We were told when we first arrived not to drink the water because it was contaminated. We only had the water to drink when we passed by a stream and we knew we shouldn’t drink it. We didn’t even have the water to wash the powder down. Even after the two weeks we given sacks of fine powder and it had to last us a week. Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: I’m surprised I survived the march to the camp because we had to march two weeks without any food or medical attention. The Voluntourist: Did you think you would be let go at some point? Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: A year later both sides began peace talks and wanted to exchange prisoners of war. The Voluntourist: What made them finally let you go? Two, three fellows tried to escape, but they brought them back. Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: There was no way we could escape because of the conditions of the area we were put into. The Voluntourist: Hershey, did you escape as well or were you let go? Joe Annello: I had 99% of my weight on him. I did the best I could, but I supported him, not carried. I felt I had to help him because if I didn’t I thought they’d shoot both of us. He was kind of delirious because he was injured a lot worse than he was. Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: I didn’t carry Joe, I supported him. They took me to another unit where I met five other people–one Turkish and four other Americans, but I think Hershey has a more interesting story than I do. Another Chinese unit was being pushed back by our forces came by and picked me up. Joe Annello: I laid in a ditch underneath a tree for two days. The Chinese were going to shoot him and I told him, “No Hershey, put me on the side of the road.” That’s the last time I saw Hershey. They ordered Hershey to put me on the side of the road and at first he refused. No, but seriously he did and the Chinese got irritated at us for slowing them down. He’s going to say he didn’t and I don’t want to diminish his efforts, but I only weighed 147 pounds. I was wounded, very severely wounded, and Hershey carried me for about 10 miles. I was only imprisoned a little over a month. Joe Annello: My story is a little different than Hershey’s. Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: About 28 months–a little over. The Voluntourist: How long were you imprisoned for? He was in a lower ground and I was way up in the higher ground. Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: He was in a different area than I was. Please tell me anything you’d like about that time. The Voluntourist: You two were in the same unit and were both captured at together. After we introduced ourselves I found out he was with the famed 442 regiment during the Second World War and thought this guy is really something. When he walked into the tent I was very impressed. I come from a melting pot with all racial and ethnic groups, but we didn’t have any Japanese Americans there and Hershey was the first one I’d seen. The Voluntourist: Joe, I understand you’d never met a Japanese American before and you two became friends the moment you were introduced. He happened to be in the tent when I walked in there. Joe Annello: It goes back to about 1950 because I joined the unit then. The Voluntourist: You two have quite the story to share! Tell me about the first time you met? Both assumed the other was dead however, they randomly found each other years later and the two tell their incredible story to The Voluntourist. Shockingly he survived and was taken to a different POW camp days later where he escaped not knowing what happened to Hershey. Wanting to give his friend a chance to live Annello made Hershey leave him behind. Miyamura carried him for miles, but was told to leave him or they’d both die. As a result his men fled, but he was taken prisoner along with Annello, who was so badly injured he couldn’t walk. In 1950, Annello, from Boston and Miyamura, from Gallup, New Mexico, enlisted in the army to fight in what many refer to as the “forgotten war.” They were captured by Chinese soldiers during a battle where Miyamura fearlessly fought the enemy forces to allow his squad to safely withdraw. Korean War Veterans Joe Annello and Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura Reunited After Thinking the Other was Deadįrom POWs to American heroes Joe Annello and Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura share an unbreakable bond and unbelievable story of courage, friendship and survival that was nationally recognized at the PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert. The two became instant friends almost seven decades ago in combat during the Korean War and are still serving their country 68 years later by inspiring others with their relentless perseverance.
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