Man survived war wounds, but not runaway car
By Pauline Repard
June 29, 2012
LA MESA — Henry Hashiguchi (Poston 322-5-C) lived a remarkable life.
He was forced into an Arizona internment camp after the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, then was quick to enlist in the Army to prove
his American loyalty. He was twice wounded in battle.
On Tuesday, at the age of 89, he was killed when a runaway
car slammed into his room at a La Mesa care facility.
“He was a lucky man
to survive all those things, and then such an unfortunate ending,” his
daughter, Donna West, of Boulder, Colo., said Friday. “There were some
extraordinary things in his life.”
Hashiguchi, who used the nickname Hank, was the third of
nine children born in San Diego to Japanese immigrant farmers. He graduated
from Hoover High School. He was 19 in 1941 when the United States entered World
War II. The government forced some 110,000 Japanese-Americans on the West Coast
into relocation camps out of wartime fears their loyalties would be divided.
The Hashiguchi family was first sent to the Santa Anita racetrack.
“They lived in a horse stall for a few months,” West said.
“Then they were sent to a camp in Poston, Arizona.”
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| S/Sgt. Henry Hashiguchi, 442nd RCT Co I |
After Japanese-Americans were allowed to join the military,
Hashiguchi enlisted in the Army in 1943. His brother, Fred, enlisted too, while
the rest of the family stayed in the camp. The brothers served in the 442nd
Regimental Combat Team, formed for Japanese-American troops. According to an
online regiment history, the unit became the most-decorated of its size and
length of service in U.S. history.
Their motto, “Go for broke,” was a source of pride to Hashiguchi,
his daughter said.“He was so proud of all the Japanese-Americans, how hard they
fought,” she said.
Hashiguchi, a rifleman who became a staff sergeant, saw
action in France and Italy, including Rome and Arno. In October 1944, in
France, he was wounded by shrapnel in one knee and the buttocks. He returned to
combat. In Italy the next April, a German sniper shot him through the neck. That
wound secured his discharge in December 1945. Hashiguchi was awarded a Purple
Heart with oak leaf cluster for his two wounds.
He returned to San Diego and in 1947 married Mollie Uyeji
(Poston 322-9-C), whom he had met in the Poston camp. They raised their
children, Donna and Richard, in North Park and Clairemont while Hashiguchi
worked for Solar Turbines as a mechanical engineer.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Asian-Pacific Post 4851 in National City. He enjoyed golf, bowling, poker and
Las Vegas casino trips with his wife until she suffered a stroke at age 59. He
was her caregiver until she passed away in 2006.
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| Henry with the Congressional Gold Medal |
“I believe the happiest day of his life was when he received
the Congressional Gold Medal,” in April, West said. The medal ceremony was held
at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Mission Valley for 121 recipients. Most were
represented by survivors but 25, including Hashiguchi, accepted the honor in
person.
“He kept saying, ‘I can’t believe it, it’s so wonderful,’”
said West. “He was so proud to be an American.”
After
moving into Elmcroft of La Mesa assisted-living facility nearly three years ago
with some dementia, Hashiguchi remained active - going for runs around the
patio and helping set up bingo games, West said.
He
was sitting in a chair in his room at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday when an Audi parked at
the top of the hill rolled downhill for 260 feet, missed a tree and a fire
hydrant, and crashed through the wall of Hashiguchi’s room. The car hit his
chair and knocked him to the floor. He suffered a broken leg and brain injuries
and died later that night.
La
Mesa police continue to investigate the crash and plan to send a report the
District Attorney’s Office for possible charges against the car owner. Police
said he had turned the wheels into the curb, but failed to set the parking
brake or put the car in gear.
West
said the 24-year-old Audi owner has apologized to the family through the care
facility.
“The
accident was such a freaky thing to happen,” West said. “My father had felt
very lucky, he was such a strong survivor.”
A
celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Community Mortuary, 855
Broadway in Chula Vista. Hashiguchi’s ashes will be interred at a later date at
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Source: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/29/la-mesa-man-survived-war-wounds-not-runaway-car/
