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The Japanese American Museum of San Jose

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Visiting the Japanese American Museum of San Jose

photo of entrance to JAMsjI visited the Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) in May of this year with my wife and my wife’s aunt, who lives in San Jose and is a member of the museum. I am very glad that we went, because I humbly submit that the visit helped to increase my understanding of the world. I have not yet visited the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles or other Japanese American museums in San Francisco, Seattle and other cities. I have been to the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (Honolulu) a number of times, thank you.

There is a portion of the JAMsj that features the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. There is also material on the Military Intelligence Service. What made the biggest impact on me, however, were the stories and artwork related to the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans who were living on the West Coast, including Japanese Americans who lived in and around San Jose.

Reading the material and viewing the artwork impressed on me a bit of the experiences of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were forced from their homes after December 7, 1941 – impressions that I had not gained from books and articles I had read before my visit. There is also a re-creation of a barracks from the Tule Lake incarceration camp that we walked through that held my attention in a way that a written description would not. My mother-in-law was sent to an incarceration camp with her family, but she does not remember much since she was 2 years old when they entered the camp. My wife’s aunty was also incarcerated with her family in a different camp and she shared some stories with us and with the docent who took us through the JAMsj. These are stories that must not be forgotten and the JAMsj is helping to tell these stories to visitors to the Museum and their website.

photo re-creation of a Tule Lake barracks in the JAMsj

The JAMsj also has other exhibit material such as old farming equipment used by San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Japanese Americans farmers (including a tractor from about 1915!), baseball and sumo related information from around San Jose and information on the pioneers who established the San Jose Japantown area. To folks like me, born and raised in Hawaii, I highly recommend visiting the JAMsj and other Japanese American museums on the mainland. The hope is that you come away with a greater understanding of the fuller Japanese American experience, which includes the experiences of our 442nd veterans and also the experiences of the Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII.

sculpture outside of JAMsjLocated in the San Jose Japantown area, the JAMsj is located about half a block off Jackson Street (which has a number of Japanese restaurants for your dining adventure). The Museum is in the former residence of Tokio Ishikawa, M.D., who was born and raised in San Jose, practiced medicine and also led tours of Japantown so that he became known as the Historian of San Jose Japantown.
www.jamsj.org

by S&D member Jon Ishihara

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75th Anniversary Banquet “Diamond Jubilee” of the 100th Infantry Battalion

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The Ebb Tides performing at the banquetThe Ebb Tides performing

The Sons and Daughters of the 442nd were well represented at the 100th Battalion’s 75th Anniversary Banquet, which was held on Sunday, July 23, 10am-2pm, at the Pomaikai Ballroom at Dole Cannery. We had two full tables – including officers Grace Fujii, Juanita Allen and Shirley Igarashi, and members Gwen and Clayton Fujie, Glenn and Edean Goya, Lynn Heirakuji, Phyllis Hironaka, Anita Nihei and Ken Akinaka. Wes Deguchi, representing the NVL, was also present. (Sorry if we missed anyone.) Also our guests Mr. and Mrs. King Lit Ching sat with us. He is the son of Hung Wai Ching, who in 1940 was part of the Hawaii Council for Interracial Unity that helped prepare the local Issei community for the impending war. King Lit is working with us, the S&D, to fundraise for Tom Coffman’s new book, How Hawaii Changed America.
S&D members Anita, Gail and GraceS&D members Anita, Gail and Grace

The banquet was wonderful – the 100th can sure do these events up right! They had all of the veterans march in as their names were called, there was a 75th Anniversary cake, and the entertainment was spectacular. During our meal, we were entertained by The Ebb Tides playing everything from Hawaiian to Japanese to swing music. Afterwards, a young performer in full traditional attire including white face makeup, did several Japanese dances. This was followed by his luring audience members up to dance – and the first one up was our own Gwen Fujie, followed quickly by Anita Nihei. Before it was all over, they had been joined by Grace Fujii and – Japan Consul General Misawa, Hawaii Governor Ige and Honolulu Mayor Caldwell. Clearly the best way ever to end the banquet. We truly hope that the 100th continues with a 76th Anniversary Banquet in 2018.

