Letters from the 442nd: The World War II Correspondence of a Japanese American Medic
By Minoru Masuda. Edited by Hana Masuda and Dianne Bridgman. Foreword by Daniel K. Inouye.
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 was born and raised in Seattle. In 1939 he earned a master ’s degree in pharmacology and married Hana Koriyama. Two years later the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, and Min and Hana were imprisoned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans. When the Army recruited in the relocation camp, Masuda chose to serve in the 442nd.
Excerpts from the 442nd daily medical log provide context for the letters, and Hana interposes brief recollections of her experiences. The letters are accompanied by snapshots, a drawing made in the field, and three maps drawn by Masuda.