Japanese American recalls interrogating his Japanese classmates after the Battle of Okinawa

[@Conn30Mtenor]

Imagine the shock of the two Okinawan POW's seeing their old classmate in an American uniform.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

Happened to Germans, too.

[@ryanoconnor5176]

And Italians

@@SonOfTheDawn515 and happened to the Americans too. Think that might be why they called it a world war.

[@SonOfTheDawn515]

More to do with how many belligerents there were and the amount of nations in which combat took place rather than the US being the most diverse country and having the most diverse armed forces at the time.

[@bombkita]

Nothing to do with America. America is the least important country in both World Wars. They fought in less than half of both wars. Losing more troops than their allies in just half the time fighting. Do you really not understand why they call it world wars? Must be American?

[@StormLaker]

He was totally playing them, haha. "I Know everything about you guys", haha. He really did know these guys, haha.

[@torentius]

, haha

[@vashbain3136]

, haha

[@aldrinmilespartosa1578]

, haha

[@zeehero7280]

"I know everything about you, almost as if I've known you since we were kids. you'll never guess why!"

[@chimchim2_]

Pretty clever to play that card and not admit their ties, until he got all of the info he needed.

[@cheenkatatu960]

War can bring out the best and the worst in humanity. RIP Col. Higa. May your stories never be forgotten.

[@zeehero7280]

In the worst of times, such as war, is when the worst and best of people is seen

[@alexanderscott2456]

War never brings out the best in humanity.

[@RepealtheBakerAct]

@@alexanderscott2456 Ur mom

[@Jason-iz6ob]

@@alexanderscott2456Anyone who has heard of Desmond Doss would disagree.

[@alexanderscott2456]

@Jason-iz6ob I'm sure that most people have seen Hacksaw Ridge by this point. If we actually fought WWII like a bunch of pacifists, we never would have annihilated the sourge of National Socialism. I don't consider pacifism in the face of evil to be a virtue at all. I consider it to be morally abhorrent. War is an abominable evil. It's just romantic nonsense to suggest that war even sometimes brings out the best in people. It always brings out the worst. If you're going to fight a war, you do it because you must and because it's sometimes necessary. A few token instances where some enemy soldiers may have shook hands or cried together can't wash away the ocean of blood that WWII resulted in.

[@TimNelson]

This man is a compassionate, honest, upright person of extraordinary character. Bless him for the example he provides.

[@merpius]

Honest, except about how he knew the teacher. 🤣 What a trick.

[@fuyu5979]

Very heart warming story from Higa san. Awesome upload. My dad served with the 100th 442 RCT, Co G. Kudos for upload. Thanks for Higa San and the rest of the 100th 442 RCT for ur service that we may live in a freer world today. New subscriber because of this vid. Anticipating ur next one. Peace

[@jmfa57]

Kudos to your dad for his service, especially in light of the bigotry he had to experience in those days. The 442nd was one awesome fighting force. My dad was in the Minnesota National Guard, scheduled to be discharged in January 1942, but that of course got delayed a bit. All the very best to you sir.

[@gordonbergslien30]

When l taught WW ll l always pointed out that Japanese-America soldiers had to fight on two fronts: against the Axis and the prejudice of their own countrymen. Theirs was an exceptional form of patriotism. There were giants in the earth!

[@DazzaBo]

@@gordonbergslien30 actually that was literally just racism from Americans who committed war crimes by locking up innocent Japanese-American civilians in concentration camps.

[@georgesakellaropoulos8162]

The 442nd RCT is legendary in the annals of history. "Go for broke".

[@johncottle3090]

Growing up in the 1960's I lived on a small street full WW2 veterans. One house had a former marine who saw combat in the Pacific. His next door neighbor was a Japanese American who fought with the 442nd RCT. Both were very kind, humble family men. I was too young to understand much at all when my father explained to me that initially, the marine was not thrilled when the house literally next door to his was purchased by a Japanese family, some of whom (live-in grandparents) had been born in Japan. He had experienced some really bad stuff during his time in the war, and had come to hate the enemy. When this marine found out that Mr. Noguchi had served with the 442nd, any concerns at all disappeared immediately. They were both great neighbors to each other and to everyone else.

