(I Am) A Real American

Bob Kan's Book

By Bob Kan

(I Am) A Real American by Bob Kan. Bob is a 3rd Generation Japanese-American (JA) born and raised in Hawaii. As a 7-year-old, Bob told his Mom he wanted to be a pilot. As a nine-year old, he witnessed Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Bob was selling newspapers on the streets of Honolulu to soldiers and sailors, many in Hawaii on their way to fight the enemy forces in the Pacific, while Japanese American volunteers were fighting and dying in European battles as part of the 442nd and 100th infantry units to prove that they were, indeed, REAL AMERICANS, loyal to the United States even though their ethnicity was that of an enemy nation. Many served while their families were incarcerated by the US government behind barbed wire in the deserts of Utah and Arizona. Those heroic soldiers did pave the way for succeeding generation JAs like Bob to obtain his pilot wings and eventually earn the rank of Colonel, USAF, without prejudice. He became a jet pilot instructor and subsequently flew 168 combat missions in the F4C Phantom. In 1965 Bob was shot down over North Vietnam and rescued by a helicopter. In 1972 he was assigned as one of the first Japanese-American Fighter Squadron Commanders in the USAF (our 80th TFS). During his military career, he befriended and worked with the Israeli, Australian, UK, Japanese and Korean Air Forces. Bob’s background led to interesting international ventures after his retirement from active duty Air Force that exceeded his imagination or expectations. For five years he worked in the Middle East with Koreans, Arabs and Europeans and was later a Managing Director of McDonnell-Douglas Korea in Seoul, Korea. He is now on an extended, and well-earned, coffee break.

Author House Book #50897 ISBN 978–4343-7373-1 (sc)”. It can be obtained through publisher Author House. Tele: 888-519-5121 bookorders@authorhouse.com and also through Amazon.com