Saiki, James (7/19/2018)

Saiki, James (7/19/2018)

James Saiki, a nisei born and raised in Hawaii, describes his parents' immigration from Yamaguchi prefecture and his experiences growing up as one of nine siblings on a farm in Wailua, Kauai. Eight years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed, he recalls singing patriotic songs at school, the departure of an older brother to serve with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and his lack of awareness of the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the mainland. Joining the U.S. Army after just one year at the University of Hawaii, he received training as a laboratory technician before serving in the Korean War, followed by two years stationed in Tokyo. After his discharge from the army, he studied in Phildelphia before joining his brothers in Chicago to work and study at Northwestern University. He reflects on his involvement with the Church of Christ Presbyterian and the Chicago Nisei Athletic Association and expresses a hope that his descendants will continue a family tradition of caring and hospitality.

2018-07-19

video

Takada, Anna

Saiki, James

Nisei

Hawaii

Kauai

Agriculture

442nd Regimental Combat Team

Church of Christ Presbyterian

United States Army

Housing Discrimination

Chicago Nisei Athletic Association

CNAA

6900