Shiyuza Hayashi was born near Waialua Sugar Plantation on the west side of the island [Annotator's Note: Oahu, Hawaii]. He was the third of three brothers. His parents worked at the sugar plantation. They lived near the ocean, and he spent most of his time there fishing. It was a good life. In 1940, Hayashi left the plantation to work as a crane operator for Navy Defense. It was easy to get a job in those days if you were skilled. He was drafted in March [Annotator's Note: March 1941], and was only supposed to stay in a year. But when everything happened in December [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], he could not get out and stayed in. After basic training, he was assigned to the 65th Engineers [Annotator’s Note: 65th Engineer Battalion], an all-Caucasian outfit. When the war started, they began building pillboxes. This continued until March [Annotator's Note: March 1942], when they were shipped out to the mainland United States. Hayashi suspects that this is because the military did not trust them as they were Orientals [Annotator's Note: members of an Asian race; the term is often regarded as offensive by Asians]. They were as American as anyone else, but were not seen that way. They traveled by train once on the mainland, with the windows blacked out. He finally arrived in Wisconsin, to a place surrounded by barbed wire. He thought they were being put into a concentration camp [Annotator's Note: Japanese internment camps established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066; 1942 to 1945], which he had heard about. As a Japanese-American, it felt bad. His parents generation were not transferred to the mainland, because their labor was necessary, unlike Japanese-Americans in California who were interned. He trained at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and later at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. It was the first time he ever saw snakes.

After training, Shiyuza Hayashi was sent to Oran in Africa [Annotator's Note: with the 100th Infantry Battalion, arriving in Oran, Algeria on 2 September 1943]. It was a dirty country, men took BMs [Annotator's Note: bowel movements] on the street. Initially, they were assigned to guard the supply train because locals were stealing from it, but the colonel said they came to fight, not do that job. The 34th Division [Annotator's Note: 34th Infantry Division] was short one battalion at the time, so they took them in and fought the rest of the war with them. They participated in the Salerno invasion [Annotator's Note: codename Operation Avalanche, Allied landings near Salerno, Italy on 9 September 1943]. Hayashi was in Company E and was among the last to land. What they heard and saw, the guns and rifles, they had never experienced before. They were amazed at the power of the enemy's weapons, while they were carrying weapons from 1918. They got used to it, and learned how to avoid incoming shells by their sound. Their officers were caucasian, but the NCOs [Annotator's Note: noncommissioned officers] were Nisei [Annotator's Note: first generation Japanese-American]. Hayashi saw Germans on patrol a few-hundred feet down a slope, and realized they were watching Hayashi and his unit digging in. He decided to take a chance and threw a grenade, but they were waiting for him and fired towards him with a burp gun [Annotator's Note: German MP-40, or Maschinenpistole 40, 9mm submachine gun]. The Germans ran away and were shot by an American machine gunner.

Shiyuza Hayashi and his unit [Annotator's Note: Company E, 100th Infantry Battalion] experienced a lot of gunfire and artillery fire. The 88 [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery] shells would land before they could even hear them. The Germans were in the hills watching every move they made. There were issues with friendly fire from 34th Division artillery. The Germans laid booby traps using “red devils” [Annotator’s Note: SRCM Mod. 35, a hand grenade issued to the Royal Italian Army] and S-mines [Annotator's Note: German S-mine, Schrapnellmine, Springmine or Splittermine] that got a lot of the men, they took heavy casualties. Hayashi was with 2nd Platoon, Company A [Annotator's Note: 2nd Platoon, Company A, 100th Infantry Battalion] for the rest of the war. As a BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] man he was supposed to automatically hold the rank of Private First Class, but it never happened, he was a Private. The BAR was a good defense weapon, but too heavy to carry up and down the hills. He modified it so the muzzle would not climb too quickly. He took seven German prisoners of war in Italy. The Germans were surprised to see Japanese fighting on the American side. One of the prisoners was only around 13 years old. The Germans were sending young boys to the front. Hayashi could not shoot them. Another prisoner was a sergeant and Hayashi took his swastika and binoculars, which he still has. The prisoners were taken near Sorelle [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling, possibly Cerasuolo, Italy where Hayashi performed deeds that earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor, the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor)]. There was a lot of shell shock [Annotator's Note: post traumatic stress disorder; a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed] among the men after artillery barrages. The "Screaming Mimi" [Annotator's Note: nebelwerfer; German multiple rocket launcher] was the worst, along with the 88 because their shells would explode before you heard them coming, and they were very accurate.

