Bill Thompson Segment 11
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Densho
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SEGMENT ID
ddr-densho-1000-90-11 (Legacy UID: denshovh-tbill-01-0011)
SEGMENT DESCRIPTION
Family background, growing up in Hilo, Hawaii: "Heaven on earth"
This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given the full conference schedule, interviews conducted at the reunion were shorter in length than typical Densho interviews and concentrated on a single topic, namely, the individual's military service during World War II.
00:02:31 — Segment 11 of 17
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Densho Visual History Collection
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Densho
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Courtesy of Densho
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
PARTNER
Densho
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INTERVIEW ID
ddr-densho-1000-90
NARRATOR
INTERVIEW TITLE
Bill Thompson Interview
01:01:59 — 17 segments
DATE
June 30, 1998
LOCATION
Honolulu, Hawaii
DESCRIPTION
Nisei male of Japanese and Scottish descent. Born in Hilo, Hawaii, 1924. Volunteered and served in the all Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Headquarter's Company, Second Battalion's Anti-tank Platoon. Returned to Hawaii following the war where he attended the University of Hawaii, and later worked for the municipal government. Active in the 442nd Veterans Club in Hawaii.
This interview provides an account of the narrator's role in the effort to overturn the WWII military court-martial of Shiro Kashino, a serviceman falsely charged with the assault of an MP officer. Despite the fact that he had never met Mr. Kashino, Bill Thompson joined in the effort to reverse Mr. Kashino's court-martial, performing valuable research in the military archives. Later, Thompson was instrumental in the construction of a memorial to the Varsity Victory Volunteers -- Japanese American ROTC students who were among the first to volunteer for the draft during WWII -- on the campus of the University of Hawaii. Also of note in this interview is Mr. Thompson's unique experience as a biracial soldier serving in the 442nd.
(This interview was conducted at the 1998 Americans of Japanese Ancestry Veterans National Convention, held in Honolulu, Hawaii. Given the full conference schedule, interviews conducted at the reunion were shorter in length than typical Densho interviews and concentrated on a single topic, namely, the individual's military service during World War II.)
PRODUCTION
Tom Ikeda, interviewer; Matt Emery, videographer
TOPICS
FACILITY
PERSONS/ORGANIZATIONS
CONTRIBUTOR
Densho
PREFERRED CITATION
Courtesy of Densho
RIGHTS
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.