The Hero of Taejon-ni: Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura in the Korean War An Excerpt from Veterans Chronicles

The World War II Veterans Committee, and now, the American Veterans Center, began with the production of the award-winning radio documentary series, World War II Chronicles, commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II. This program, hosted by the late, great “Voice of World War II,” Edward J. Herlihy, aired on over 500 stations nationwide between 1991 and 1995 on the Radio America network. In the years since, the American Veterans Center, with the World War II Veterans Committee and National Vietnam Veterans Committee, has produced dozens of radio documentaries and series, in an effort to bring the history of the Second World War to the American public.

The Center’s tradition of quality radio programming continues with the weekly series, Veterans Chronicles, hosted by Gene Pell, former NBC Pentagon Correspondent and head of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. With Veterans Chronicles, listeners are taken to the battlefields with the men and women who have served our country so gallantly. The series is broadcast on the Radio America network and past shows can be heard at www.americanveteranscenter.org, www.wwiivets.com or www.vietnamvetscommittee.org. In this issue, we print an excerpt from a recent episode.

Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura received the Medal of Honor for his valor in the Korean War during a battle on April 24 and 25, 1951. Corporal Miyamura is credited with killing more than 50 of the enemy while covering his squad’s withdrawal before being severely wounded and captured by Chinese Communist forces. He spent the next 28 months as a prisoner of war. Hershey’s story begins in the American southwest, in New Mexico.

Hiroshi Miyamura: I was born in Gallup, New Mexico. My parents came from Japan and settled in Gallup in 1906. I have five sisters and a brother. I just lost my oldest sister last year. Growing up, I used to be a great fan of the movies and I always had cowboys as my heroes. One of my favorites was “Hopalong” Cassidy, because he was such a gentleman, and yet when he needed to be forceful, he was. I admired him for that.

Gene Pell: You wanted to get into World War II earlier than you did as part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, correct?

Miyamura: Yes. I don’t know if you know, but our government had passed a law at the outbreak of the war and it classified all Japanese citizens as enemy aliens. We were not allowed to volunteer for the service, or be eligible for the draft, until after a group of Japanese American university students in Hawaii who wanted to prove their loyalty to this country were able to form a battalion, known as the 100th Battalion. Well, the 100th, after training in the United States, was sent to the European Theater, where it distinguished itself in battle. The commanding general asked for more of these troops, so the government set up a draft and asked for volunteers for this new unit they were forming.

I did not know a lot of these young men were from internment camps. They had been sent to these camps at the outbreak of the war because our government did not really trust us because they didn’t know enough about us. But anyway, some of these young men volunteered for service out of the internment camps. Then they opened up the draft, and that’s when all the young men of draftable age in Gallup were sent to this new unit.