Shiyuza Hayashi was awarded the Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: Hayashi was initially awarded the Distinguished Service Cross or DSC, the second-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy, which was upgraded in June 2000 to the Medal of Honor, the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor] for actions in Italy. One night they were in a small farmhouse. They had to go through mines when they were fired on by a German sniper, a bullet passed so close to Hayashi's neck that he could feel the heat from it. The platoon commander was killed. Hayashi saw wires, and realized it was a booby trap and he disabled it. Some of the men had been hit by artillery fire. He sprayed the whole area [Annotator's Note: with his Browning Automatic Rifle or BAR]. He saw several Germans running up the hill to try to direct the 88 [Annotator's Note: German 88mm multi-purpose artillery], they did not have walkie-talkies [Annotator's Note: portable two-way radio] like the United States, nor field phones set up. He threw a hand grenade but they were too far away. He walked up with his BAR and found a young German soldier holding an automatic rifle and crying. Hayashi could not shoot him. He told him "Up!" and he and several soldiers stood up and surrendered. Hayashi considers himself lucky for not being shot throughout the war despite several close calls. When his unit landed at Anzio [Annotator's Note: The Battle of Anzio, 22 January to 5 June 1944; Anzio, Italy], Hayashi had just been released from a hospital stay in Tunis [Annotator’s Note: Tunis, Tunisia] for a hernia operation resulting from carrying the weight of his BAR up the hills. At night bombers came targeting an ammunition depot. He wanted to fire at the planes, but he did not. He was called to headquarters and thought he was in trouble. Instead, General Ryder [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Charles W. Ryder, commanding general of the 34th Infantry Division] awarded him the DSC [Annotator's Note: the Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. The next morning was a breakthrough and his unit was called in to support. He felt bad for the tanks, he saw three lined up and disabled. He wonders why the Navy did not barrage the area before the landing. Hayashi made it up to the defense line and was stopped. After firing unsuccessfully, they called in a tank and they thought everything was clear, but as they advanced they found a killed commander from an armored division on their way to Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy].

Shiyuza Hayashi walked to Rome [Annotator's Note: Rome, Italy] with his unit [Annotator's Note: Company A, 100th Infantry Battalion], but they did not receive credit for it. Rome was a nice city, it was open at the time [Annotator’s Note: Rome was declared an open city on 14 August 1943, meaning the Italians and Germans would not defend it]. He visited the Colosseum [Annotator's Note: largest ancient amphitheater ever built]. He had a few days of respite while there. The 100th Battalion had built up a good reputation by this time, early June 1944. They were called in for all the hard jobs, facing the top German SS [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] divisions, which is why they had so many casualties. The SS were good fighters, they were tougher than the regular army and were better trained. Hayashi never saw them commit any atrocities. They had good weapons. When on patrol one time, Hayashi was in the rear and Kinoki [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify] was in the front, as he always was. The enemy opened fire on them and one bullet hit Hayashi's pack and made a loud noise, they thought he was dead. Hayashi and another were sent up to the German machine gun position. The Germans had left, but left a bazooka behind. The United States had hit much of the Germans' supply lines. Most of the battalion was from Hawaii [Annotator's Note: as was Hayashi], so he knew many of them from before the war. Many of them were killed. Because they were single and did not have their own families, they did not give a damn about dying. He was around 23 at the time. He did not have a sweetheart back home, but wrote to his parents. His brothers could not join the service because they were working on a plantation [Annotator's Note: Waialua Sugar Plantation on Oahu, Hawaii] which was considered necessary work. Hayshi did not like the work, 12 hour shifts, so he left and got a job elsewhere [Annotator's Note: and was then drafted in March 1941].

