Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Audio Recording Jimmie Kanaya Collection
Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 3rd Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT)
- Location of Service: Pacific; European Theater; United States; Korea; Vietnam
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/21666
As a youth, Jimmie Kanaya became fascinated with the military, and at 20 he jumped at the chance to enlist in 1941-months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. After helping his parents relocate from their Oregon home to an Idaho internment camp, Kanaya took his skills as a medic to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He aggressively looked out for his men, even negotiating a halt to fighting to bring in casualties from the battlefield. Captured by German troops, he escaped three times and at war's end was the only non-Caucasian in his POW camp. Kanaya continued to serve his country during the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Interview / Recording
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PlayFirst awareness of his difference from other kids in his multi-ethnic community 00:01:09.9 - 00:03:17.7
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PlayHis first attraction to the military, through the National Guard; trying to enlist in the Marines and Navy; Army took him, with his parents signing for him. 00:07:01.0 - 00:11:03.6
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PlayHoping to be an airplane mechanic; assigned medic duties after failing his audition as a fire truck driver; learning to be a medic on the job; his Pearl Harbor Day experience; how life changed for Nisei in the Army. 00:12:32.6 - 00:18:09.1
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PlayGoing back to Oregon to help his family move out of their house on their way to a relocation camp; visiting them in Camp Minidoka, Idaho; getting a chilly reception from his friends who were interned there. 00:21:44.4 - 00:26:54.6
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PlayConflict among the Nisei recruits-mainland vs. Hawaiians--to the 442nd while training at Camp Shelby, Alabama. 00:27:00.0 - 00:29:09.7
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PlayHis parents' reactions to the internment experience; dispersal of many families throughout the country; allocation of resources to setting up and running the camps. 00:29:46.7 - 00:35:29.1
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PlayPOW experiences; Jews concealing their identities; Patton sending a company to rescue his son-in-law from Kanaya's camp; his three escapes; on the loose and being strafed by his own planes. 00:40:05.3 - 00:53:59.7
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PlayEisenhower's offer to soldiers returning to the States; shipboard warning about carrying contraband ashore turning out to be wrong. 00:56:44.2 - 00:58:41.5
More Resources
Interview / Recording
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PlayAdapting to the battlefield in Italy; his capture after three weeks in France; embarrassing moment while trapped overnight in a trench; wandering through France lost with his captors. 00:00:45.3 - 00:13:56.4
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PlayDealing with Caucasian officers; Army eventually promoting from within the ranks of the 442nd; Kanaya given a free hand to run his unit; stopping a battle to get casualties off the field and getting infantry soldiers to help him. 00:19:38.1 - 00:26:05.3
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PlayThe 442nd proving their loyalty to the U.S. in battle; encountering no instances of cowardice among his own team. 00:26:47.5 - 00:29:17.9
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PlayHis actions that merited a Silver Star; telling off a captain for not helping to recover casualties. 00:34:34.0 - 00:37:54.5
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PlayHis duties as an interrogator during the Korean War. 00:39:21.0 - 00:44:47.6
Jimmie Kanaya Collection
Interview / Recording
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Jimmie Kanaya Collection
Interview / Recording
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About this Item
Title
- Jimmie Kanaya Collection
Names
- Kanaya, Jimmie
- Collins, Denver
- Rhay, Gary D.
- Timeless Media Group
Home State
- Washington (State)
Headings
- - Kanaya, Jimmie
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Prisoner of War -- United States
- - Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
- - Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Race
- Asian
Status
- veteran
Service History
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World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 3rd Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT)
- Location of Service: Pacific; European Theater; United States
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Dates of Service: 1941-1974
- Prisoner of War: Yes
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran was a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II in Germany.
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Korean War, 1950-1953
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Korea
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran served as an interrogator.
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Branch of Service: Army
- Location of Service: Vietnam
- Military Status: veteran
- Service History Note: The veteran served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Government.
Materials
- Video: Digital Betacam [1 item] -- Digitized Copy (collected 2004-06-30)
- Audio: MiniDisc [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-06-30)
- Audio: DAT [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-06-30)
- Audio: DAT [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-06-30)
- Audio: CD [2 items] -- Reference copy (collected 2004-06-30; 2004)
- Video: VHS [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2004-06-30)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/21666
Cite as
- Jimmie Kanaya Collection (AFC/2001/001/21666), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- audio
- image
- video