Shikata Ga Nai (D)

It is 1999, and Tatsuo “Tats” Kaneshiro is a veteran of WWII living out his autumn days in the quiet seclusion of his suburban home in Hawaii. A member of the famed 442 RCT, the all Nisei (second generation Japanese American) infantry regiment that became the most decorated war unit in American history, Tats spends his time doing the crossword puzzle, tending to his garden, watching television, cooking his favorite SOS (Shit on a Shingle), and occasionally entertaining company like an old army buddy he plays chess with, and his single parent daughter and attention deficit grandson. But the peace that seemingly hovers over his daily existence masks his internal struggle. For though the war has been over for 50 years, Tats relives it every day due to a haunting secret about his time in battle that he has kept to himself. Inspired by the true life tendencies of many 442 veterans who have never told their families of their war experiences, “Shikata Ga Nai” tells of the battles that these now declining heroes have faced on their own without no one else knowing. Writer: Eric Nemoto. Pages: 120.