[@tomwilker2861]

50 years ago, our neighbor, George Kaneko, was speaking with my Dad about the War. My Dad went MIA during The Bulge and was assumed dead. He had a horrible time in the frozen Ardennes and we all thought of him as quite a hero (even though he never spoke about his experiences with us). When George mentioned that he was in the 442nd, my Dad was absolutely dumbstruck, he made a point to emphasize to us kids that this man was a true Hero and earned the respect of all Americans. George unfortunately passed away early and never was able to see his children grow up. That generation of Americans was truly the Greatest.

[@Bob-h3n]

I'm a New Zealander and I knew of the 442nd as a child in the 1970's. My great uncle had served alongside them and told us that they were the hardest of the hard. They spent more time at the front than anyone else he said.

[@Nomad-vv1gk]

@@Bob-h3n The 442nd Regimental Combat Team did not see action in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II; they fought primarily in the European Theater, specifically in Italy and France, due to the prevailing sentiment that Japanese Americans could not be trusted to fight against the Japanese military in the Pacific. However, some individuals from the 442nd were selected to serve in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) in the Pacific, utilizing their language skills to translate and interrogate captured Japanese soldiers.

[@luhman16afaintstar]

This greatest generation BS has to stop ffs

[@Mike-tw1pi]

442nd RCT received the most decorations of any unit, IIRC

[@brodude3709]

​@@luhman16afaintstar😂

[@mikeh2613]

Thank you, Takejiro Higa, may you rest in peace. 比嘉さんありがとうございました

[@infinitytoinfinitysquaredb7836]

That's one hell of a reunion story.

[@EulersNumber]

What an amazing story, thank you so very much for sharing. May Japan and USA always be allies and friends!

[@TimNelson]

Right on!

[@chetmcmasterson]

I've had Japanese friends who expressed shame or discomfort around WWII, and I have always urged them not to feel responsibility for the actions of a military dictatorship from before they were born. I am grateful that international understanding and friendship are easier and more widespread now than ever before.

[@georgesakellaropoulos8162]

Imperial Japan was a different thing from traditional Japan in many ways. My 27 year old Japanese built Camry and I are very happy that the traditional craftsmanship still remains.

[@tfalkon1501]

This man is a good man.

[@ycplum7062]

There was a story from either the Persian Gulf War or the Iraqi War. I think Persian Gulf, but not sure. Basically, the US troops were taking the trenches and teh Iraqis were surrendering in droves. Suddenly a an "Iraqi soldier" pops out of a tent wearing a Chocqago Cubs Jersey and greets them in a heavy Chicago accent, "HeyGuys! What took you so long!" He was an American, born and raised, but had relatives in Iraq. He went to vist, but just before the war started, he was conscripted into the Iraqi army. It just goes to show that we live in a small world and the enemy are not al inhuman monsters. Few are, but not all.

[@billwatkins8227]

He took quite a chance wearing a Cubs jersey.

[@ItsHyosub]

"Funny story number two: while taking in prisoners my men observed a teenage Iraqi soldier wearing a Chicago Cubs baseball team t-shirt. This USA born hometown 16-year-old POW had the misfortune of visiting his grandparents in Iraq when hostilities began and was conscripted into the Iraqi Army. We reunited him with the State Department very quickly." -Jeffery Sacks United States Army 882 MP 1991

[@billwatkins8227]

@@ycplum7062 if he was wearing a Red Sox jersey …… well , let’s just say he would have been in big trouble.

[@odysseusrex5908]

I once heard a story out of World War II. Like you, I can't say if it's true, although I notice somebody responding to you seems to confirm yours. Anyway, at some point during the Italian campaign, suddenly a guy dashes out of the Italian lines toward the Americans, shouting, "Don't shoot, don't shoot, I'm from Brooklyn!" Same situation, he had been visiting family when the war broke out and got drafted into their army.

