Korean War Veterans Joe Annello and Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura Reunited After Thinking the Other was Dead
From 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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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. As a result his men fled, but he was taken prisoner along with Annello, who was so badly injured he couldn’t walk. Miyamura carried him for miles, but was told to leave him or they’d both die. Wanting to give his friend a chance to live Annello made Hershey leave him behind.
Shockingly he survived and was taken to a different POW camp days later where he escaped not knowing what happened to Hershey. Both assumed the other was dead however, they randomly found each other years later and the two tell their incredible story to The Voluntourist.
The Voluntourist: You two have quite the story to share! Tell me about the first time you met?
Joe Annello: It goes back to about 1950 because I joined the unit then. He happened to be in the tent when I walked in there.
The Voluntourist: Joe, I understand you’d never met a Japanese American before and you two became friends the moment you were introduced.
Joe Annello: That’s right. 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. When he walked into the tent I was very impressed. 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. We’ve been friends for 68 years.
The Voluntourist: You two were in the same unit and were both captured at together. Please tell me anything you’d like about that time.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: He was in a different area than I was. He was in a lower ground and I was way up in the higher ground.
The Voluntourist: How long were you imprisoned for?
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: About 28 months–a little over.
Joe Annello: My story is a little different than Hershey’s. I was only imprisoned a little over a month. We escaped from the Chinese. I was wounded, very severely wounded, and Hershey carried me for about 10 miles. He’s going to say he didn’t and I don’t want to diminish his efforts, but I only weighed 147 pounds. No, but seriously he did and the Chinese got irritated at us for slowing them down. They ordered Hershey to put me on the side of the road and at first he refused. 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.
The Voluntourist: How did you survive?
Joe Annello: I laid in a ditch underneath a tree for two days. I was weak and delirious. Another Chinese unit was being pushed back by our forces came by and picked me up. 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.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: I didn’t carry Joe, I supported him. He was kind of delirious because he was injured a lot worse than he was. I felt I had to help him because if I didn’t I thought they’d shoot both of us. I did the best I could, but I supported him, not carried.
Joe Annello: I had 99% of my weight on him.
The Voluntourist: Hershey, did you escape as well or were you let go?
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: There was no way we could escape because of the conditions of the area we were put into. It was so far away from everything. Two, three fellows tried to escape, but they brought them back. I was in a weak condition. I had dysenteriae and I just couldn’t.
The Voluntourist: What made them finally let you go?
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: A year later both sides began peace talks and wanted to exchange prisoners of war.
The Voluntourist: Did you think you would be let go at some point?
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. Even after the two weeks we given sacks of fine powder and it had to last us a week. We didn’t even have the water to wash the powder down. We only had the water to drink when we passed by a stream and we knew we shouldn’t drink it. We were told when we first arrived not to drink the water because it was contaminated. That’s how I got dysenteriae. The worst part of it, some of these boys 16-years-old refused to eat that powder. I told them if they don’t eat it they won’t survive, and we lost six of those young men.
The Voluntourist: So after 28 months you finally go home and you think Joe is dead?
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: I thought for sure they were going to shoot him because he couldn’t keep up. I had no idea that he survived.
The Voluntourist: Tell me how you two were reunited?
Joe Annello: Hershey told all of my friends that I was dead.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: That’s what I thought. Normally they would shoot you anyway regardless whether you were wounded or not if you couldn’t keep up with the group.
Joe Annello: On my escape story we had five people in my group that I was with and ironically we were with the Chinese medical unit, but they refused to feed us or medical attention. One of the fellows died there because of gangrene. We buried him there in a hole. There was a pilot there, the only one who could walk, and I told him we have to escape. we had a couple of guys that weren’t going to last longer than two weeks. We formulated a plan for escape. We crawled up the hill one night and made a POW sign with an arrow down to our shack and that night the pilot, who was going down to the river to get some water, just kept on going. He swam down the river for a day and a half and made contact with another unit. The next morning they sent the Marine fighter pilots over and they strafed the area and around our hut so they Chinese wouldn’t come in and get us. Then five tanks from the 1st Calvary came in and surrounded the hut and we were home free.