S&D members Gwen and AnitaS&D members Gwen and Anita

S&D member Gail with 100th Infantry Bn veteran Masaharu Saito and familyS&D member Gail with 100th Infantry Bn veteran Masaharu Saito and family

table favor for the banquettable centerpiece – cute

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This Time in 442nd RCT History (Sept 2017)

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RHINELAND CAMPAIGN-VOSGES (October 10, 1944 – November 21, 1944)

There were five major battle campaigns that were fought by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, of which the Rhineland Campaign-Vosges was one of them.  The 442nd arrived in France in October 1944 to join the 36th Division as part of the 7th Army, after fighting in and then leaving Italy, where the 442nd and 100th Infantry Battalion had joined up to form the RCT.  At this point in time, the Allies were about 40 miles from the France/Germany border but the Vosges Mountains brought a new type of terrain experience for the 442nd soldiers.

map of Bruyeres showing 442nd RCT movement and hills A, B, C, D

map from https://1stabtf.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/map-bruy%C3%A8res-17-octobre.png

In order to proceed ahead towards the border, the soldiers needed to secure the town of Bruyeres.  Bruyeres is located in a valley bordered by four hills, which were heavily guarded by the Germans.  The Allies labeled the hills A, B, C, and D.  Hill A was Northwest of Bruyeres, Hill B to the North, Hill C on the Northeast side, and Hill D was to the East.  Besides the hilly terrain and dense forest, the soldiers encountered thick fog, mud, rain and cold temperatures, conditions that were extremely challenging for fighting.

On October 15, 1944, the 442nd began their attack on Bruyeres, under the command of Major General John Dahlquist.  The 100th Infantry Battalion attacked Hill A, the 2nd Battalion attacked Hill B and the 3rd Battalion moved in to take the town of Bruyeres.  After three days of “vicious” fighting and assistance from the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, Hills A and B were secured and the enemy was cleared out of Bruyeres.  The Germans still held Hills C and D, so on October 19, the soldiers began their assault on those hills.  With casualties of 100 plus men, the hills were finally secured.  Hill D became known as “Ohama’s Hill” to the 442nd in remembrance of Tech Sergeant Abraham Ohama, F Company.

After some needed rest, the 100th was ordered to march east to the town of Biffontaine.  They were soon encircled by German forces who fired heavy artillery and rocket fire.  Low on supplies, the 100th had to hide in building cellars and wait for assistance.  Finally on October 23, the 3rd Battalion of the 442nd reached the 100th and assisted in driving out the German forces and handing Biffontaine to the 36th Division.

The Rhineland Campaign-Vosges liberated several towns in France but it had the most profound impact on Bruyeres and Biffontaine.  In honor of being liberated by the soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team from German forces, the people of the two villages have erected monuments and hold yearly celebrations to recognize the soldiers of the 442nd.  School children in Bruyeres learn to sing Aloha Oe and Hawaii Ponoi as part of their curriculum.  It is impressive to see the extreme gratitude of the people of these two towns toward the 442nd RCT and their families.  If you have the chance to visit the area, such as during the planned 2019 tour, you will get to experience this first hand.  Others have been fortunate to have already visited Bruyeres and Biffontaine, as written about in our May e-newsletter.

photo from Bruyeres town websitehttps://www.ville-bruyeres.fr/

References

https://www.goforbroke.org/learn/history/combat_history/world_war_2/european_theater/rhineland_vosges.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United States)#Vosges_Mountains

https://www.the442.org/battlehistory.html

https://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/nisei/index6_vosges.html

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442nd Veterans and the National Museum of the U.S. Army

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Aloha Hawaii 442nd RCT Veterans, Families, and Supporters

The U.S. Army plans to open a new National Museum of the U.S. Army (NMUSA) near Washington D.C. in 2019. NMUSA will include sections recognizing the WWII Nisei Soldiers of the 442nd RCT, 100th Infantry Battalion and Military Intelligence Service. It is seeking individual Nisei Soldier stories, as well as objects and artifacts that will be made part of the exhibit. See the NMUSA website at: thenmusa.org.

nma-small-logo

The Sons & Daughters Chapter is working with the National Veterans Network to coordinate the submission of 442nd Soldier stories for consideration for use in the museum. S&D member Lynn Heirakuji is the point of contact for this project and is providing detailed information on how interested parties can submit Soldier stories, as well as donated objects and artifacts, to be considered for inclusion in the NMUSA. Attached is an Information Sheet (below) on NMUSA along with two Attachments that explains NMUSA and what it is seeking to help create the Nisei Soldier sections of the new museum. The one-year deadline for bringing these sections to completion is very tight.

This is an extremely important and rare opportunity for the compelling story of the WWII Nisei Soldiers to be told at the national level and to a broad audience.

