Densho Digital Repository
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Hubert Yoshida Interview
Narrator: Hubert Yoshida
Interviewer: Tom Ikeda
Location: Emeryville, California
Date: April 7, 2022
Densho ID: ddr-densho-1000-506-29

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TI: Well, as you told the story, there were certain things that happened, like those North Vietnamese who jumped out of their foxholes or whatever. So after this, did you ever have a conversation with, I believe it was a lieutenant colonel who you had that conversation with, who ordered you to make this? Did you have a conversation with him about what happened?

HY: Yeah, and he was very appreciative of that. He put me up for a Silver Star. And I really, you know, if you heard what I said, I didn't do much, I just happened to be there. I didn't assault the enemy myself, it was just a serendipitous turn of events. But he put me up for a Silver Star and was endorsed by the regimental commander. And so after a while I started thinking, yeah, I'll get a Silver Star. But then that got denied by division and came back as a Bronze Star. And again, I thought, maybe this is discrimination. But when I was writing the book -- it was a good thing I wrote the book because as I wrote the book, and I saw what other people did to get a Silver Star, I knew I didn't deserve a Silver Star, I didn't even deserve a Bronze Star, I just happened to be the platoon commander when all these events happened. So I felt better about that.

TI: How do you feel about, in some ways, because of your experience and just how you think, you came back with a, essentially full unit, when everyone else suffered. I mean, it seems to me that that should be rewarded more than putting you in a very difficult situation, and you fight your way through and out with heroics, but you suffer all these casualties when you potentially could have avoided that. It seems that your actions, I think, deserve as much if not more merit than the other.

HY: Well, when Colonel Utter presented me with the Bronze Star, he was apologetic almost. He said, "You know, when I originally recommended you for," and he said I did a tremendous job, and he was almost embarrassed to award me a Bronze Star rather than a Silver Star. But, you know, that wasn't... I didn't deserve that because I didn't charge an enemy position, I didn't risk my life rescuing somebody in the field of fire.

TI: But you went in -- we kind of touched upon it -- he thought he was sending you, it was almost like a suicide mission. That you were, maybe not suicide in terms of the whole unit, but he was thinking you were going to get hammered.

HY: Yeah, because he didn't know what was out there. But you know, so that's why he felt that way, and he was so apologetic about that. But as I was writing my book about what other people were doing, it became very clear to me that I didn't deserve any medal at all compared to what other people had done during this. And in fact, I could have messed it up because if my team leader, fire team leader, had not initiated that I was ready to get my men on the line and do a frontal assault, and I could have gotten a lot of people killed. Luckily I didn't do that, it was only a split second and the grace of God that I did not do that. But that's what I was going to do, because that's what I was trained to do. So it was just the grace of God, it was just that God got... the gods of war or whoever, that the timing and everything, that I did not do that and have more men killed.

TI: Wow, that's an incredible story, Hu. Thank you.

HY: So, yeah, you know, I was kind of disappointed because I thought I was going to get a Silver Star, but I feel great about that. Because I didn't deserve it and the way things turned out, that was a blessing, that was the award.

TI: Yeah, to have brought so many of your men back was probably...

HY: And if anybody should have gotten an award, you know, and I did get an award for that fire team leader that got that grenade, and for my squad leaders, and I was able to get them awards. And that's who deserved it.

<End Segment 29> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.