Document 25–2: Grant Hirabayashi, Oral History, 1999

Reading the American Past: Printed Page 189

DOCUMENT 25–2

A Japanese American War Hero Recalls Pearl Harbor

Grant Hirabayashi was one of fourteen Japanese American soldiers who fought during World War II in an elite unit that drove Japanese occupiers out of Burma at a devastating cost: a casualty rate of more than 90 percent. Their efforts opened the way for supplies to flow to the Chinese nationalists, who were also battling Japanese invaders. In an oral history interview in 1999, Hirabayashi recalled his experiences in both the United States and Japan before the war and what happened to him and his parents after Pearl Harbor.

Grant Hirabayashi

Oral History, 1999

Hirabayashi: I was born in Kent, Washington. My birth date is 9 November, 1919. ... My parents are from ... northwest of Tokyo. ... My father came to this country in 1907, and my mother in 1915.

I: Do you know ... why they came over or how they came?

H: Well, in the case of my father, he went to ... a private institution where he studied, and the master of the school was ... a Christian, and he did convert many of his students including my father. So my father was a Christian before he came to this country. He also was brought up with two brothers who had participated in the Russo–Japanese war in 1904. And, he heard about the horrors of war, and, I believe he became a conscientious objector. Well there were from the United States, a matter of fact there were about seventy students who graduated this [school] who did come to the United States. And they were getting feedback, and some were very favorable. And my father was adventurous, and he liked the idea that he would be able to be in a country where he would have the freedom of religion. He was a very religious man. ...

[W]e were Methodist, and he was a very strict Methodist. So we were forbidden to do any of the things which our friends were privileged to do. But, it was a very close-knit family. We were very religious. We all went to church. ... [T]here's eight of us. Six boys. Two girls. ...

I was brought up on a farm — a truck farm. And the schooling, as I recall was 50-50 in these days. 50 percent Niseis and 50 percent Caucasian. And at school we got along very well, but in our social activities we were separated.

I: During school was it, uh, was it mostly ... did you guys intermingle a lot?

H: Yes, we did a lot at school but not after school. ... Well, I do know that the parents wanted us to be exposed to the Japanese language and culture. We did attend [Japanese language school], and, uh. ... Well, I enjoyed it because I was — I had an option to play baseball [laughs]. Perhaps I emphasized more on baseball than the language. ...

Well, hmm, at the age of twelve I went to Japan. ... So before the war, I did spend eight years schooling in Japan. And I came back in 1940, and fortunately the [Washington] school accepted all my credits which I took in Japan. So I was able to graduate in one year in Kent High School.

I: Did you go to Japan by yourself?

H: Yes.

I: Was that your choice?

H: Well, to make a long story short, there was three of us about the same height, same age, same class. And as a matter of fact, friends called us the three chipmunks, because we were small. But, we used to go fishing on weekends, and ... the fishing was very poor. And so we started talking. Two of my friends talked about their experience in Japan. And, uh, which left me out. And I felt like the outsider. When I went home, I did talk to my father and he said, you know, I would like to go to Japan during the summer vacation. Well my father looked at me and he says, son, there's eight of you. I can't afford to send you on a summer vacation to Japan. But, I was very persistent ... whenever I had a one-on-one situation with my father, I would bring up the question. And, one day, I think, at a haircut, I did say to my father: Father, if you're not going to send me, I'm going to swim across the Pacific Ocean. That impressed him very much, and he said if you're that determined ... I'll have to come up with a deal. And he said the deal is this: I can't afford to send you for the summer vacation, but if you'll study for two years, the Japanese language, he said, that's something there that would be acceptable to him, to which I agreed. And that is how I got to Japan. ...

I: Do you ever look back ... [and] reflect on what would have happened if you would have stayed there [Japan]?

H: Well, I was not a dual citizen. As a matter of fact, when I finished high school, I was offered what they call ... [an appointment as] a military cadet. And, I told the officer that thanks, but no thanks. I was an American citizen. So if I were to have stayed, I'm sure I would have been treated as a foreigner, like many of my friends were.

I: ... [C]ompare Washington growing up and Japan. What one did you think you fit in more?

H: Well, I think in Japan it was a little more full in that I was able to go to school together, also play after school together. The association was much closer. ...

I: Did you feel any discrimination or tension between you and [kids in Washington] ... ?

H: Well, I think, you know, when you're kids there's bound to be some, but I didn't take it seriously. ... I personally have not felt any discrimination as such.

I: How about when you went to Japan, did you feel any?

H: Well, when I first went there, because of my inability to communicate, I did confront some ... situations. I may have used some, um, my fist to get my point across, and, which was not [laughs] acceptable. But, when I first went there, the teachers gave me preferential treatment, in that they let me still wear my hair long and I also wore shoes as I entered the school, which was only for the teachers. So I did, for the first year, receive preferential treatment, and of course some of the students did object to that. But, during the second year, I was able to communicate, and I was ready to be one of them. So I had my hair cut as well as take my shoes off as I went to class. ...