Please review the Information Sheet and support this effort by

    nominating a WWII 442nd RCT Nisei Veteran for individual recognition

at NMUSA – the local submission deadline is October 1, 2017. If you have any related

    objects or artifacts

that you would like to permanently donate to NMUSA, please consider doing so – submission deadline is September 30, 2017.

On behalf of the Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT, Lynn is coordinating the submission of 442nd RCT Hawaii Nisei Soldier stories. Mark Matsunaga and Susan Muroshige will be coordinating the nominations for the MIS and 100th Infantry Battalion Soldiers, respectively.

Please email Lynn at LHeirakuji@gmail.com if you have any questions or need help with your nomination submission. Or you can call or text Lynn at 240 351-8656.

Thanks
Lynn Heirakuji
Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT, Member
Nisei Veterans Legacy, Board Member

Download (PDF, 524KB)

Download (PDF, 139KB)

Download (PDF, 1.3MB)

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Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit in Yokohama, Japan

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Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit in Japan
By S&D member Byrnes Yamashita
photo of Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit in Yokohama, Japan.
The Hawaii Nikkei Legacy Exhibit at the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum, Yokohama, Japan.
Photo courtesy of Philbert Ono.

An exhibit highlighting the Japanese-American experience in Hawaii from the initial waves of immigration through World War II and the post-war period with photographs and narrative text in English and Japanese opened in Yokohama this past June. Included are photos of Nisei soldiers from the 100th, 442nd, 1399th and MIS who fought in World War II to prove their loyalty to the United States. The exhibit also includes a section on prefectural roots that identifies prominent Japanese Americans from Hawaii whose ancestors were part of the flow of contract workers (kanyaku imin) who came to Hawaii beginning in 1885 to work on the sugar plantations.

The idea for this exhibit was initially conceived in 2015 by Mrs. Michiko Shigeeda, wife of the then Consul General of Japan in Honolulu, Mr. Toyoei Shigeeda, who is currently Japan’s ambassador to Lithuania. Mrs. Shigeeda felt that the Japanese people who already have a strong affinity for Hawaii would be interested in learning about the history of the Japanese Americans in Hawaii. Bishop Ryokan Ara of the Tendai Educational Foundation, who was recently named a Living Treasure of Hawaii by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, was the spiritual inspiration for the project. Bishop Ara has worked for over 40 years to improve the understanding and relationships between the Japanese Americans in Hawaii and the Japanese people. Mr. Ryoji Koike of the Pacific Aviation Museum played a key role in coordinating with organizations and support groups in Japan.

An exhibit content committee, including three S&D members, collected photographs, wrote the narrative and designed the exhibit. The project was prepared completely through volunteer efforts with printing and other expenses funded by the Nisei Veterans Legacy (NVL) and in-kind contributions.

Titled, “The Hawaii Nikkei Legacy,” the exhibit is co-sponsored by the NVL, the Japan America Society of Hawaii and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. (“Nikkei” refers to Japanese who have migrated to various foreign countries.) The exhibit is currently open at the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum (JOMM) in Yokohama, Japan. The JOMM is operated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA. The JICA is the rough equivalent of the USAID in the United States and one of its elements is the Association of Nikkei and Japanese Abroad, which serves as the host for the exhibit.

The exhibit is scheduled to be shown at the JOMM through September 3, 2017. It will also appear at the Hawaii Expo event at the Hikarie Building in Shibuya, Tokyo from July 15-17. Then it will be shown in Fukushima City from July 19-29 in conjunction with the City’s 110th anniversary celebration. Finally, it will be at the Imperial Bank Building in Hiroshima City from October 1-14. Anyone traveling to Japan during these time periods are encouraged to see the exhibit. The exhibit may also be shown in Hawaii in 2018 though no arrangements have been made to date.

photo of Ku'ulei Mamo Park and her band and dencers at opening ceremony
Hawaiian music performance by Kuʽulei Mamo Park (daughter of a 100th Infantry Battalion veteran, at right in photo – corrected) and her band with hula dancers at the opening ceremony for the exhibit.
Photo courtesy of Philbert Ono.

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Third Annual Wahiawa War Memorial Ceremony July 16, 2017

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The Third Annual Wahiawa War Memorial Ceremony will be held on July 16 to commemorate the 21 Wahiawa veterans who gave their lives during World War II, and recognize their families for the sacrifices they made during the war. The event, which will begin at 4 p.m. at Wahiawa District Park in the Hale Okipa building, is free and open to the public. The history of the soldiers and community members who worked to build the first city swimming pool in 1949 also will be shared.

