Other RCT Veteran Related News

Christine Sato-Yamazaki, Chairperson of the National Veterans Network writes:

Dear friends,

I take this opportunity to share with you the most recent updates on the Congressional Gold Medal planning:

US Mint
The design process with the US Mint has officially begun. NVN with Christine as its official representative will serve as the authorized entity that will work with the US Mint on the design of the Congressional Gold Medal. The US Mint will commission several designers to come up with 3-4 designs to represent the contributions made by the 100th, 442nd and MIS. NVN’s Gold Medal Design Committee chaired by MG Jim Mukoyama will work with our NVN organizations to review the designs and to select a preferred design that best represents the significance of the 100, 442 and MIS. The US Mint has advised that it will take until June 2011 to come up with the final design as it requires approvals from the Fine Arts Commission, Citizen Advisory Coinage Commission and the Secretary of Treasury. Once approved, production for the medal will start in June 2011 for 8 weeks, which places completion somewhere around August 2011. The timeline is below:

• November 2010 – US Mint announces guidelines for the Mint designers
• December 2010 – US Mint commissions designers
• January – February  2011 – Designers work on 3-4 designs
• Late Feb or early March 2011- Designs will be shared with NVN
• April 2011 – US Mint sends designs to two commissions: Fine Arts Commission and Citizen Advisory Coin Commission
• May 2011 – US Mint Director sends it to the Secretary of Treasury
• May or June 2011- Approval of CGM design
• June 2011 – Production begins for 8 weeks
• August 2011 – Congressional Gold Medal (original) and replicas completed

Read more »

Colonel Bert Nishimura

Services were held on Saturday, October 23, 2010, for retired U.S. Army Colonel Bert Nishimura at the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin Temple in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Bert Nishimura, the son of immigrants from Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, was born on August 1, 1918, at Pahala on the Island of Hawaii. His father worked at the sugar mill. When Bert was five, his parents moved to Honolulu and made their home in Kakaako. Bert attended both public school and the Hongwanji language school. After graduating from McKinley High School, he attended the University of Hawaii. He joined the ROTC, which prepared him for a job that would become his career. Read more »

Rian of Seattle writes:

I am Rian Ebesugawa and I live in Seattle although I grew up in Honolulu (McKinley grad Class of 1976).  I am helping out with a small museum we are putting together at the Nisei Veterans Committee Hall here in Seattle.  As part of the museum, we are getting a bazooka or M1A1 rocket launcher.  As part of the display, we want to include a picture of Pvt. Henry Nakamura.  Yank magazine published the photo in August of 1945.  However, I think they spelled his name wrong and had is as Nakamora.  From my research, there was no one by the name of Nakamora at all from Hawaii or the mainland.

What I am interested in is any other information about Pvt. Nakamura to go along with the display.  I know that Pvt. Nakamura survived the war and I was wondering what he did when he left the army.  I want to include his bio with the picture and the bazooka.

Also, I am looking for information about and a picture of Pvt. Michio Fujikawa.  He was with the 522nd Artillery.  I recently acquired a post card he wrote to Hiroshi Kawamoto while Pvt. Nakamura was at Camp Shelby.  I hope to display the postcard/letter but I was hoping to include a picture of him and his bio as well.

I have attached the picture of Henry Nakamura.  I also attached some color pictures of three other 100th vets.  If anyone knows their names, please let me know that as well.

Christine Sato-Yamazaki, Chairperson of the National Veterans Network writes:

First and foremost, the National Veterans Network (NVN) extends it warmest congratulations to all 100th, 442nd and MIS veterans on the passage of the Congressional Gold Medal bill that recognizes your extraordinary accomplishments with the nation’s highest honor. With the passage of this bill, NVN will work in collaboration with all 22 organizations nationwide to begin the planning of the awards presentation in Washington DC. On behalf of NVN, I am pleased to provide you with our first planning update.

The National Veterans Network (NVN) has launched its new web site – www.nationalveteransnetwork.com. This web site was designed to provide background and planning updates on the Congressional Gold Medal congressional ceremony that will take place in 2011. We encourage you to check the web site periodically and to share the web site with others. NVN gratefully acknowledges the generosity of Donna Cole in Houston, Texas for sponsoring this web site.

https://www.nationalveteransnetwork.com

Foundation Focuses Support on 442^nd Archives & Learning Center

The 442^nd Archives and Learning Center (Archives) was established to collect, preserve and interpret items related to the history of the 442^nd RCT. Its collection consists of artifacts, pho­tographs, publications and documents from World War II and includes postwar memorabilia relating to the 442^nd Veterans Club. Read more »

All members of the 442 Officer Company