Japanese Americans who were considered suspect. Their role was to repair damages to roads, bridges and fences caused by combat troops during training maneuvers. He returned to Boyle Heights after being honorably discharged from the 1800th and went on to become vice-president of the export division for Honda.

On November 20, 2008, Japan awarded him The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays for his efforts in promoting Japan-U.S. trade during a time of trade friction between the two countries while he was at Honda.

He passed away in April 2020 at age 100. (April 2020)