Civil engineer celebrates 63 years of service

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman T.D. Cooper
  • 36th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) --  With admiration, he glides his hand across a huge trapezoid-shaped conference table made of solid oak. Bending down, he points out with a steady hand how he built the base precisely and securely to fit the top without nails or screws, just wooden dowels. His pride in his work and his steady hand in his craft have served him as well as he has served the U.S. government for more than 60 years.

Seikichi Kaneshiro, 83, has more years of federal service than anyone in the Air Force, said Air Force Personnel Center officials at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

Mr. Kaneshiro, known by many as “Mr. Paul,” is the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron’s vertical repair superintendent. With 60 years as a civilian employee and three years in the Army, he has collectively worked 63 years for the government. There is probably nowhere on base where people cannot see this Hilo, Hawaii, native’s handiwork.

Mr. Kaneshiro designed and built countless storage cabinets, conference room tables and display cases -- most from solid oak. He has designed and overseen the construction of several buildings, including the airman leadership school and the command post, which took two and a half years of planning.

“I’m proud of my work,” he said, and his co-workers and staff said they see that in him every day.

Master Sgt. Kevin Monkman, 36th CES heavy repair chief, said he remembers being an airman first class in 1986 and working for Mr. Kaneshiro.

“I realized then he was a very knowledgeable, extremely dedicated professional who always takes care of his subordinates,” Sergeant Monkman said. “Every project he tackles, he gives 100 percent. When I came back to Guam and found out ‘Mr. Paul’ was still making a difference at Andersen, I was honored to have the opportunity to work with him again.”

Mr. Kaneshiro has not only used his design and building skills here, but also throughout Guam.

He has made furniture for several churches on the island and built a house for a groundskeeper here after his burned down. He also recounted how, after a typhoon ripped through the island, the convent where his children went to school was destroyed. He and the school custodian helped rebuild the structure and, when they were done, they had made more space than before the storm. He said the reason he is still alive is because the sisters at the convent keep him in their prayers.

Airman 1st Class Randall Diericks, a 36th CES structural apprentice, said he sees Mr. Kaneshiro as a true role model.

“’Mr. Paul’ has taught me many things ranging from my craftsmanship to everyday life and lessons I will learn along the way,” Airman Diericks said. “I think of (him) as an inspiration because of some of the things that he has done.”

And Mr. Kaneshiro has done some very notable things.

Mr. Kaneshiro joined the military in 1943 during Word War II. From there, he embarked on a military experience that could resemble a modern-day war movie.

He left Hawaii on a ship to San Francisco. From there he took a train through the Sierra Mountains to Camp Shelby, Miss., for a year of basic training. After basic training, he traveled for 29 days on a liberty ship to the Strait of Gibraltar.

Mr. Kaneshiro was assigned to the 522nd Field Artillery, a part of the famed 442nd “Go for Broke!” Battalion consisting of all Japanese-American Soldiers.

Tech. Sgt. Christopher Foust, 36th CES noncommissioned officer in charge of vertical repair, said he has a deep respect for Mr. Kaneshiro and all the Japanese-Americans who fought against the Germans during World War II.

“They overcame racism and completed some of the hardest battles of World War II just to prove they were as American as any European-descended family,” Sergeant Foust said.

In April 1944, during his time in Germany, Mr. Kaneshiro met Paula, his future wife.

After serving with the U.S. Army in Germany, France and Italy, Mr. Kaneshiro went back to Hawaii where he was discharged from the military in December 1945. His job as a woodcraftsman for the Hickam Air Depot was still waiting for him. He worked there for seven months before he packed up and left Hawaii again, this time for good.

In 1946, Typhoon Querida devastated Guam, and Mr. Kaneshiro volunteered to help rebuild parts of the island. While on Guam, he worked at Harmon Field, which was deactivated in 1949, so he went to work in the field maintenance wood shop here. He said he had only planned to be in Guam for two years, but he liked his job too much and never got on the plane back to Hawaii. Although he did not return to his homeland to live out his life, he returned briefly in 1951 to reunite with and marry Paula, starting a new life with her in Guam.

The Kaneshiros have three children: Claudia, Roy and Roger. They also have three grandchildren.

Mr. Kaneshiro is one man who has made a huge impact on many lives, Sergeant Monkman said.

“Everyone who comes into contact with him is touched by his kindness and is a better person for knowing him. Although there are people at Andersen who haven’t met him, one way or another, he has (affected) their lives with all of the quality-of-life projects he has completed,” he said.

Mr. Kaneshiro has built more than furniture and a successful family; he has helped build an air base, a community and American history.