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MIS NorCal Videos

"Prejudice and Patriotism: The Story of Japanese American Military Intelligence Service"
 More info.



"Uncommon
Courage:
Patriotism
and
Civil
Liberties"
 More info.


"Fifty Years of Silence: The Untold Story of Japanese American Soldiers in the Pacific Theater, 1941-52" produced by Sheryl Narahara
 More info.


“The most memorable thing, I think was the fact that here we were in camp, accused of being loyal to Japan, accused of probably being disloyal to the U.S., a spy for Japan and could not be trusted and then, here we are…volunteering for the MIS to fight Japan, the very country we were accused of being sympathetic to. And to me, I think it took a lot of courage for us Niseis who volunteered for MIS from the camp for that very reason."

- Grant Ichikawa, Uncommon Courage



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The clips in this gallery are excerpts from "Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties", written, produced and directed by gayle yamada of Bridgemedia, Inc. and "Prejudice and Patriotism: The Story of Japanese American Military Intelligence Service”. To order these videos, visit the NJAHS web site.

Get Quicktime Viewing the video clips requires Quicktime Player 5 or later versions. Help is available on the Quicktime Support page.

From "Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

MIS Linguists and Japanese Culture

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Army historian James McNaughton explains the unique connection between the Japanese enemy and the Nisei soldiers.

 Play Clip       (Running time: 53 sec.)


MIS Language School Training

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Ted Tsukiyama and Walter Tanaka describe the intensity of training at the MIS Language School.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 43 sec.)

 

MIS Linguists in Action

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

MIS linguists faced danger side by side with the combat soldiers and were willing to risk their lives to do their job.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 26 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Cave-flushing was one of the most dangerous tasks taken on by MIS linguists.


 Play Clip        (Running time: 83 sec.)


Prisoner Interrogations

As one of their main responsibilities, MIS linguists interrogated captured Japanese soldiers. Harry Fukuhara comments on how knowledge of Japanese culture and way of thinking facilitated the questioning.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 78 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Several MIS men discuss their experiences during interrogation of POWs.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 87 sec.)

 

Occupation of Japan

After war ended, MIS linguists became involved in Occupation-related functions. Peter Okada and Barry Saiki recall the devastation of war in Japan.

 Play Clip       (Running time: 84 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Tom Sakamoto remembers the scene in Hiroshima shortly after the atomic bombing.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 89 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

MIS linguists were invaluable during the war crimes trials not only for their language skills but also for their ability to bridge cultural gaps.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 83 sec.)

 

 

Reconstruction of the Japanese Government

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

One of the most important contributions from MIS occurred during the Occupation of Japan when hundreds of linguists worked as liaisons and interpreters for the U.S. Occupational forces and the Japanese government.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 60 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

MIS members recall their experiences during the Occupation. Together, they rebuilt Japan into a democratic society.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 57 sec.)

 

Internment of Japanese-Americans

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

MIS members grappled with having to serve in the U.S. military while watching their families being incarcerated in detention camps.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 40 sec.)

 

Loyalty and Being American

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service faced wars both in the battlefield and at home to prove their unwavering loyalty toward the United States.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 55 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Army historian James McNaughton and Senator Inouye discuss loyalty and patriotism.


 Play Clip        (Running time: 41 sec.)

 

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

In spite of the adversities they faced, soldiers of the Military Intelligence Service served honorably—at times going beyond the call of duty—for the love of their country and for the sake of generations to come.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 74 sec.)

 

Presidential Unit Citation

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

More than 50 years after World War II, the Military Intelligence Service received the Presidential Unit Citation for their contributions during the war.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 78 sec.)

 

From "Prejudice and Patriotism: The Story of Japanese American Military Intelligence Service”

Introduction

"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Secretary of State Colin Powell discusses the role of MIS linguists in World War II.

Play Clip        (Running time: 74 sec.)

 

The Injustice of Internment
"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Senator Daniel Akaka comments on the injustice of the internment of Japanese-Americans.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 36 sec.)

 

4-C Status
"Uncommon Courage: Patriotism and Civil Liberties"

Gene Uratsu recalls fellow Nisei in the U.S. Army being classified as “enemy aliens” and given low-level work.

 Play Clip        (Running time: 60 sec.)

 

Being American
"Prejudice and Patriotism"

As an MIS member who volunteered out of detention camps, Harry Fukuhara explains his patriotism despite unpleasant experiences they encountered as Japanese-Americans.

 Play Clip        (Running time:74 sec.)

 

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