96-year old Sus Ito served in the 442nd Regiment during World War II.
Lucky for us, he was horrible at following orders.
The Los Angeles Times reports Ito violated military regulations by taking a camera with him to the battlefront.
“I wanted to take one because we weren’t allowed to,” said Ito. “I like to break the rules.”
Because he broke those rules, we get a close up look at the decorated military unit. Ito has donated his archives to the Japanese American National Museum. The photos are now part of a new exhibit entitled Before They Were Heroes, Sus Ito’s WWII Images.
“It covers a gap in the imagery of World War II,” said Lily Anne Welty Tamai of the Museum. “We see Asian American soldiers sitting in cafes with Italian and French women. We see Asian Americna men holding the American flag. Asian Americans can be so invisible. That’s what makes this so important.”
Some of the images on display have not even been seen by Ito. Many come from negatives Ito never printed.
The exhibition runs through September 6.
You can get a wonderful preview of the exhibition in the clip below and in the Los Angeles Times.