[@ronanchristiana.belleza9270]

If that is so, should he be not legally draft to the Italian army? Curious question​@@odysseusrex5908

[@nevillegriffiths4395]

My Father served in Burma in World War Two he was from Caernarfon North Wales his regiment was The Royal Welch Fusiliers (The Forgotten Army) I recall him speaking of American Japanese Interrogators he was full of praise and admiration of them.

[@Dickens76]

Now those guys had a hard slog. The SE Asian campaign with the Brits, AU, NZ, and British Indians saw some tremendous and terrible fighting and conditions. Salute to your dad and the rest. ❤🇬🇧

[@norseman5041]

My mother-in-law is from Okinawa, her name is also Higa. She married my wife's father and have lived most of her time in the US. She is still talking to her sisters in Okinawa, they were a big family and a few have already passed. I have had her tell me about her experience from the war, she was telling about how afraid they were and how they hid in caves to get away from the war. War is a terrible thing; we should avoid if possible.

[@bertellijustin6376]

I Oki was a terrible battle. The Japs had the Okinawans convinced we’d do terrible things to them, many killed themselves or were killed by Japanese soldiers while hiding in caves on the island. I was stationed there for three years. Beautiful island but many of the younger generations no longer seem to see themselves as Ryukan and now see themselves as Japanese.

[@submandave1125]

In discussions with Japanese family members after 9/11 I realized that the idea of "war" for Americans and Japanese are fundamentally different. In the modern American concept, men are sent off to war, while the personal history Japanese are taught is that war comes to you. Your mother-in-law is very fortunate she and her family were not forced into "suicide." Estimates are that 25%-30% of the civilian population on Okinawa were killed, most as a result of forced conscription or compelled "suicide."

[@norseman5041]

@@submandave1125 They were told that the Americans would torture and kill everyone. Even eat the children, they were scared out of their mind, even when the Americans gave them food, they were sure it was poison and did not want to eat it. Mothers threw the small children off the cliffs then jump themselves. Her family was very conservative old school Japanese from a Samurai lineage. Her cousin who still live today in Japan and was/is a schoolteacher is now regarded as a living treasure due to his Samurai sword skills and culture from the old. I am not sure, but I believe she had a very indifferent contact with her family the first 10 years after she married the American, with time it seems like they accepted her and her children fully. She is now close to 90 years old, still going strong, live alone and take care of her own. She was also a black belt in martial arts, I made her several swords she used for practice.

[@johnarmstrong472]

It's like when Nisei get together and ask about other Nisei! But this is life and death and the incredible ironies of war... Absolutely riveting (and I cried too). America's diversity is its strength - what a hero!

[@MrPlankinton]

"Cry for Happy" is one of the best sayings Japan has for Joy 😊

[@jamesconner3437]

Agreed. It contains all the emotions of a complex situation.

[@patricknorton5788]

Wow. These men have the most amazing stories. Such courage, and such human beings. I would love to meet one of these men and thank them.

[@brianingarfill1773]

What a BEAUTIFUL STORY thank you for your personal sharing

[@calc1657]

He was a very clever interrogator. 🤣 But what a reunion.

[@tomparatube6506]

War is terrible. It must have been a terrible inner struggle for this handsome GI to remain humane and compassionate towards his classmates / enemies. RIP sir.

[@vectorm4]

This man - the Greatest Generation !

[@katr8756]

Heartfelt thank you for you're service and scrifice!! ... I appolize for all Americans that may have treated you badly during and after your service! But those were differnt times, perspectives and attitudes!! You are a true patriot and American!!

