Hideshi Niimi

C Company

Hideshi Niimi was born in 1917 in Pa‘auilo, on the Big Island of Hawai‘i. His early life was marked by a trans-Pacific rhythm: his family later moved to Hiroshima, Japan, where he spent part of his youth. After the death of his parents, Niimi returned to Hawai‘i with his siblings, settling back in a land that would soon be torn by war.

In December 1940, well before the United States entered World War II, Niimi enlisted in the 299th Army National Guard, the same territorial guard unit that many young Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) joined during that era. When the 100th Infantry Battalion was formed in mid-1942 — composed largely of Nisei soldiers drawn from the 298th and 299th regiments — Niimi was counted among its original members.

Assigned to F Company, Niimi traveled with the battalion to the U.S. mainland for training, first at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, then later at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, following the pattern of the 100th’s early preparations.

When the 100th was deployed overseas, Niimi went with them into the crucible of war in Europe. The battalion first saw action in Italy, attached to the 34th Infantry Division. As part of the fierce fighting in the Italian Campaign, the 100th helped to cross rivers, scale hills, and face heavily fortified German defenses.

In August 1944, the 100th formally became part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — the famed all-Nisei unit — while retaining its battalion identity. This integration placed Niimi and his fellow soldiers into some of the most brutal fighting of the war, including in France’s Vosges Mountains, and in the rescue of the “Lost Battalion.”

After the war ended, Niimi returned to civilian life in Hawai‘i. He found work as a mechanic at the Pearl Harbor Public Works Center, putting his technical skills to use in peacetime. Outside of work, he maintained a rich life: he enjoyed golf, bowling, and ballroom dancing, and became deeply involved in his community. He taught bonsai — the Japanese art of miniature tree cultivation — through classes at the Kaimuki Night School and the Moiliili Community Center, passing on patience and beauty to others.

Though Hideshi Niimi did not become one of the most publicly celebrated heroes of the 100th Battalion, his service is emblematic of the nearly 1,400 Nisei who volunteered, trained, and fought with extraordinary courage. His journey—from plantation childhood in Hawai‘i, to orphaned life in Japan, to frontline service in Europe, and back to community life—is a testament to perseverance, loyalty, and quiet dignity.