Tokunaga Toshio - WWII Veteran Interview

WWII Veteran, Toshio Tokunaga, was interviewed on October 16, 2014, in Dallas, Texas. CPL Tokunaga is a Japanese-American who served as a paratrooper with the 507 and 508 P.I.R. of the 82nd Airborne during World War II. CPL Tokunaga volunteered for the Army while he and his family were in an internment camp (Camp Harmony and Camp Minidoka) for Japanese Americans during the war. CPL Tokunaga discusses the move to an internment camp, Operation Varsity, and his return home to find his family after the war. Be a supporter and subscribe to the Making History Project channel. @MakingHistoryProject

Summary:

Toshio Tokunaga, a Japanese-American WWII veteran, was born in Celilo, Washington, in 1925, to parents who immigrated from Japan. Before the war, he was a high school student but didn't finish due to being evacuated and interned following the Pearl Harbor attack.

During WWII, Tokunaga and his family were forced into internment camps as part of the U.S. government's evacuation order for Japanese Americans. They first stayed in temporary facilities at the Puyallup Fairgrounds before being moved to a more permanent camp in Idaho.

Despite the internment, Tokunaga was drafted into the U.S. Army from the camp, serving in a segregated unit of Japanese American soldiers. He underwent basic training in Mississippi before joining the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit composed mainly of Japanese Americans, which became one of the most decorated units for its size and length of service in the history of American warfare.

Tokunaga volunteered for paratrooper training and was assigned to the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, participating in Operation Varsity, the airborne crossing of the Rhine River into Germany, marking his first combat jump.

After the war, Tokunaga faced challenges returning to civilian life, including discrimination. He eventually started his own landscaping business. Reflecting on his experiences, he hopes future generations will not endure similar treatment based on race or ethnicity, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and respecting the contributions and sacrifices of all Americans, regardless of background.

Видео Tokunaga Toshio - WWII Veteran Interview канала Making History Project