[@josephbicknell6522]

It’s not your place to apologize for “All Americans”. You should read up on Japanese atrocities in China. You should read up on the Burma railroad. You should how Japan soldiers treated captured US soldiers in the field and in the camps. You should read up on the Bataan Death March. You should read up on civilian concentration camps. So, two soldiers who were handed chocolate nutrition bars. APOLOGIZE FOR WHAT? A Hawaiian American US soldier’s reunion with his former schoolmates?

[@josephbicknell6522]

Sorry. That really ticked me off.

[@twelvestitches984]

@@josephbicknell6522 During the Battle of Midway, before the Japanese carriers were hit and sunk, the Japanese captured a US pilot and rear gunner from the water. They tied heavy metal water containers around their necks and threw them into the ocean to drown.

[@daveray5655]

@@josephbicknell6522 5 year old Japanese Americans in us camps were not responsible for literally anything you said

[@sukitron5415]

​@@josephbicknell6522Even with all of those things, did Americans have the right to mistreat Japanese Americans because native Japanese did those things?

[@ronlackey2689]

What a great story. One in a million chance.

[@okagesamademovie]

I met Takejiro-san in 2012 at a McDonald's in Kalihi. I wanted to record an interview with him, but it didn't happen and he passed away a few years later. It was a very sad.

[@cardo718]

It's a small world, isn't it?

[@okagesamademovie]

I have interviewed over 35 Nisei veterans, but only one is still alive.

[@kennethwood2089]

Stunning. Humanity shines here.

[@genespell4340]

That brought tears to my eyes. War is beyond horrible and I wonder if there will ever be ever lasting peace.

[@SMGJohn]

There will be peace when wars stop being profitable.

[@johnanddawnmiller9375]

Yessir. There will be an everlasting peace. As a Bible believer that peace will happen when Jesus Christ comes back to set up His kingdom. Please trust him as your own personal Savior. Reach out to me anytime for a conversation. God bless.

[@SMGJohn]

@@johnanddawnmiller9375 Allah Akbar

[@SyntaxError0287]

so long as people need resources and have limited in supply..

[@cgross82]

War is so terrible! And yet, the human race never learns from history. I recall General Douglas MacArthur’s statement: “The Soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” I believe that as a retired Soldier myself, I am qualified to affirm his words. I will also say that these Japanese-American U.S. Army Soldiers were amazing, fighting for their country even as some of their loved ones were being held in interment camps!

[@hirameberhardt8643]

FYI: J. Edgar Hoover FBI director was AGAINST the intermit of Japanese Americans.

[@RoninIV_unleashed]

I wish I could give more than one "thumbs up" for this video. Fantastic story! Thank you for posting this.

[@moistcurtains]

Awesome story. Interviews with men like this are a treasure.

[@finestliving7580]

Amazing..made me cry too.

[@p8ryot]

Respect, I have absolute respect for this man. It would be an honor to meet him.

[@korpiklaaniband2277]

He unfortunately passed away about 5 years ago, but glad to see he lived long enough to talk about his extraordinary experience.

[@drpepperrocks1951]

Wow!

[@Paul-McB]

Awesome story.

[@Rollyman]

That was a great story. 🙏❤️ Thank you for your service Sir.

[@Tsunamiieh]

WOW.

[@JohnCopp-mr8pg]

Great story and well-told. I love the little moments where he shifts persona and becomes THE INTERROGATOR. No bullshit artist gets past that guy. Underneath the gentle demeanor lives a fearless samurai.

[@garyfrancis6193]

5:19 When I was a kid our neighbor was a farmer with a pear orchard called Mr. Nakamura. Maybe that’s a common name in Japan. My grade 3 teacher was Miss Yamabe who in 1958;was probably all of 22 years old. She passed a way in 2005 and I have lived an hour away from Japan by air for 25 years and been there at least half a dozen times. It’s strange though I am of European heritage, Japan has been a theme through me entire life since I was a little kid even before I went to school. I’m a foreigner but I can interact with them and understand them quite well though I can read or understand only a few words of Japanese.

[@MrElliotc02]

Amazing!

[@donaldg.freeman2804]

What a great interview!

