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Jimmie Kanaya is one of the subjects of a new History Channel special, which will feature digitally retouched footage from the frontlines.
By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Published November 6, 2009
Jimmie Kanaya, 89, said he dreamed of being a soldier in elementary school in the 1930s when he watched the Oregon National Guard in his hometown. They were called to active duty after a strike.
Every night he would observe the guardsmen march in an orderly formation for their retreat parade. Their discipline impressed young Kanaya.
“I was destined to be a professional soldier,” Kanaya said over the phone from his home in Washington state. “When I first joined, I would have been happy just to have a couple of stripes on my sleeve when I retired.”
Kanaya retired as a colonel after 30 years and five months in the military. He served in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The Nisei soldier amassed a lifetime of accolades for his service: a Silver Star, Legion of Merit and Purple Heart, among other awards.
At 20, Kanaya volunteered for the U.S. Army prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In combat during WWII, he was captured by the Germans and held as a prisoner of war for six months. After the war he was sometimes reluctant to share his experiences with others.
“As a medic we didn’t talk too much about the friends that were killed or who got killed,” he said. “To me it just doesn’t make sense because I really can’t express the real feelings that came with experiencing a combat situation: the fear, the anxiety the emotions.”
These were some the experiences that Kanaya retold for the History Channel’s 10-hour WWII special that will being airing Nov. 15.
His stories along with those of 11 other WWII veterans are coupled with historic combat footage in this five-day series. Kanaya’s story is also partly narrated by actor James Kyson Lee. The intended effect is to make viewers feel like they are alongside decorated veterans like Kanaya on the battlefield, viewing firsthand the carnage, courage and patriotism.
Experiencing the War in HD
He was a “loner” as a medic with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during WWII. That was necessary to perform effectively, said Kanaya.
“I couldn’t really get too close to anybody. I felt that if I did and he gets killed then I’m going to be lamenting about it, and I wouldn’t be able to do my job,” Kanaya explained.
More than 30,000 Japanese Americans served in WWII, which broke out in 1939. Nearly every nation joined the war that initially started as a European conflict. It was known as the deadliest war in history.
Kanaya was there. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to Camp Crowder in Missouri. The Nisei was part of what became known as the most highly decorated unit in American history. Kanaya recalled that his 442nd RCT was comprised of JAs from Hawaii and mainlanders, who were teased as “Katonks.”
“Then I had some boys from Hawaii. They were pretty brash and forward and outspoken and they would cause problems when we were not in combat,” Kanaya explained. “But in combat they were just all out, and you could depend on them to do their job.”
Despite some skirmishes, the Nisei soldiers fought as cohesive unit as many of their relatives were interned behind barbed wire in the U.S. Kanaya’s parents, brother and sister were interned in a “friendly country” while he was a POW.
Kanaya’s training prepared him for what was to come when he went overseas in 1944 with about 3,000 others, he said. A month later his battalion landed in Naples and headed north.
“So when I went overseas I had everything under control,” Kanaya recalled. “It was something that kind of surprised me, too because I had never seen any deceased bodies in my life — never saw a dead body. Except I went to a funeral once and saw one of my cousins, but no real gory scenes.”
Kanaya and his battalion were reassigned to the Vosges Mountains where the 100th Battalion was cut off, located on the other side of the mountain. Then the order came for the Kanaya’s battalion to help evacuate the wounded from the 100th Battalion.
“So, I said, ‘OK I’ll help them,’” Kanaya explained. “We followed this patrol and they were dodging German patrols in the mountains.” They eventually made it to the other battalion in Biffontaine, but they could not carry the wounded over the jagged mountains alone, so German prisoners were used.
“Wooo,” Kanaya said. “I couldn’t do anything with it. They already made up their minds to the way it was going to go.” He told the other three medics to hang back.
“If we ever get stopped there’s going to be a fire fight,” He told them. “I said ‘Boy, something is going to happen here.’” Halfway back over the mountains they were stopped by German soldiers.
Kanaya and others were taken back to Poland and held prisoner. He considered escaping at first, but decided against it.
“I looked down into this wood cellar in the first house we came to. There were steps going down to it. I looked down there and I could’ve went down there and hid out,” He explained. “I didn’t know what would happened to them if I abandoned them. So, I decided to stay with them.”
When the Germans relocated to Hammelburg, Germany because of pressure from the Russian Army, Kanaya marched 380 miles in the winter to the other camp.
“Fourteen hundred of us left camp. And only 400 of us made it to the destination in Hammelburg, which was almost two months later,” Kanaya explained.
Kanaya barely ate enough to survive while held prisoner. One day towards the end of April his frustration mounted. The weather was warming up and Kanaya took off his clothes to find lice crawling all over his body.
“They were full of blood,” he explained. “I just kind of shivered and thought, ‘How can these lice be taking this blood from me when I need it.’ I just kind of stomped on them and killed them.”
A Soldier’s Return
Kanaya was liberated and returned to Chicago, Ill. where his parents had purchased a modest hotel in a “rundown” part of Clark Street. His recovery from combat was peaceful, he said. Although it took time to shake some memories of the war.
Kanaya went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in education from the University of Alaska.
These days Kanaya said he enjoys spending time on his computer, among other leisure activities. The self-proclaimed loner now enjoys playing solitaire on his computer. He lives with his wife, Lynn. Kanaya inherited a daughter and three grandchildren. Far from the battlegrounds of WWII, he now looks forward to the simple things in life. On Oct. 3 he celebrated his 89th birthday.
“I just look forward to the next day. I look forward to the mail every day for example. I get a lot of junk mail,” he said. “I’m kind of taking it easy. Not too much activity. Trying to stay healthy, that’s the main thing. Trying to get my creaky bones unhinged and back in shape.”
On the Web
www.history.com
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