Interviews
Fellow Hapa 442 Hana
Hana, I should say, but I always call him Hana. And he had freckles and kind of reddish hair and he was shorter than I was…but that’s alright. He and I ran around together a lot and when he was killed, all the 442nd guys—about 5 or 6 of them—knew that he was my friend and I remember them putting him on the back of a…a weapon’s carrier and drove it up to where I was and said, “Would you like to look at Hana?” and I said…well I said, “Well where is he?” They said, “He’s over in the weapon’s carrier over there.” And they said he was killed. And that was quite devastating. So I walked over and they said, Do you want us to unzip the mattress carrier?” (that’s what they put you in when you…) and I said, “No, no…” I said no…and it was a sad day but that’s…that’s where war is I guess.
Date: February 12, 2013
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Duncan Williams
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum with support of NITTO Tires Life History Project. Courtesy of the USC Hapa Japan Database Project.
Explore More Videos
His views on nuclear weapons
(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
Loss When Leaving for Manzanar
Japanese American animator for Walt Disney and Hanna Barbera (1925-2007)
Forcibly deported to the U.S. from Peru
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
Stories of Grandfather at a concentration camp in Fusagasuga
(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States
Her grandfather in a concentration camp in Fusagasuga (Spanish)
(b.1974) Japanese Colombian who currently resides in the United States
Family welcomed at Crystal City
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
First meal at Crystal City
(b. 1936) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City
His sister Kiyo was like a second mother to him
(b. 1942) Japanese Peruvian incarcerated in Crystal City