[@richhughes2225]

Great story

[@stephenholmes1036]

Great interview

[@VanDaRifleman]

This reminds me of the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis when he reunited with his brothers. I wasn't expecting to be moved today. This is a great story.

[@georgealderson4424]

Good comment. Thanks for the reminder! Blessings and peace.

[@stevenbrooks6930]

Thank you for your service, in spite of everything. His story reminds me so much of Joseph in the book of Genesis…

[@DigitalFootprintToBeAbused]

A really good story. I felt a thing or two. Just remember that those two classmates of his might not have treated an american or australian POW so kindly.

[@johnheigis83]

Outstanding! From an old "pale face." Semper Fidelis!

[@JayjayElon]

It very hard for someone that was serve as Army Intelligence officer for a country that you were born and raise going into war against a country that was once your ancestral home but you already had a home that you know since you were born, facing a man from your own ancestral home, that look and speak much like you

[@Dave-ty2qp]

I was stationed in Okinawa back in the late 1970's. I know the area he is from throughly. My address was 451-B Shimabuku. He and I would have been neighbors.,

[@philipvlnst]

OMG! I also cried.

[@i_like_the_7]

Aloha nui ❤ Mahalo nui ❤ R.I.P., Higa san ❤

[@anthonysherry2628]

Amazing story! World is a small place.

[@markhatfield5621]

Noted that he spoke to them in Hogan which is the language of Okinawa, rather than the Japanese language which was imposed upon Okinawa by the Japanese.

[@IrishCarney]

Maybe only for that last part where he asked them why they didn't recognize him.

[@MarcDufresneosorusrex]

hougen is the word for "dialect" . or you can say "ben" Osaka ben (dialect), Okinawa ben, 方言= hou gen I think Japan fought for the islands during the 1st conflict with China around 1890.

[@Farmalando]

"Hogan" is not a language 😅 it's Hougen/方言 which means a dialect (of Japanese)

[@markhatfield5621]

@@Farmalando Interesting. I'd always heard of it as a separate language specific to Okinawa.

[@markhatfield5621]

@@Farmalando I just looked up some of this. What I read says there are (were) several languages specific to Okinawa. They are in the same family as Japanese but not mutually intelligible to Japanese or even to each other. They were considered true languages but became considered dialects of Japanese mostly for political reasons. Further, this is in addition to what you said, not instead of. I lived in Okinawa for four and a half years, in Asa Yoshikawa, Chatan Cho, but had more direct contact with locals in Korea and studied that language.

[@ownlydown5933]

He said "you stupid!! " 😂

[@michaelbread5906]

Very powerful moment shared between humans. Much love to everyone.

[@9thCrusade]

im surprised they didnt hate him cuz japanese loyalty at that time is no joke and he would have been a "traitor" but im glad they were able to focus on the important things

[@jimf3932]

The men of Nissei descent had every reason to tell Uncle Sam to pound sand for the terrible crime FDR committed against them. Yet they put on the cloth, raised their hands and said the words. And they fought hard and well! God Bless them all!

[@darkgalaxy5548]

It was war, bad decisions were made. Far worse to be a civilian internee under the Japanese.

[@eastbaykidd8574]

Chill out a bit and learn something about history before you shed your virtue-signaling tears. The internment was a gross overreaction to legitimate fears given that a handful of Hawaiians of Japanese-Americans were cooperating with the Japanese, but do you know how American internees (as well as everyone else) were treated by the Japanese when THEY were the captors? The Japanese civilians on Okinawa fully expected to be murdered, raped and tortured by the Americans when they took over the island, because that's what the Japanese were doing to civilians in every other country they conquered. Wakarimasu ka? 🙄

[@chadwick8193]

It was horrible, but the government did pay reparations, and publicly apologized to the Japanese-Americans, and Italian-Americans, but not the German-Americans. Uncle Sam did try to reconcile, at least. They certainly proved themselves

[@user-yz1zt1nq1p]

Fought hard to betray their people, their culture, their whole identity and history FOR US DOLLARS. What a disgusting coward and traitor. Makes me want to vomit. The US military without any class any dignity and any honour

[@korpiklaaniband2277]

@@user-yz1zt1nq1p What a very ignorant and arrogant assertion. Say what you want about the US military, but you should read up the full transcript or watch the rest of the full interview Takejiro Higa did for this before you make such statements.

