When Harry Akune was 13, he lost his mother to an illness. Akune's father decided then it would be best to move the family of nine children to Kagoshima, Japan, to live with his in-laws. After a few years, Akune and his younger brother Ken returned to the United States to find work and send money back to the rest of the family in Japan.
<br><br>When Executive Order 9066 came about, Akune felt divided between his patriotism for his country and frustration toward the forced evacuation of Japanese Americans. Still, his strong urge to show his loyalty as an American led to his volunteering for the military:
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For the moment I felt action by me was more important than words....If we just sit back, let the war go by without us doing anything, we're going to come out and be a second or third-class citizen. Just the fact that we didn't do anything is a sign that we didn't care.
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<br><br>Before leaving Amache Detention Camp for military service, the Akune brothers visited their well-respected Japanese school teacher to bid farewell. The older gentleman, who was also in the same camp, offered these words to them:
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He said, "You are like the cherry blossoms that bloom in Washington, D.C. The cherry tree origin is Japan and was brought to America, nurtured and lovingly cared for, and the duty of that cherry tree is to beautify Washington, D.C." He said that we were like the cherry blossom and we should do the same for America.
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<br><br>Akune went overseas at the end of 1943. From then on, he served with various units as a translator and interpreter, including the 33rd Infantry Division in British New Guinea and the 6th Army in Hollandia, British New Guinea.
<br><br>In November 1944 Akune was assigned to the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team. Not only was he the sole Nisei in the group, he would also be the only Japanese linguist to parachute in for the later assault on Corregidor, Philippines--without any formal parachutist training or the proper equipment. Reflecting back, Akune attributes his safe landing to pure luck and to the fact that minutes before he jumped, another paratrooper found a carbine for him to carry.
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They [his paratrooper friends] really appreciate the fact that we were there and we were very instrumental in helping them get through the war because of information...The trust and acceptance of the Nisei by American officers was probably the most one important thing in their service. Without it, their translation and interrogation would have meant nothing.
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<br><br>Later, he participated as an infantryman in a number of combat patrols. In one instance, his translation of a note found on a dead soldier led to valuable intelligence about the number of Japanese soldiers occupying the island and the unexpected death of their commander. As a result of this discovery, the U.S. forces changed their offensive strategy and saved many American lives.
<br><br>After Japan's surrender, Akune found himself in Japan as part of the Allied POW Recovery Team, in charge of helping American prisoners of war. In September of 1945, he received commission as a Second Lieutenant.
<br><br>At war's end, he did interpretation and translation work in the Military Government's Price and Ration Controls Division. The division was in charge of assessing and providing resource needs for Japan. Being in Japan, the Akune brothers sought out their father but felt reluctant to have their father see them in "enemy" uniforms. Knowing that their father and brothers had served in the Japanese military, they felt that their meeting would bring shame to the family. In the end, the Akune brothers were able to see him and some of their siblings who had stayed in Japan during the war.
<br><br>Akune also had an opportunity to visit his childhood home in Kyushu, southern Japan. Because the Occupation forces had not been in that region, the brothers received quizzical looks from the local Japanese--the residents had heard that some American soldiers were to arrive, but they had no idea that the men would be of Japanese ancestry.
<br><br>Akune was formally discharged in January of 1946. After returning to the United States, he concentrated on continuing his formal education. Having had his schooling disrupted numerous times, he had no official school record or a high school diploma. He finally obtained a diploma, however, and with his brother Ken's help he was able to attend college.
<br><br>Akune was inducted into the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame in 1996, as General George M. Jones wrote, "for having greatly assisted our forces in shortening the Corregidor campaign and reducing American casualties."
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In my mind, I just feel that I was in the business of saving lives.
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