The Wahiawa veterans killed in action were:
Masaharu Endo
Chester Fukunaga
Robert Han
Harry Hayakawa
Himeo Hiratani
Kikuichiro Ikehara
William Irwin
Kumao Iwahiro
Robert Johnson
Kiichi Koda
Mitsuharu Kuboyama
Daniel Lim
Robert McEldowney
Weldon Simpson
Richard D. Suwa
Wesley B. Swain
Robert Sweet
Yoshio Tagami
Mitsuo Tanji
Kazuo Yamashita and
Jerry Yamauchi.

The ceremony will open with the Kapolei High School Marine Corps JROTC opening color guard, Ryugen Taiko Group and a special 21-gun salute. Guest speakers include representatives from veterans’ organizations and community groups to pay tribute to veterans from the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The event also will feature a performance by the Royal Hawaiian Band. The sponsoring Wahiawa Lions Club will have a wreath and the Wahiawa Rainbow Seniors will make lei for the families to present during the ceremony. Community organizations such as the Wahiawa Community and Business Association, the Wahiawa Nikkei Civic Association, the Wahiawa-­Whitmore Neighborhood Board and Wahiawa elected officials also will present lei during the ceremony. Members of the S&D of the 442nd RCT and of the 100th Infantry Battalion Descendants will be attending the ceremony and also will present lei.

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This Time in 442nd History (July 2017)

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The Flight of the Anti-Tank Company

glider
(photo courtesy of the U.S. Army)

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was an U.S. Army infantry unit, as we the friends and family of the 442nd veterans know. Not all may know, however, that just weeks after the 442nd arrived in Italy and entered combat in June of 1944, the men of the Anti-Tank Company were separated from their 442nd brethren to be trained as glider troops taking to the air to transport anti-tank guns, Jeeps and ammunition. Here are some details of the flight of the Anti-Tank Company.

For general background, the 442nd HQ, 2nd and 3rd Battalions had all arrived in Italy by mid-June 1944. The battle hardened 100th Infantry Battalion was attached to the 442nd RCT on June 11. The 442nd RCT then entered combat in Italy on June 26 near Suvereto and continued this phase of fighting until July 24. Within this context, the Anti-Tank Company was detached from the RCT on July 16 for a secret mission in support of Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France by Allied troops.

The men of Anti-Tank Company learned that they were assigned to glider training. They had to learn how to load and lash down equipment in the gliders, and the gliders would be used to transport the entire Company with British-made anti-tank guns in to the battlefield. They did this training near Rome.

Then on August 15, as part of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Airborne Task Force, the men of Anti-Tank Company loaded into the gliders, were pulled by U.S. aircraft from Italy to Southern France and landed in the fields and in the trees around Le Muy, France. There were injuries, especially to the pilots of the gliders that were transporting the Company. The 517th paratroopers had preceded the Anti-Tank Company to secure the landing areas, and these infantry men suffered casualties.

The Company was able to set up their guns and for two months after their glider flights guarded the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the flank of the U.S. 7th Army. The Anti-Tank Company is the only unit in the 442nd to receive the Glider Badge.

Read the words of veterans of the Anti-Tank Company in these links:
https://nisei.hawaii.edu/object/io_1149148189765.html (accessed 7/8/2017)
https://www.100thbattalion.org/archives/newspaper-articles/ben-tamashiro/the-antitank-company-442-rct/ (accessed 7/8/2017)
https://www.goforbroke.org/learn/history/combat_history/world_war_2/european_theater/southern_france_campaign.php (accessed 7/8/2017)

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S&D Volunteer project with Hamilton Library

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S&D Volunteer project with Hamilton Library at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa

screen shot of Archives & Manuscripts Dept. web page

The S&D has initiated a volunteer project with Hamilton Library at the University of Hawai’I at Manoa to digitize archival material that was previously given to the Library by the 442nd Veterans Club.  Much of the material is only accessible currently by visiting the Manuscripts and Archives Department in person.  S&D members have volunteered to digitize the material, which will allow Hamilton Library to provide the information online to provide access to many more who may be interested in the 442nd RCT.

The volunteers are to receive training beginning in late July and the hope is to start the project in August with the goal of completing much or all of the digitization by some time next year.  The material that will be digitized includes copies of National Archives documents related to the activities of the 442nd RCT, 100th Infantry Battalion, MIS, 1399th Engineers and other Japanese Americans serving in World War II; and a set of material collected by the 442nd Veterans Club such as a copies of the memoirs of Chaplain Masao Yamada (3rd Battalion) and of the memoirs of members of Love Company.

