HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Elsie Higa Yoshimura holds onto a photo of her dad and her mom very close to her heart.
Her dad, Thomas Taro Higa, was part of the Japanese-American contingent of soldiers from the 100th Battalion, part of the “Go For Broke” 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
She is sharing her dad’s story during World War II for a new film called “The 100th: Seeds of Aloha.”
“I really feel that they did so much in terms of sacrificing so many of them with the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives,” Yoshimura said.
Yoshimura and many other descendants of 100th Battalion soldiers were invited by film-maker Steve Sue to share what their dads went through. They faced racial prejudice back home after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, yet they fought valiantly abroad, sharing the spirit of Aloha along the way.
“The least we can do as a descendant is to try to continue to do what they did and make the world a better place,” explained Elsie.
Filmmaker Steve Sue said while this movie is about the most decorated unit in U.S. military history, it will tell a different story about the100th Battalion Soldiers from Hawaii.
“The reason why we’re calling it ‘Seeds of Aloha’ is I don’t want to do a war epic, I don’t want to do pryo. I want to do love, what did you do on the battlefield that shared love, shared Aaoha and what did you do 80 years after,” he explained.
Bruce Hisanaga is another proud son of a 100th Battalion soldier. He believes his dad’s story needs to be shared with the world, considering current events in the U.S.
“The temperature of our country is against minorities, that kind of stuff, so it’s important that minorities story are told.” said Hisanaga.
Hisanaga’s dad didn’t share much about what he went through. The hardships, the struggles discovered later.
He said if were able to talk to his dad right now, he would convey a simple message to him.
“He was my role model and I tried to expound on that as I grew up.”
Filming the Hawaii portion for this documentary was a one-day shoot at Pearl Harbor at Ford Island. The next chapter of this story will be told in the European theater and the crew hope to have this film out within the next year and half.
“Italy, France and Germany, all on that map, we’re doing the whole thing, six weeks tour we’re taking a camera crew and capturing the European stories, the stories of gratitude. I know it is going to be epic,” said filmmaker Sue.
The Hawaii portion of “Seeds of Aloha” was shot at Hangar 79 on Ford Island, where the attack on Pearl Harbor took place and launched the U.S. into World War II. Producers said this was symbolic in nature to showcase the valor of Japanese-American soldiers of the 100th Battalion of the 442nd.