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Gene J. Takahashi upon completion of Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia [10/31/1946]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: 2nd Division, 4th Regiment; 63rd Regiment, Company D
  • Location of Service: Chonju, Pusan, Yalu River, Seoul, and Wonju, Korea
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/10309

View full service history

"He figured that my platoon was probably the closest to the Chinese entry into the war and was probably the first American unit hit." (Video Interview, 50:10)

Gene Takahashi's experiences in Korea began shortly after the end of the Second World War. He had enlisted in the Army late in that war, after spending most of it with his family in an Arizona internment camp for Japanese Americans. After the Japanese surrendered, Takahashi was sent to Korea for occupation duty for 18 months. Called up from the reserves to serve in Korea, Takahashi found that his language skills with both Japanese and Korean were highly prized. He was named platoon leader of an all-black unit, and he was captured by the Chinese in November 1950 when they entered the war. He escaped, made it back to Seoul, and rejoined the fighting. Wounded by enemy machine-gun fire in March 1951, Takahashi saw his wartime service come to an end while recuperating.

Interview / Recording

More Resources

[ Letter from Ruth S. Klingler [December 1, 1952] ]
[ Letter from Catp. W. J. Games [April 24, 1951] ]
[ Letter from Joseph R. Sahid to Richard M. Bennett [September 17, 1981] ]
[ Newsclipping: "Nisei back home with Korea scar" [June 11, 1951] ]
[ Java Oral History Interview Guide ]

About this Item

Title

  • Gene J. Takahashi Collection

Names

  • Japanese-American Veterans Association (JAVA)
  • Takahashi, Gene J.
  • Shima, Terry T.

Home State

  • Connecticut

Headings

  • -  Takahashi, Gene J.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Prisoner of War -- United States

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 63rd Regiment, Company D
    • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
    • Dates of Service: 1945-1948
    • Military Status: veteran
  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: 2nd Division, 4th Regiment
    • Location of Service: Chonju, Pusan, Yalu River, Seoul, and Wonju, Korea
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1952
    • Prisoner of War: Yes
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Printed matter [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Clippings [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Correspondence [3 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Photograph: Mixed (Multiple types of photographs) [4 items] -- (collected unknown)
  • Video: MiniDV [2 items] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-06-03)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/10309

Cite as

  • Gene J. Takahashi Collection (AFC/2001/001/10309), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Japanese-American Veterans Association, Gene J Takahashi, and Terry T Shima. Gene J. Takahashi Collection. 1945. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.10309/.

APA citation style:

Japanese-American Veterans Association, Takahashi, G. J. & Shima, T. T. (1945) Gene J. Takahashi Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.10309/.

MLA citation style:

Japanese-American Veterans Association, Gene J Takahashi, and Terry T Shima. Gene J. Takahashi Collection. 1945. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.10309/>.