Hamilton Library has these materials in the Japanese American Veterans Collection.  By digitizing the material, the goal of the S&D and Hamilton Library is to increase access to these important resources.
At this time (July 2017) we have had good response from our S&D members and are not actively recruiting volunteers.

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Stories of SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Company

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Stories of SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Company

By First Sgt Keith Nakahara

SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Co.

SSgt Seiji Nakahara, I Co.

My Father was in “I” company, he got shot the day before they rescued the “Lost Battalion.”  He got shot in the chest, but luckily, it hit his binoculars and wallet first, then penetrated into his chest and went out through his side, he had a big scar from it. He thought that was his ticket home, but was patched up and sent back into the front lines with the rest of the 442nd, they told him it didn’t hit any vitals, lol.

He fought from Italy, France to inside somewhere in Germany, I saw his discharge papers or maybe it was his DD214. He was wounded 3 times and got the Bronze Star of Valor. I am very proud of my Father and the men of the 442nd and the 100th BN, that they fought not only the enemy, but prejudice, discrimination, racism and ignorance in our own country. Giving all Japanese Americans a better life, and for our children’s future. Their Legacy will go on, and will be remembered.

My Father never talked about the war, but sometimes I could get some pieces of it when we sometimes watched army movies, I’d ask him what kind of weapon he had, and he told me at first, he had a M-1, then after his squad leader got hit, he took his weapon which was a Thompson machine gun or “tommy gun.” He said, going up the hill to rescue the “Lost Battalion”, they ran out of food and water. Supplies couldn’t keep up with them, they were moving fast. They also talked on the radio to HQ, in broken Japanese and Pidgin language. lol. The Germans couldn’t understand what they were saying, lol. When the movie “The Holocaust” played on TV long time ago, he cried, I’ll never forget that. I know now why he cried, he must have passed through some extermination camps in Germany.

I just wanted to say, you and the Sons and Daughters of the 442nd, are doing great things!

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Stories From My Grandpa

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Stories From My Grandpa
By Kristen Nemoto Jay

Sgt. Wilbert “Sandy” Holck, 442nd RCT Cannon Co.

photo of Sgt. Wilbert “Sandy” Holck, 442nd RCT Cannon Co.

I don’t remember my grandfather. Not personally, anyway. The only memories I have of him consist of a bleak image of a large J.F.K. velvet painting that he loved, which greeted (or scared) folks who’d walk through the front door of my grandmother’s house. That house was burglarized more times than I can remember growing up but not a single one thought to steal Jr. from the wall. I’d like to think it’s because they knew Grandpa would hunt them down, which—from what I also heard growing up—wouldn’t have been too far off from the truth.

No, sadly, I didn’t know him. There were stories about his time spent fighting in WWII and the Purple Heart he received from serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. But what especially stuck were tales of his parenting style, and the consensus was: strict. His kids—my mother, her three sisters and two brothers—would reference the Von Trapp family a lot; well before they were singing in the mountains with Maria. But because my grandparents had divorced before I was born, and he remarried to have another life in Arizona soon after, I never got the chance to get to know what he was really like.

It wasn’t until he was on his deathbed in 1999, during my freshman year in high school, when I finally found the courage to write him a letter. I don’t remember what I’d written, but according to my mother, when she flew up to see him and say her goodbyes, Grandpa couldn’t stop crying. “He was very touched,” my mom said to me, and I felt bad that my last and only contact with him made him grieve even more.

After his death, years passed on as if — for me anyway — he didn’t exist. I moved on to college in California, then on to grad school soon after in Chicago. And in the beginning of 2013, I’d landed my dream job as a writer in Honolulu. Coincidentally that same year I pitched and wrote a story about an upcoming trip that my family and I were about to embark on: Honolulu to Bruyères 2013 Tour Sister Cities. A trip that would retrace all the steps that Grandpa, and thousands of other Nisei soldiers, took when they were just young adults themselves.

To be quite honest, when I originally signed up to go, I was more excited for the trip to Europe than to learn about a grandfather I hardly knew. Of course I had some interest to try and comprehend what he and so many young men had to go through during a time of great turmoil, but truthfully, I was in it for the rumored endless supply of wine and buttery Croissants.

But after digging deeper into Grandpa’s particular role in Hawai‘i’s connection to the city of Bruyères, I was intrigued to find that he created the initial bond between the two unlikely friendships. I found out that years after the war, he returned to the city and became friends with resident Gerard Deschaseaux. That handshake would then be the first step in creating a close friendship that would last well into my generation.

