Purple Heart Warriors: 1. Memorial day

In Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, a young American finds himself mysteriously transported back in time and training for combat in World War Two. He’s in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, in 1943 and can’t understand why he’s there. Has a bachi, or a curse, been placed on him?

This series is inspired by real events and contains dramatised battle scenes and out-dated racial language.

Cast:

Narrator: Will Sharpe
Ken: Akie Kotabe
Lieutenant/Bus guard/Texan soldier/Reporter: Freddy Elletson
Grandpa Allan/ Mr Yamada: Clyde Kusatsu
Emily: Samantha Dakin
Little Ken: Hudson Roberts.
Mrs Tanaka/Baachan/Shirley/Li: Tamlyn Tomita
Nui Louie/Mr Okimura: Aaron Ikeda
Barry/Captain Kim/Private Sasaki/Radio man: Derek Mio
Shorty: Raiko Gohara
Ohta/Captain Minori: Matt McCooey
Drill Sergeant/General Dahlquist: Martin McDougal
Colonel Pence/Earl Finch/Col Miller: Colin Stinton
Sonny: Kurt Kanazawa
Boxer/Crooner/Pokey: Conrad Lihilihi

Written by Iris Yamashita
Sound design: Richard Gould at Skywalker Sound
Recording and mixing: Leon Chambers
Original music: Josh Sneesby
Consultant: L Stuart Hirai
Dramaturg: James Yeatman
Broadcast assistant: Teresa Milewski
Production co-ordinator: Kate Brook
Associate producers: Tim Bell & Rosa Crompton
Director: Jessica Dromgoole
Producer: Catherine Bailey.
Based on an idea by Simon Pitts

A Catherine Bailey production for the BBC World Service