Oral History Interview with Jose King, September 11, 1997

Oral History Interview with Jose King, September 11, 1997

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Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jose King. King, of Korean descent, grew up under Japanese occupation in Songsong Village, Rota. Relations with the Japanese were mostly peaceful. He attended a strict but effective Japanese school. When Japanese supplies began to dwindle, soldiers stole food from villagers and threatened to kill them if they withheld it. The natives narrowly escaped mass execution and instead were put to work farming sweet potatoes. King’s family foraged in the mountains and jungles, hunting birds with a slingshot. His brother was recruited by the Japanese to hunt birds … continued below

Physical Description

70 p.

Creation Information

King, Jose September 11, 1997.

Context

This text is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this text can be viewed below.

Interviewee

King, Jose

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Jose King. King, of Korean descent, grew up under Japanese occupation in Songsong Village, Rota. Relations with the Japanese were mostly peaceful. He attended a strict but effective Japanese school. When Japanese supplies began to dwindle, soldiers stole food from villagers and threatened to kill them if they withheld it. The natives narrowly escaped mass execution and instead were put to work farming sweet potatoes. King’s family foraged in the mountains and jungles, hunting birds with a slingshot. His brother was recruited by the Japanese to hunt birds and was killed in an air raid. His uncle was wrongly accused of being a spy and sentenced to death. King and his family sought refuge in a cave during bombardments and were strafed while searching for food. Upon being discovered by American Marines, King feared that the food they provided might be poisoned. Although the military initially intended to send his family to Korea, they successfully pleaded to stay with their community. King’s family later moved to Saipan and then Tinian, embarking in prosperous trade with Allied occupation forces. He started a family of his own, and many of his children found careers in the military.

Physical Description

70 p.

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Text

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this text in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00565
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1604040

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Jose King, September 11, 1997 - ark:/67531/metapth1607852

Collections

This text is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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