[@donelmore2540]

I’ve just read The American Samurai and am currently reading a book on the Military Intelligence Service which this guy learned his language and interrogation skills.

[@orlandofurioso7958]

Wish we knew what happened to his two classmates and how they retold in later years this account and its effects on them.

[@evanfinch4987]

All I can say is thank you

[@rnklv8281]

Interesting story. Have not read/heard much about Japanese American Nisei's who served during the WWII Pacific Theater.

[@gtd65]

I was pretty close to having a cry too!

[@martin_the_dream]

I had a cry

[@hawkeye-m-9e]

My uncle was killed on the beach of Okinawa

[@andyyu5957]

I remember an episode of a soldier recognising his former teacher in a book which I read some years ago (ヤマト魂 ―アメリカ・日系二世、自由への戦い by 渡辺 正清 / Watanabe Masakiyo). Perhaps the anecdote comes from this person?

[@jesusofbullets]

War brings out the best and worst in us. Sometimes though, it’s just strange. Can’t imagine what it must be like to have left your country and then come back fighting for another and have your classmates taken prisoner. An amazing stroke of luck for his former sensei and classmates though.

[@AdamBechtol]

Thanks for sharing.

[@odysseusrex5908]

That's incredible, just absolutely incredible.

[@Frost_on_YouTube]

Unfortunately also reveals the less than humane ways the Japanese treated their POWs, if the soldiers thought they were going to be shot after the interrogation, and thought they were only saved by the miracle of meeting an old classmate.

[@danielmassey3157]

What a beautiful testimony! LTCOLONEL-retired

[@patricknorton5788]

Absolutely. I am so glad he was in the US when the IJN attacked Pearl Harbor, for all that happened to Japanese Americans after FDR signed Executive Order 9102, he could have been 17 and in Japan when that happened, fortunately he was in the US. He served with a courage and conviction that I don't know I could ever muster if I was put in his situation, and still retained his humanity.

[@StarWarsSurvivalist]

Who is cutting the onions around here all of a sudden....

[@lesmoore6443]

Wow. Similar stories - not often as poignant and powerful as this one - happened in the ETO as well, especially in Italy. America's unique character as a country with many family and direct ties to many countries involved in the war, including Axis ones, created fascinating episodes like this one. There was substantial interchange in immigration back then, especially in Italy, with generations of immigrants going back and forth, not just coming to the US. A spectacular example of this happened on Iwo Jima, where a Japanese soldier in a spider hole managed to surrender, helped by his use of native American English - he was an American conscripted while visiting relatives in Japan when the war started. It even happened in the first Gulf War. Young man - wearing a Chicago Cubs' t-shirt (conscripted in Iraq while visiting family in summer 1990 - surrendered to Marines in Kuwait, coming out of a trench and yelling "what took you guys so long??". Marines were somewhat stunned, needless to say!

[@roxysdad40]

God bless this hero….

[@4metoknow]

this man too... wore a splendent coat of many colors... truly, God is good.

[@lohphat]

War only serves those in power at the top, the pain is carried by EVERYONE ELSE.

[@gregorycasey5486]

Mr. Higa sounds like he's from Hawaii given his accent. These men were the BEST!

[@Bob-h3n]

For sure, I heard some small slang 😂

[@superkato1k]

100% Hawaiian pidgin accent there.

[@AnakinSkywakka]

Hawaii does have a rather significant Japanese population. Especially back then, a majority of the Japanese American volunteers came from Hawaii alone, I think more so than the rest of the country.

