Base de Datos de Experiencias Militares de Japoneses Americanos
Isami (Mike) Tsuji
Purple Heart Medal for combat wound (France)
Combat Infantryman's Badge (front-line duty)
Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Pine board & 'tar-paper' barracks (similar to U.S. Internment Camps).
Slept on 'Army bunks.
Cold showers - always (water heaters were miniscule models (coal-fired).
Food? G.I. fare w/ some rice added later.
Movies, PX beer for entertainment.
Overseas:
Slept in tents or 'under the stars' (& rain).
Meals were mostly 'C' & 'K' rations. Hot prepared meals in rest areas.
Showers in Army 'shower unit' or in pastures, etc.
In Italy, after a few days 'on the line', ran across watering trough in pasture w/ fresh cold water pouring out of a large spout at one end. Together w/ others in squad, promptly stripped to birthday suits to 'refresh' ourselves from heat and sweat of June Day. While 'scrubbing up', noticed someone very close to me - l looked around and found myself staring straight into an Italian lady looking very seriously into my eyes and asking nonchalantly, 'Hey Joe, (universal name given us by natives) wanna buy Vino?'
Most frightening time:
The Vosges Mountains in Eastern France in the fall (Oct) of 1944 was heavily wooded and the inclement weather (cold, raining - light but constant drizzle) shielded the sun all day. Each day at about 5PM, the entire area was in total darkness - not even twilight - and it made our movement, even to walk one step ahead a surprise, like a mud-hole, or a large tree. There was no way of knowing what lay ahead. My constant fear as squad leader was enemy action that could disable any of us, but the darkness, etc. would make my attempt to locate anyone, impossible. Keeping in mind that any voice could be heard by the enemy, who himself, we heard, was moving about, stumbling, etc. just as we were! We could hear them. Luckily we made it through the night - only to be attacked in the morning hours. At least, then, we could evacuate the wounded, including myself, in the faint daylight from very dark skies.
Another unforgettable scary time:
On the first campaign in Italy, after about the ninth day on the line, ran into the notorious Hill 140, which proved to be a very tough fight for the very new fighters (us). This battle must have covered a very wide area; almost everyone in the regiment seems to have a story about it. That was the first time we ran into the dreaded German 88, an anti-aircraft weapon that the enemy had adapted for anti-personnel use, mounted on tanks and self-propelled platforms, and firing from just about anywhere. On the July morning (about the 4th) they decided to use them against us. We of course, did not know anything about this type of weapon but we quickly learned. Just the noise that its shells generated was scary enough. Unlike the artillery shells that were lobbed to us during the past few days, which took a few seconds to land after hearing its blast in the distance, the rounds from the 88's hit the ground around us almost immediately after hearing it go off in the distance. Its shell arrived with an earth-shaking scream, then explode with a deadening crunch. We were shelled quite regularly that day, shells landing everywhere, all close-by.
Two bodies lying in the sun, killed the night before were cut-up mercilessly. Tried desperately to climb-up into my helmet for protection! As though its thin metal would be tough enough to ward off the shrapnel going every which way. Miraculously no one was hit, except of course, Smoky Nakamura, who somehow managed to get his little toe grazed. Right through shoe leather.
