Rudy Tokiwa
Rudy Tokiwa, a Nisei man, grew up in Salinas, California. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the FBI arrested his father and imprisoned him in Texas. Tokiwa and the rest of his family were evicted and incarcerated at Poston WRA Concentration Camp in Arizona. At the age of 16, Tokiwa volunteered for the U.S. Army. His reason for volunteering was to prove that he was “just as much American as anybody else”. He was a battalion runner for K Company and passed messages to the front lines. Tokiwa was in the Battle of Bruyères and the breaking of the Gothic Line. Following the war, Tokiwa returned to Salinas and recalls prejudice despite his service in the U.S. Army. Tokiwa took trips to Europe after the war and describes the appreciation that the French have for the 442nd. He hopes future generations of Japanese Americans will continue to tell the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to preserve their legacy.
