WASHINGTON -- Safe to say, Kyle Higashioka won't have many off-days as memorable and as moving as the one he had on Monday in the nation's capital.
Higashioka visited the U.S. Army Museum, where he accepted a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his grandfather who served in Europe during World War II.
G. Shigeru Higashioka served in the 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, fighting for the United States from 1943-45. He did so as a Nisei Soldier -- one of many Japanese Americans who fought for the United States, in spite of turmoil for their families at home. While G. Shigeru served, the rest of the Higashioka family was placed in an incarceration camp in California.
Eighty years later, G. Shigeru Higashioka's grandson was given a tour of the U.S. Army Museum and spent time looking at the details of his grandfather’s service in the soldier registry. He was then presented with the medal by retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki. The visit was organized by the MLB Players Trust.
"It was a really cool experience, just learning more about my grandfather's time in the war," Higashioka said. "Because before this year, I didn't really know much at all."
Higashioka's grandfather passed away several years ago and didn't talk much with Kyle about his service -- though Kyle recalled stories from his dad and aunt about "the rescue of the lost battalion," in which his grandfather’s unit rescued another unit trapped on the France-Germany border.
"I never got a chance to talk to him about any of that stuff," Higashioka said. "So it was cool to hear the stories about all the battles he fought in. Actually, it was a long time that his unit was fighting in Europe, and they were pretty heavily utilized. So it's pretty amazing he even survived the war."
Additionally, Higashioka said he learned stories of great uncles who played baseball while relocated into incarceration camps. His grandfather on his mother’s side also played baseball during World War II while stationed in the Pacific. Clearly, baseball runs deep in the Higashioka family.