I: Before you graduated and before your brother told you about the situation did you consider staying in Japan?

H: I had some mixed feelings because I knew I was an American citizen, and if something were to happen I would be in a very difficult situation. At the same time, I said, after eight years in Japan, I may have some difficulty adjusting myself [to the United States] — but, I did the right thing. ...

I: So you graduated from high school in '41? Ok, what happened then?

H: Well, I was ... debating what I should do. And it was about that time that I got my draft notice. So I did report for draft, which was four days before Pearl Harbor. But in those days, you're able to enlist, and by enlisting you're able to choose your field of service. And I said to myself, if I'm going to serve, I might as well pick up ... some work, a profession so to speak. So I decided to take, uh, so I decided to become an airplane mechanic. And I enlisted in the Army Air Corps.

I: What did your parents have to say about that?

H: Well before I left, my father took me aside. ... He said, “these are very difficult times, but I want you to take care and do your utmost.” ...

Well, of course the war broke out shortly thereafter. And before I left Kent, my parents said they would visit me the following Sunday. And, I was waiting, and as I was about to go to the gate, I heard that Pearl Harbor was struck. And, of course, I didn't know where Pearl Harbor was. So I immediately went to the pay phone to tell them that perhaps it would be advisable to not make the trip. But the phone was already disconnected. Then word came out that all leaves were cancelled — that no one [was] able to visit you. But I did go to the gate. And I waited, and there were many people. And I was very fortunate; we were able to identify each other. We waved, and we parted.

But, the following day, it was a very scary experience for me. The sergeant told us to fall out and assemble in front of the barrack, and he said, “Men, this is a rifle. It is a Springfield rifle. We have none to distribute. They all have been sent to the Philippines.” He said, “Men, this is a helmet.” He said, “It will be distributed as soon as we receive the supply.” ... he said, “Men, this is a gas mask.” He said, “We have none to issue. They were all sent to the Philippines.” So one GI spoke up and said, “Sarge, what would we do if there were a gas attack?” He said, “Men, you take your helmet. You dig a hole in the ground. Stick your nose in it.” And, of course, I was shaking in my boots [laughs], knowing what I had gone through training in Japan. ... Well, the men had wooden rifles, and doing bang, bang, bang. And I said, oh my gosh [laughs] what am I ... fighting a war with. ...

Well, in Japan, we were compelled — we had military service, or military training, for five years, and during the — uh, we had a gun ... , which was issued to ... fourth- and fifth-graders. So between the two, we had one gun. And, in my case, I even had a saber. We had actual military training. We went on maneuvers. We had gas mask training. And, if they had drafted me, perhaps I would have been good as a soldier. ...

I: ... [W]hen you heard about Pearl Harbor — what were your thoughts ... ?

H: That was also a very difficult moment. I said to myself, I had just taken [an] oath to serve my country. I'm in a war which I did not see and against an enemy which I did not choose. Now my parents were ... classified as undesirable foreign aliens. The enemy was my blood relatives, my friends, and my classmates. And you can just imagine what went through my mind. But, this was war and subsequently the people were evacuated, and I had a chance after I graduated from the military intelligence to visit the Toluca Lake [internment camp]; that was just prior to the transfer [of the people in the camp] to Wyoming. Heart Mountain, Wyoming. And as I approached the desert, I did see the barbed-wire fences. And as I looked up, I saw the sentry armed with a rifle, but he was facing inward. Well, you know how I felt then. As I entered, I was taken to the barracks where my parents were. And when I saw them, placed in a quarter which was [to] me unfit for humans, it was very devastating. ...

Well, I felt sorry for my parents. ... As you recall that after they settled and had a farm, the farm was confiscated under the Land Law. And here again, they were being deprived of their livelihood and being deprived of their rights. It was a shock. ...

Well, ... we awaited overseas assignment. ... But, one day, they asked for volunteers, and I responded. I understand there were about 200 who volunteered. And all I knew at the time was that they said it's a dangerous and a sacred, dangerous and hazardous mission. And out of approximately 200 volunteers they selected fourteen. And I happened to be one of them. The composition of the fourteen was seven from Hawaii and seven from the continental U.S. ... It was not until after I was selected that I heard that, according to the War Department's projection, they had estimated eighty-five percent casualties.

From Grant Hirabayashi, video interview, 1999. Transcribed by Claire Cage. Go For Broke National Education Center, http://www.goforbroke.org/default.asp.

Questions for Reading and Discussion

  1. According to Hirabayashi, why did he want to go to Japan to study? Why did he decide to return to the United States?
  2. What did it mean to Hirabayashi to be “treated as a foreigner” in Japan? How did that compare to his treatment in the United States?
  3. How did Pearl Harbor influence Hirabayashi and his family? What did Hirabayashi mean by saying, “The enemy was my blood relatives, my friends, and my classmates”?
  4. How did Hirabayashi's military training in Japan compare to the situation in the United States shortly after Pearl Harbor?
  5. What did Hirabayashi mean by the term “my country”? How did he determine what country was his? Why wasn't he taken to an internment camp like his parents?