Then, by day two of the tour in Europe—when I met up with 50-plus Hawai‘i people who were a part of the tour—I realized this trip was already meaning more than I could possibly imagine. For in the short span of nine days, I had gained memories and lessons that would last a lifetime. These experiences included a tour of the grounds of the Dachau Concentration Camp where our Nisei grandfathers once fought off Nazis soldiers; a meet and greet with families whose fathers and grandfathers helped save those who couldn’t pronounce their own last names and vice versa. I met an elder man in Bruyères who broke down into tears after learning that I was a descendant of a Nisei soldier. I made friends with every French person on the tour bus without knowing a smidgen of their language. I watched our American flag rise proudly within the forest of Biffontaine, where nearby in the Vosges Mountains, 800 Nisei soldiers once fought and died (Editor’s note: this figure is for all 100th/442nd soldiers killed during the war) to save the Lost Battalion of 275 trapped soldiers. I paid my respects to the soldiers who didn’t make it home from the war at the Epinal American Cemetery. And I cried as French children sang, with perfect pronunciation, Hawai‘i’s state song of “Hawai‘i Pono‘i.”

Image of American Cemetery

Image of American Cemetery

After the trip, I’ve been blessed to see a whole new meaning and profound appreciation for my life. My grandfather and his Nisei brothers are the reasons why I’m able to have the life that I live today. The very reason why I was able to go to school and have opportunities to succeed. It’s as if they knew, when they were all fighting in the cold mountains of France, so far from home, that their service would mean so much more than themselves one day. That their sacrifice for freedom and proven loyalty will carry on and be remembered by their children’s children’s children.

The Holck family on the Honolulu to Bruyeres 2013 Tour

The Holck family on the Honolulu to Bruyeres 2013 Tour

Although it’s a bit late in my life, I’m happy to have learned more about my grandpa. And even though I may not have known him personally, I feel as if he has always been with me. His legacy lives on: I just have to pay a bit more attention. During our trip to Bruyères, I did see him. I saw his bravery in the cold cells of the Dachau Concentration Camp. I felt his compassion for the elder man who cried tears of joy for saving his family from Nazi persecution. I saw his love for his family and country in the American flag that rose high within the forest of Biffontaine. I saw his deep sorrow and pain within the thousands of unmarked graves of his brothers who didn’t make it home. I felt his pride when I heard those children sing our state anthem. I even felt his sense of humor in The Sound of Music tour while we were in Austria (my family insisted we attend); and his love for life within our French hosts whom did indeed pour us all endless glasses of French wine throughout our entire nine-day tour. Although my grandfather and I haven’t been formally introduced, I know he has been and always will be with me.
And with that, I want to say this to him:
Thank you, Grandpa. And until we meet again, I’ll always remember you.
Love,
Kristen
(Granddaughter of Sgt. Wilbert “Sandy” Holck)

photo of author, Kristen Nemoto Jay

photo of author, Kristen Nemoto Jay

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522nd “Unlikely Liberators” display at Schofield Barracks until May 20, 2017

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522nd Field Artillery Battery Display at Sergeant Rodney J. Yano Library, Schofield Barracks Hawaii (on till May 20, 2017)

The 522nd of the 442nd RCT was their artillery unit known for speed and accuracy during the war.  After the Po Valley campaign and the breaking of the German Gothic Line, the 522nd was ordered to separate from the rest of the 442nd and to enter Germany.  The 522nd advanced with speed and were in front of U.S. infantry units, which is something as usually the artillery unit brings up the rear.  This is how the 522nd came across the Jewish prisoners at Dachau subcamps and others who were part of the death march away from the camps.

image of exhibit panel

 

 

 

Members of the Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT along with sponsor organization Nisei Veterans Legacy (NVL) members volunteered on Sunday, April 23, 2017 at the Sgt. Rodney J. Yano Library at Schofield Barracks on Oahu.  Eight Sons & Daughters & NVL members and nine military volunteers and spouses and the Yano Library head librarian worked on the display, with help from the delivery crew. S&D member Bill Wright was the lead in organizing work and making sure we had tools and supplies.  He also gave a brief background on the 522nd and some of the significance of the display.

the volunteers

 

522nd Biggie Nakakura and Boyan Higa and wife

 

The 522 FAB were represented at the opening ceremony for the display by Masaru “Biggie” Nakakura and Masayuki “Boyan” Higa and his wife Nancy.  The Garrison Commander made a nice speech and the library staff treated the veterans like superstars and the honored guests the were.

