PARTNER

INTERVIEW ID

ddr-densho-1000-91

NARRATOR

Rudy Tokiwa

INTERVIEW TITLE

Rudy Tokiwa Interview I

00:42:36 — 10 segments

DESCRIPTION

Nisei male. Born July 7, 1925, near San Jose. Grew up in Salinas, California, until he went to Japan at the age of thirteen. Studied in Japan until about 1939. Incarcerated at the Salinas Assembly Center, California, and Poston concentration camp, Arizona. Volunteered out of camp to serve in the U.S. military. Fought in Europe as a battalion runner for the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Single-handedly captured a group of German officers, fought in the famous "Battle of the Lost Battalion," and was present at the liberation of Bruyeres. Was recruited to lobby Congress for passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act as a representative for Nikkei veterans, and proved invaluable in garnering support among particularly resistant members of Congress.

(This interview was conducted at the Voices of Japanese American Redress Conference, held on the UCLA campus and sponsored by the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research. Because of the full conference schedule, the interview was limited to one hour. The first interview therefore focused primarily on a single topic, namely, the narrator's role in the redress movement.)

PRODUCTION

Tom Ikeda, interviewer; Judy Niizawa, interviewer; Matt Emery, videographer

PERSONS/ORGANIZATIONS

CONTRIBUTOR

Densho

PREFERRED CITATION

Courtesy of Densho

RIGHTS