The terrain in Italy was mountainous. Shiyuza Hayashi wonders how people live in the mountains. It must be a tough life. Once the Italians came back to the American side [Annotator's Note: the government of Italy declared war on Germany in October 1943 and sided with the Allies], they were happy the Americans were there. Hayashi's unit [Annotator's Note: Company A, 100th Infantry Battalion] was moving too quickly to interact very much with local Italians. He was in Bruyère [Annotator’s Note: La Bruyère, Belgium] for a time. Hayashi was supposed to be sent home for R&R [Annotator's Note: rest and recuperation], but it was given instead to someone else and he stayed with headquarters company, responsible for guarding prisoners. He had bad trench foot which began bothering him, he was hospitalized and told he would not be going back to the front. He was shipped to Camp Carson, Colorado, around December 1944. He was hospitalized there. Another time, he contracted strep throat. From Denver, he went through Salt Lake City [Annotator's Note: Salt Lake City, Utah] to San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California] to catch the Matsonia [Annotator's Note: SS Matsonia (ID-1589)] to Hawaii. There was no parade or anything to welcome them home. They had to find their own way home. [Annotator's Note: There is a break in interview to change tapes.] Everything changed quickly after the war. Before, they could not work for the government even if they were qualified. Then, they could be anything they wanted. After the war he worked as a heavy equipment operator, then worked for a private contractor for about 15 years. He changed companies and stayed there until he retired in 1971 at age 65, fixing roads, working on buildings, etc. At the time of the interview, Hayashi volunteers at a veterans memorial at Ke’ehi Lagoon [Annotator’s Note: Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial on Oahu, Hawaii].

Shiyuza Hayashi was informed in 1999 that he was being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor]. The Army notified him that he was being upgraded [Annotator's Note: Hayashi was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross or DSC, the second-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy, for his actions near Cerasuolo, Italy in November 1943]. He could not believe it, he thought it was a mistake. General Ryder [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Charles W. Ryder, commanding general of the 34th Infantry Division, awarded Hayashi the DSC] had previously told Hayashi that he would have signed the recommendation for Medal of Honor in the first place, but the other officers put him forth for the DSC instead. Hayashi and his whole family were invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Bill Clinton attended [Annotator's Note: William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd president of the United States]. The following morning they left on a bus, and Clinton rode with them. He was an easy person to talk to. Hayashi was next to Senator Inouye [Annotator's Note: Daniel Ken Inouye, senator from Hawaii; US Army veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and recipient of the DSC which was also upgraded, like Hayashi’s, to Medal of Honor]. Hayashi was very proud, but wished his wife was there. She had passed away the previous year. Other men were also honored at the ceremony [Annotator's Note: seven living, and 13 posthumously, who had been denied the honor during the war because of racism], including Barney Hajiro [Annotator's Note: Barney F. Hajiro, 442nd Regimental Combat Team], Kobashigawa [Annotator's Note: Yeiki Kobashigawa, 100th Infantry Battalion], Inouye and others. All of the men honored that day served with either the 100th or the 442nd.

Shiyuza Hayashi is Japanese-American. He was born in America and did not know what Japan was like. His parents had immigrated to the United States as laborers. Hayashi was working on Ford Island [Annotator’s Note: Ford Island, Hawaii] where the Arizona [Annotator's Note: USS Arizona (BB-39)] was sunk [Annotator's Note: during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] before the war, but he had been drafted [Annotator's Note: in March 1941] so was not there that day. After being drafted and completing training, he was initially in a Caucasian outfit [Annotator's Note: the 65th Engineer Battalion]. Some of the men serving in the 100th [Annotator's Note: 100th Infantry Battalion] had their rifles taken away after the attack. Hayashi was also allowed at Hickham Field [Annotator's Note: now Hickham Air Force Base on Oahu, Hawaii] because he was part of the regular army, while other orientals [Annotator's Note: members of an Asian race; the term is often regarded as offensive by Asians] were forbidden from military installations. He experienced no conflict while with the 65th. He married in 1948. He is in touch with some of his friends from the Army, one of whom volunteers with him at the Lagoon [Annotator's Note: Ke'ehi Lagoon Memorial on Oahu, Hawaii]. He is also in touch with Barney Hajiro [Annotator's Note: Barney F. Hajiro, veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team; also a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor in June 2000]. Hayashi did not talk about the war with his wife and children. They would ask, but he would not say anything. He lost too many friends. He only began talking about the war later, so that younger generations will know what happened. He had nightmares after the war, his wife would ask why he screamed and shook while he slept.