Category: Uncategorized

  • Lina Ritchie

    B11P, Lina Ritchie ‘86, Father, 1932, Hyōgo On Wednesday, May 22, 1985, I interviewed my father at home after supper about his experiences in World War II. He was born in 1932 and is 53 years old now. Q: Where were you during World War II? A: I was in Kōbe when the war began.…

  • Yūko Yamada

    D07, Yūko Yamada ‘91, Yasuo Yamada, Father, 1929, Yokohama: Naka-ku In November 1989, I interviewed my father, Yasuo Yamada, who is 60 years old. We sat down together in the kitchen after dinner. Q: How old were you when World War II started? A: I was 12 years old. Q: What was the position of…

  • Aki Tamagawa

    E17, Aki Tamagawa ‘94, Yoshiko Tamagawa, Grandmother, 1919, Aichi, China, Hyōgo, Shizuoka I interviewed my paternal grandmother, Yoshiko Tamagawa, on December 1, 1992. She was born in 1919 and is now 73 years old. Q: How old were you when World War II began?A: I was exactly 20 years old, living in Nagoya. That was…

  • Poonum Sadhwani

    B12I, Poonum Sadhwani ‘86, B. C. Daswani, Uncle, 1927, Burma [Myanmar], India My uncle lived in Burma [Myanmar] and India during World War II, and he told me about his experiences when I interviewed him in May 1985. He was born in 1927 and is now 58 years old. Q: Where were you during the…

  • Yue Chien

    E01C, Yue Chien ‘94, “Kī-chan”, Grandmother, Yokohama: Kōhoku-ku, Aichi In November 1992, I asked my grandmother, whom I call “Kī-chan,” to tell me about World War II. Yue (Y): Where did you live during the war? Grandmother (G): I lived in Myōrenji [a residential area in Kōhoku-ku, northern Yokohama] with my husband and my daughter…

  • Emma Wilkinson

    E18B, Emma Wilkinson ‘94, Terue Umeyama, Grandmother, 1917, Tōkyō I interviewed Terue Umeyama, who is my maternal grandmother. She is 75 years old, and I spoke to her at her home in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture, on November 28, 1992. Q: What was your reaction to Japan entering World War II?A: I was frightened, because I…

  • Tomoko Wakabayashi

    B13, Tomoko Wakabayashi ‘86,  Michie Nishioka,  Grandmother, c 1927,  Kanagawa: Ōiso-machi, Shizuoka My grandmother lived through World War II, so I was curious about her experiences. I interviewed her in May 1985. Q: How were Japanese men drafted into the military? A: First they received a red, or rather pinkish, letter issued by the government…

  • Richard Davidson

    E02U, Richard Davidson ‘94, Hiroko Suzuki, Grandmother, 1926, Ibaraki I talked to my maternal grandmother in November 1992, to find out more about her experiences during World War II. Q: How old were you during the last year of World War II?A: I was just a little older than you—I was 19 years old. Q:…

  • Siew Peng Wong

    E19M, Siew Peng Wong ‘94, Wong Khye Khoon, Grandfather, 1940, Malaysia I interviewed my father, Wong Khye Khoon, about his experiences during World War II in Malaysia. He is now 52 years old. Q: What was it like after dark? A: Everything was dark in the kampung (village). We only had kerosene lamps. Everyone stayed…

  • Tomomi Yoshida

    B14, Tomomi Yoshida ‘86, Mr Ishikawa, Neighbor, 1929, Mie, Miyagi In May 1985, I interviewed Mr Ishikawa, who lives next door. He is now 56 years old, and he had experienced combat since he was 16 years old. During this interview, my mother interrupted and talked about herself and her father (that is, my grandfather).…