Honolulu – May 16, 2014. The following article was printed in The Hawaii Herald – Hawaii’s Japanese American Journal (Vol. 35. No. 10). THE NISEI SOLDIERS — THROUGH THEIR GRANDCHILDREN’S EYES Yonsei’s Pilgrimage to Their Grandfathers’ Battlegrounds Stirs a Sense of Legacy Editor’s note: The...
Here is an article from the Hawai`i Herald’s special edition honoring the 70th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT.Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald.FOUR SPECIAL STONES Minoru Kishaba’s Story Reveals the Essence of the Nisei SoldierKarleen Chinen The Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013)From the...
Karleen Chinen The Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013) When we began our journey to Europe, my focus was on the veterans with whom I would be traveling for the next 20 days. This trip belonged to them. I was there to walk with them and...
Here is an article from the Hawai‘i Herald’s special edition honoring the 70th Anniversary of the 442nd RCT. A “Very Special” Trip Steps Retraced in Journey to Bruyeres and Biffontaine Karleen Chinen The Hawai‘i Herald (March 15, 2013) Genro Kashiwa was not in the best...
Here is an article on the 100th Battalion’s newsletter. Story and images courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. “PUKA PUKA PARADE” — VOICE OF THE 100TH INFANTRY BATTALION Karleen C. Chinen The Hawai`i Herald (July 6, 2012) The 100th Battalion’s Monthly Newsletter is a Gold Mine...
This is the first of many articles that have been published in The Hawai`i Herald. Here is the cover story on the AJA Congressional Gold Medal — Courtesy of The Hawai`i Herald. AMERICA’S CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL HEROES In the Twilight of their Lives, America’s AJA Veterans Still Shine...
Here is an article from the Hawaii Herald on the 100th Infantry Battalion’s Education Center. Susan Muroshige (left) and Pauline Sato at the entrance to Turner Hall in the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans clubhouse. Turner Hall is named for the 100th’s first commanding officer, Col....
Here is an article from the Hawaii Herald on the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. Yasuo Mito, a member of the Battalion recalls his experiences. Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawaii Herald.BUILT TO LAST Wahiawa Water Tank Built by 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion Still in...
Here is an article from the Hawaii Herald on the efforts to preserve the building where Japanese-American U.S. Army MIS members were trained. Hawai‘i fundraising chair Andrew Sato (left) with Herbert Yanamura, both MIS veterans. Stories and images are courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. PRESERVING HISTORY AT...
Here is an article that reflects on the Japanese-American Internment. Hawaii Hochi writer Iwao Kosaka in front of an old mess hall at Tule Lake in 1988. Story and image courtesy of the Hawai`i Herald. WAR AND INTERNMENT Karleen C. Chinen The Hawai`i Herald (October 1,...
Lt. Col. John D. Porter A nice article on Lt. Col. John D. Porter from the Go For Broke Bulletin (Vol. XLVIII No. 3 – July – September 1997) by Ron Oba. It’s funny how one reminisces and start to treasure the days of old. As one ages,...
The story of the Varsity Victory Volunteers was published in the Hawaii Herald on March 17, 1995. It was contributed by Bill Thompson and based on Army records and interviews. VVV Statue It was about 3:00 a.m. in the morning. A shout went through the...
June 5th, 2012 marks the 70th Anniversary of the formation of the 100th Infantry Battalion. Here is an article from The Hawaii Herald archives published on the 50th Anniversary (1992). History/Roland Kotani From: “The Japanese in Hawaii: A Century of Struggle” THE 100TH INFANTRY BATTALION America’s “Purple Heart...
The man who recently was accorded a bigger reception in Hawaii than the late President Roosevelt, Earl Finch, the 442nd’s best friend and one-man USO from Hattiesburg, Miss., flew into town last Saturday to be in at the final deactivation ceremonies of his beloved 442nd...
Five hundred fresh flower leis, including 100 orchid leis, will be presented to the men of the 442nd as gifts from the school children of Hawaii. This was revealed by Mrs. Ellen O'Brien editor of “Paradise of the Pacific,” a Hawaiian publication, and wife of...
A Former 441st man tells what kept them going… Why did the 442nd Japanese American Combat Team make such an exceptional record? How did greatness come to the rest of the blue-and-gold colors of the regiment? The nisei major was hesitant about answering, because it...
