Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part I: Interview with Edwin Nakasone

Titles: Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part I: Interview with Edwin Nakasone (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Edwin Nakasone was born in 1927 on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He was one of ten children of immigrant Japanese parents. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1945, several weeks before the Japanese surrender. He was trained as a Japanese linguist at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. He was sent to Japan, where he spent fifteen months with one of the Army's language detachments. His duties included translating and interpreting and he frequently interacted with local civilian authorities. At the conclusion of this duty he was rotated back to the United States and, several months later, separated from active duty with the rank of Tech Sergeant. He used his GI Bill benefits to complete a bachelor's degree; he later completed his master's degree at a Minnesota university. He was married in 1954 and raised two children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Witnessing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu; emotions of the Japanese community in Oahu after the attack; change in status of draft cards for Japanese immigrant sons and martial law; working while in high school during war time; being drafted after high school; experience serving as a translator and interpreter; difference in people's reaction to Japanese Americans on the mainland and Hawaii; witnessing conditions in Japan in 1945; getting college education after separation from active duty.

Dates

• 05/01/2003 (Creation)

Creation

• interviewee: Nakasone, Edwin M.
• interviewer: Saylor, Thomas

Identifiers

• Library Call Number: OH 112
• Accession Number: AV2006.1.22

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

• Oral History - Project, MHS Collection, project: 'Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Part I' <OH 112>

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 41 pages transcript

Format

• Content Category: sound recordings
• Content Category: text

Measurements

• 102 minutes length

Subjects

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