Letters from the 442nd
Subtitle: The World War II Correspondence of a Japanese American Medic (The Scott and Laurie Oki Series in Asian American Studies)
Contributors: Daniel K. Inouye (Foreword); Dianne Bridgman (Editor); Hana Masuda (Editor)
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: January 30, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9780295987453
Subjects: American studies; World history: Second World War; Social Science; Biography / Autobiography; Sociology; ASIA; General; Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies; Military; Military - World War II; Correspondence; Japanese Americans; Participation, Japanese American; Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945
Description: "This is the first collection of letters by a member of the legendary 442nd Combat Team, which served in Italy and France during World War II. Written to his wife by a medic serving with the segregated Japanese American unit, the letters describe a soldier's daily life." "Minoru Masuda's vivid and lively letters portray his surroundings, his daily activities, and the people he encountered. He describes Italian farmhouses, olive groves, and avenues of cypress trees; he writes of learning to play the ukulele with his "big, clumsy" fingers, and the nightly singing and bull sessions which continued throughout the war; he relates the plight of the Italians who scavenged the 442nd's garbage for food, and the mischief of French children who pelted the medics with snowballs." "Excerpts from the 442nd daily medical log provide context for the letters, and Hana Masuda interposes brief recollections of her experiences. The letters are accompanied by snapshots, a drawing made in the field, and three maps drawn by Masuda."--Jacket.