According to S&D member Byrnes Yamashita, the Higas really enjoyed themselves and were glad that they attended the ceremony.  And the cake was ono.

cake at ceremony
The display at Schofield will be up until the 20th of May.  Many of the pictures have post-it notes on them as people who have seen the display recognized someone and added a name to the picture.  The pictures are very touching and really make you think about the atrocities committed during the war by the Nazi regime.

If you have the chance to get to Schofield Barracks Hawaii, stop by and see the display.  You will need to enter through Lyman Gate (second gate off Kunia Road) to get a visitor pass if you do not have a Dept. of Defense or military ID.  Everyone in the car must show an official ID with picture.  Plan on taking at least 10 minutes to enter (sometimes longer), as you must open all doors, trunk and hood of car as well as have all visitors step outside the car as it is inspected.  It’s worth the drive to Central Oahu! Hours of Operation:

Mon, Tues 11am – 8pm
Wed – Sat 11am – 6pm
Closed Sundays & Federal Holidays

1565 Kolekole Avenue, Bldg. 560
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Phone:  808/655-8002

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Hawaii History Day State Fair competition (2017)

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Hawaii History Day State Fair competition

Sixth-grader Victoria (Tori) Yamashita and her panel display on the 442nd RCT, titled ‘Go for Broke’.”
Sixth-grader Victoria (Tori) Yamashita and her panel display on the 442nd RCT, titled ‘Go for Broke’.” (from Byrnes Yamashita)

 

 

The legacy of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is alive and well as represented by several entries in the State Finals of the Hawaii History Day State Fair, held on April 15, 2017 at the Windward Community College on Oahu.

Sons and Daughters members Grace Fujii, Byrnes Yamashita and Jonathan Ego attended the Hawaii History Day State Fair finals at Windward Community College campus and enjoyed the competition and awards ceremony. Jonathan’s father, Kenji Ego, a 442nd RCT veteran, was also in attendance.

Angelee Marshall, a 7th grade student from Kahuku Intermediate and High School, came in second for her 442nd RCT documentary and qualified for the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland, College Park in mid-June. She will share the final version of her documentary so that it can be posted on the S&D website. Stay tuned.

Byrnes’ two nieces, Tori and Katie Yamashita, qualified for the State finals from the Leeward District in the junior and senior categories, respectively. Tori produced a tri-fold display (photo above) on the history of the 100th/442nd RCT titled “Go for Broke.” Katie, along with partner Esther Park, produced a documentary video on the 442nd called “442nd RCT: Japanese American Soldiers Fighting on Two Fronts.” Their project also qualified for the National History Day competition.

There were two entries featuring the 100th/442nd RCT from Maui students that also qualified for the National competition. It was heartwarming to see that students across the State are helping to perpetuate the legacy of the Nisei soldiers of World War II.

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Support the “How Hawaii Changed America” project

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Support the How Hawaii Changed America project

Aloha S&D members:

In our monthly meeting of 4 May, the members voted to support the work of Tom Coffman to publish a new book on the Hawaii AJA experience in WW2. Tom is the acclaimed author of deeply researched and powerfully written books on AJA history, particularly focused on pre- and post-WW2 Hawaii. This includes Catch a Wave (required reading in many high school and college courses), I Respectfully Dissent, a biography of Edward H. Nakamura, and How Hawaii Changed America, The Movement for Racial Equality 1939-1942.

Photo of Volume 1 courtesy of Tom Coffman

Photo courtesy of Tom Coffman

This latter book was intended as Volume 1, with Volume 2 to cover 1942 thru 1945. However, Duke University Press wants the new book to combine the full time period of the Hawaii AJA experience in WW2 (1939-1945) in one single book, along with a brief summation of the resulting impacts, such as statehood for Hawaii, expanded thinking on civil rights, immigration, etc.

Because Duke is a nationally prestigious press, this opens the door to spreading knowledge across the Nation of the profound impact Hawaii and our Nisei veterans have had on improving America for all its diverse citizens. Tom is dedicating the next twelve months to get it researched, written and delivered to Duke for publication and distribution.

As many of you know, Tom is an independent researcher/writer and documentary film producer who approaches history from the grassroots up. His work is distinguished by both depth and innovation. If we the S&D are to preserve and protect the 442nd legacy, we need to support the development of such in-depth history. For this purpose we have initiated a new special project, the “How Hawaii Changed America” project to conduct and manage fund-raising efforts to support the research, writing and publication of this book. The MIS Club and Nisei Veterans Legacy (NVL) have also agreed to support a fund-raising effort in their respective memberships.

