P15PS00427_abstract_sample_NPS_JapaneseAmOH_Kuwayama.pdf

Kuwayama 1

Japanese American Veterans Association Oral History Project

Interview of Kelly Kuwayama by Sarah Eddy, NPS

Interview Location: Home of Interviewee

Interview Date: September 11, 2012

Abstract and Index by Amber Cohen, NPS: February 12, 2015

Yeiichi “Kelly” Kuwayama, born on June 1 st , 1918 and 94 years old at the time of the interview, goes by

“Kelly” since his first sergeant did not want to say “Kuwayama”, picking a “simple” name instead [0:15-1:19].

At the outbreak of World War II, Kuwayama had graduated college and was working in the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in New York City. Pearl Harbor had not yet occurred, but Kuwayama found himself drafted into the army and was in training when Pearl Harbor was attacked [1:50-4:00]. He faced discrimination from the paranoia the attack spurred, remembering that “They said, ‘Japanese Americans are the enemy!’” [6:51-7:53], although he was already in the military. He volunteered to join the 442 nd

Regimental Combat Team as a medic and went to training before being sent overseas [5:15-6:34]. The discrimination seeped into the military, where

Kuwayama was prohibited from Camp Shelby and learned most of his knowledge through surgical tech manuals. Even with his little training, he was asked to teach other Americans [8:44-9:44]. Finally, Kuwayama was sent overseas to join the 442 nd

, attached to a rifle team to treat wounds [10:00-10:57; 14:30-15:00].

The casualties of the 100 th

Battalion were extensive, causing First Battalion men to be incorporated into the th

[11:10-12:02]. Kuwayama witnessed numerous battles; from chasing the Germans up the Italian coast

[12:19-14:21], liberating Biffontaine in the Vosges Mountains [15:15-16:13], rescuing the 36 th

Division, also known as the “Lost Battalion” [16:15-16:39], fighting the Champagne Campaign [0:18-1:32; 1:45-2:10], and ending the war on the Italian front through the Gothic Line [2:27-4:39; 4:56-5:47]. Because of his high points from long service and decorations, he was discharged before the war officially ended, at around 25 to 26 years old. But, he returned to a country that was still hostile and paranoid about Japanese-Americans.

He remembered riding the subway in New York City, seeing the sign ‘Japan surrenders!’ and felt ignored. “I was not recognized,” he recalled, “No one knew me from anywhere else. But I was a Japanese American. I looked Japanese. …They ignored me as Japanese... So it was complete ignorance.” [7:10-8:23]. Even his neighbors, Czech, Italian, German, were not acknowledged as Americans. He was injured while trying to save fellow wounded soldiers, earning the Purple Heart recognition. With other members of the 442 nd

Regimental

Combat Team, he accepted the Congressional Gold Medal [8:51-9:18]. After the war, he found he could not find a job, despite sending out thousands of resumes [9:22-10:03]. Although the battle was finished overseas, the fight against discrimination continued at the home-front.

“Now that was discrimination on a large scale because they said they weren’t—we weren’t Americans anymore.

We’re the enemy! Aliens. Can you imagine that? I’m being called ‘Enemy’.” [7:40-7:53].

Kuwayama 2

KEY THEMES

First-person accounts of “Lost Battalion” and Italian front

“The Enemy”: Race tensions caused by war

Citizenship

Returning to a hostile home-front

Military training and duty

KEY TERMS

Draft [2:09]

Isolationism [2:14]

Franklin D. Roosevelt [2:32]

Coast Artillery [4:06]

Fort Ethan Allen [4:54] [9:00]

Chaplain Yamada [5:12] nd

Regimental Combat Team [5:20]

Alien [6:51]

Camp Shelby [5:40] th

Battalion [7:14] [11:09]

Monte Cassino and Anzio [7:20]

Medic: [8:44] [10:15]

Easy Company: [10:29]

First Battalion: [10:26]

Italian Front: [12:08] [15:10] [FILE 2-2:20]

Vosges Mountains: [15:15]

Biffontaine: [16:00] th

Division/ “Lost Battalion”: [16:15]

Maritime Alps/Champagne Campaign: [17:15] [FILE 2- 0:18] [FILE 2- 1:45]

Immigrants: [FILE 2- 0:47]

Gothic Line: [FILE 2- 2:41] [FILE 2- 4:56]

Bologna: [FILE 2- 2:26]

British Army: [FILE 2- 4:35]

Discharge [FILE 2- 5:56]

Discrimination: [7:00] [FILE 2- 7:10]

Purple Heart: [FILE 2- 8:51]

Congressional Gold Medal: [FILE 2-8:37]