The Voluntourist: That’s an incredible story. When did you find out that Hershey was still alive?
Joe Annello: I was on my way to California to go to the Army Language School and just before I left there I picked up an old Newsweek magazine and saw this skinny looking Japanese American looking guy who weighed about 90 pounds. He was in a bathrobe and pajamas and General Osbourne, who was the 3rd Division Commander at that time, was telling him that he was going to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The magazine was eight months old, but I was on my way to California and I wanted to drop by to see Hershey. I got to Gallup and I found out where he worked. I walked into the store and Hershey looked at me white as a sheet. His words were, “By God you’re dead!” I assured him I wasn’t dead. That was 65 years ago. I still had several friends 50 years later that thought I was dead because of Hershey.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: They didn’t release the names [of the dead] the first year. It was only because of the peace talks they let a few of the names out. That’s when my wife heard I was a POW.
The Voluntourist: How long did you know each other before you were captured?
Joe Annello: Only about six or eight months. When I first met Hershey I was just a young kid. I was only 17 and Hershey was an old man at 24. I looked up to him like an older brother. We just hit it off. We’ve been friends since.
The Voluntourist: What’s one thing that you want people today to know about your story?
Joe Annello: You get the grasp of what friendship and hope is all about.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: You learn a lot about yourself when you become a prisoner like that.
The Voluntourist: What did you learn?
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: Don’t give up. It’s so easy to give up. You’re hungry, you’re starving, but if you give up that’s it. Keep trying because at least you’ll have a chance.
Joe Annello: Hershey and I both talk to various groups and military schools and that’s one of our themes–never give up!
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: I also learned that events are going to happen in your life and you won’t understand why that happened, but down the road you’re going to find out why it happened and it’s usually for the better. So I tell these young people don’t worry about something you have no control over.
Joe Annello: When I talk to a group of people, particularly Japanese Americans, I say when Hershey walked into that tent, I said to myself, “I’m going to have trouble with this guy. I know I’m going to have trouble.” The reason I say I’m going to have trouble is because until he walked in, I was the best looking guy.
The Voluntourist: How could you join the military so young? Joe, you weren’t even 18.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: He lied.
The Voluntourist: Did you lie?
Joe Annello: Well, I told a little fib.
The Voluntourist: They didn’t check to verify your age?
Joe Annello: I forged the paperwork. No disrespect to the younger generation, but we grew up during the [Great] Depression, most of us when we were 12-years-old were adults just because of the conditions. Most of the kids now at 12 are still kids. This is not disparaging to kids now, but it was a different time.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: But they did say that if you are 16 and you want to go home you can. Some did, but most stayed.
Joe Annello: Two weeks before we were captured, I was 17-years-old and I turned 18 on the 5th of April. The first sergeant to come to commander called me in and said, “We’re going to send you home.” I said, “Why?” and he said, “You’re only 17.” I begged and pleaded with them not to go. I said, “I’ll be 18 in two weeks,” and they hid the papers for a couple of weeks until I turned 18.
The Voluntourist: Why was it so important for you to stay?
Joe Annello: I just couldn’t leave. You don’t leave your friends.
Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura: Joe was a very patriotic young man.
The Voluntourist: What made you want to sign up for the military initially?
Joe Annello: I grew up in the most patriotic time for our government during the Second World War. That’s when the country pulled together everybody. It’s not like now where we’re divided. I always had a desire to join the service.
Annello received the Silver Star and Miyamura was awarded the Medal of Honor. Their story was told at the PBS’ National Memorial Day Concert by Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award-nominated actor John Corbett and star of “Chicago Med” Brian Tee.
You can watch the event on Video on Demand until June 10th, 2018 or watch online here.