Why should the S&D support this effort?
1. This book will contribute in a very big way to perpetuating the legacy of the 442nd RCT. It will tell the story of how the many ethnic divisions of Hawaii, and in particular the AJA community, responded to the crushing challenges they faced during the war years. In Tom’s own words:

This new book will breathe with the tensions and possibilities that swelled up through the war. The resulting transformation of Hawai’i from an overseas colony, ruled by a select few, to a robust multiracial state, takes on heightened meaning with the passage of time. Hawai’i has contributed to the passage of national civil rights legislation, liberalization of immigration laws, strengthening of the institutional safeguards of liberty, the increase of East-West exchange, the spread of democracy in Asia, and a general improvement of relationship between East and West, ironically between Japan and the United States.
For a time these developments merely seemed to be inevitable aspects of a great wave of progressive change. Today they stand out as signal lights against the rising storm of global tribalization, intolerance and fanaticism.

2. This story is only sketchily known in Hawaii and is unknown to our fellow Americans on the Mainland. We believe this will change the way history is understood. This is not an academic exercise. We cannot ignore the disquieting signs of a rising tide of intolerance eroding away the hard fought gains in racial equality, else the legacy of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles will cease to have meaning. Supporting the completion and publication of this book is a small task on our part, but with large benefits to preserving and protecting the legacy of the 442nd veterans and all Nisei veterans.

3. Fund-raising to support the research and writing of How Hawaii Changed America is in direct support of the following purposes of our new S&D nonprofit corporation:
• To further historical research into the contributions by the men of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and their descendants to our Nation, our Freedoms, and the indivisible unity of our People
• To educate the public concerning all aspects of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

How much money do we need to raise, and how will it be spent?
• Tom has estimated that $35,000 will be needed for the costs of travel and research in archives on the Mainland, and monthly expenses during the next 12 months.
• The MIS Club and NVL will be assisting us in this fund-raising effort.
• Publication costs are not part of this fund-raising project. These costs will be handled by Duke University Press itself.

How can I help?
• You can send a donation by check to the Sons and Daughters of the 442nd RCT, and note on the check that it is for the How Hawaii Changed America fund. (You will be provided with a letter of appreciation and notification that your donation should be deductible as a charitable contribution on your income tax return for 2017.)
• Please mail your donation to:
Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT
Attn: Shirley Igarashi
933 Wiliwili St.
Honolulu, HI 96826
• The S&D will match your donation up to $200 per S&D member, adding more “bang for your buck,” up to a total of $5,000 of member donations.
• It would be most appreciated if you could send your donation by the end of this month (31 May).
• Please pass the word — tell your relatives and friends about this new book and the story it will tell of the Hawaii AJA WW2 experience and their contribution to a better America. Please encourage them to donate also.

Thank you.

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This Time in 442nd History (May 2017)

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This Time in 442nd RCT History
Start of Life at Camp Shelby for the 442nd RCT: our Fathers, Uncles, Grandfathers

E Co. at Camp Shelby
E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 442nd RCT, Camp Shelby, Mississippi. May 13, 1943. (National Archives and Records Administration.)

 

After the activation of the 442nd RCT in February and formation by March 1943, our men from Hawaii and the mainland went to train at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Most arrived in April, though some AJAs who were already in the U.S. Army and who were assigned to the 442nd got to Camp Shelby earlier.

The 442nd started training at about the time that the 100th Infantry Battalion, who had come to Camp Shelby from Camp McCoy in Wisconsin, was wrapping up theirs and readying for departure to fight in Europe. For the 442nd there are well known accounts of the fighting between men from Hawaii and men from the mainland. By the account in the following link, there were fights if a different type as well.

From the Hawaii Nisei Story project, you may remember Katsugo Miho’s telling of some of the details of life at Camp Shelby. Or read it for the first time.

Here in moving pictures (of poor video quality but the narration is clear) is an 11 minute film produced by the War Relocation Authority. It is public relations but gives a look at some of the training activities of the 442nd at Camp Shelby. (accessed 4/28/2017)

And finally, a story from the Los Angeles Times about veterans who returned to Camp Shelby in 1995. (accessed 4/28/2017)

Camp Shelby still serves as a training site to this day. It served as the training location for our men of the 442nd RCT.

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Photos from the 74th 442nd RCT Anniversary Banquet 2017 (3 of 3)

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last set of photos of attendees per table

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