[@Photojouralist123]

Takejiro did you Know John D Ishii he was with the MIS WW2

[@georgealderson4424]

The recollection brings to mind what people must have experienced in a (so called) civil war when family members were on opposite sides.

[@mbeer5702]

My family was stationed on Okinawa ‘65-‘68. Higa is an Okinawa name. I had friends with the last name of Higa in high school.

[@RepealtheBakerAct]

Me when the hospital tries to sue me

[@gustavovillegas5909]

Thank you, Higa-san. 比嘉さんにふぇーでーびる。 比嘉さんありがとうございます。

[@californiadreamin8423]

Marvellous.

[@saucyrossy3698]

Interesting fact: virtually no Japanese were given any sort of 'interrogation training' because the Bushido 'fight to the death thing' was so strong that both officers and the men themselves just assumed that the men would figh to the death. So when the allies DID capture one of them they would absolutely spill their guts with very little resistance, simply because they had never been told not to.

[@richhughes2225]

Always mute KZbin ads.

[@joshuaforbus5853]

Thank you for your service, my American cousin. 1997-2006 US Marine infantryman Sgt.100P.T. Josh Florence, Wisconsin

[@rev.dr.davidcole8915]

Incredible providence and coincidence.

[@ZommBleed]

War is hell.

[@johnheigis83]

Watch.... PBS.... "Half the Sky": "FET"... ( In Part II). And, "Meet John Doe" (Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwick...).. A system that mixes those possibilities, as our secondary manual backup system.

[@sisenor4091]

Respect ✊

[@Rhotz-ix8ll]

No words

[@Chuck1284-]

"Gobbled up in no time!", what a good Joe.

[@CaptainHarris-ip2kg]

Wow, If that doesn't get you .... then you're not human, What an account,

[@AlchZdot]

Kinda reminds me of Joseph and his brothers.

[@johnarmstrong472]

The US sent Japanese American translators who spoke Okinawan dialect when they invaded Okinawa. Russia sends criminals to fight in Ukraine.

[@deezznuts5396]

In fairness, they don’t really need translators because Russian and Ukrainian are nearly mutually intelligible.

[@ulyssees30y]

Most Ukraine speak Russian.

[@raywhitehead730]

Good history.

[@mm-yt8sf]

he could have pulled an oprah: "you get to live! and YOU get to live! all the prisoners get to live!"

[@patmcstuff671]

War is hell

[@lohphat]

Takejiro Higa 94, of Honolulu, a World War II veteran of the Military Intelligence Service and retired Internal Revenue Service Agent passed away on October 7, 2017. He was born in Waipahu, the youngest of three children to Takeo and Ushi Higa. He is preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Higa and is survived by sons, Nelson (Alison) and Alton (Kristine) and grandchildren, Brianne, Chase, Logan and Brennan Higa. He was active in many civic and cultural organizations including the Jikoen Hongwanji Mission, Kita Nakagusuku Sonjin Kai, Hawaii United Okinawa Association and Hui Makaala. Visitation 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, at Hosoi Garden Mortuary; services to begin at 11:00. Casual attire and no flowers, please. Arrangements Provided By: Hosoi Garden Mortuary

[@pax6833]

"I know everything about you, so definitely don't lie to me when I ask you questions." lol gotta appreciate a man with a sense of humor. Maybe those two figured it out after enough thinking about the logical inconsistency. Great story, amazing coincidence the guy finds out his gradeschool teacher ended up in a temporary POW camp nearby and is able to vouch for him.

[@kaixiang5390]

I wonder if this guy is related to Ryan Higa, who is also descended from Okinawans and grew up in Hawaii

[@josephnickel3665]

All I can say is WOW!

[@AAA-0]

I love these recollections of WWII.

[@Zak6959]

And that’s why he was in military intelligence.

[@chapagawa]

All of this forced on those four men by the Imperial Army led by the Showa Tennoh, and yet Tennoh got off without even a hand slap and his son is still smiling for the cameras on new year day address…