Three generals, a brass band, civilian dignitaries, a top nite club show, and 35,000 troops will fete the returning 442nd Regimental Combat Team in an elaborate program scheduled for July 3 at 2:00 p.m., in the Camp Kilmer bowl, New Jersey. Following the salute to...
All New York is prepared to do honor to the returning 500 Japanese American soldiers who comprise the remnants of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Escorted by Army fighter planes and a Navy blimp from Lakehurst, N. J. The Wilson Victory will steam into...
Coalville, Utah — In an Army Service photo recently sent to the Summit County Bee, Coalville newspaper, and forwarded to his father, Pfc. Noboru Morio of this city is shown being congratulated by Brigadier General Francis H. Oxx, commanding general of the Peninsular Base Section...
Donauworth, Germany — Twenty-six states, the Territory of Hawaii and the District of Columbia are represented in the home addresses of officers and men of the 522nd (Japanese American) Field Artillery Battalion now stationed here. Hawaiian leads with 331 men out of the battalion and...
With the 5th Army in Italy — Sergeant Yoshio Nakagawa of Mount Eden, California who led a hazardous reconnaissance patrol into enemy territory recently was awarded a 5th Army commendation for valorous conduct in action. He serves in the 442nd Japanese American Combat Team. He...
Tombolo, Italy — when Pfc. Jack T. Yasuda of L company was sworn in on Sept. 30, he became the first Japanese American soldier of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team to reenlist in the Regular Army. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Pfc. Yasuda was drafted...
Walla Walla, Wash. — Awarded the Bronze Star and Presidential Unit Citation for heroic achievement and outstanding service in combat, and the Purple Heart with one cluster for wounds received in action, Pfc. Archie Atagi is a patient at McCaw General Hospital, Walla Walla, Wash....
With the 5th Army – Italy Pfc. Tadao Harito of Heart Mountain, Wyoming, medical aid man with the 442nd Combat Team, administered aid to 12 wounded men in a mine-infested field under the impact of hand grenades, mortar and small arms fire. In the vicinity...
Heart Mountain was grieved this week with the death of three more of its soldiers — 2nd Lt. Hitoshi “Moe” Yonemura, Pvt. Jim Nagata and S/Sgt. Joe Hayashi — who were killed as the world famous 442nd combat team closed in on the Nazi enemy...
Return of the Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment, to the Italian front was a “well-kept secret,” Sgt. Stan Swinton, staff correspondent of Stars and Stripes, army newspaper for the European theater of operations, reported in a recent dispatch. According to Swinton, the 442nd left France...
Washington, D. C. — American doughboys of Japanese ancestry carried the brunt of the attack which finally smashed the German hordes in northern Italy and led to their unconditional surrender to the allied armies on Wednesday, press dispatches revealed this week. Sensational gains before the...
Hunt , May 2 — 5 Japanese-American soldiers were killed and 22 were wounded in the Fifth Army’s push to drive the Germans out of northern Italy, according to War Department telegrams received this week by the soldiers’ families here. All were members of the...
War Department telegrams this week announced two more casualties among Gila boys. The two boys slightly wounded are: Pfc. George Harada, son of Mrs. Kinu Nakaoka, formerly of Los Angeles, slightly wounded in Italy, April 10. Pfc. Toichi Doi, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tonokichi...
Injuries to three more former Gila boys were announced in War Department telegrams sent to their families. Seriously Wounded: Pfc. George Nakada, whose family, now relocated in Azusa, Calif., was wounded in Italy, April 7. Pfc. Tom Kataoka, formerly of Fresno, Calif, wounded in Italy,...
The 100th or “One Puka Puka Battalion,” rated by “Axis Sally” as the 7th U.S. Army’s “secret weapon,” boasts officers with the highest I.Q. In the Army, that it has lost only three of its soldiers as prisoners of war, that it has approximately 1600...
About one thousand persons from all walks of life paid final respects to Sgt. Katsumi L. Takasugi in the flower-bedecked Butte High School auditorium yesterday. Sgt. Takasugi had fallen in battle in Italy on April 5. The color guard posted the colors as the buglers...
Private Koo Ito, Nisei hero who last 4th of July lost his right leg when hit by a burst of German shrapnel in Italy, has returned to an Army hospital in Battle Creek, Mich., after a month’s convalescent leave in Long Beach. This disabled veteran,...
A public memorial service for Sgt. Katsumi L. Takasugi, killed in action in Italy on April 5 will be held in the Butte High School auditorium next Tuesday morning, April 24, from 9:00. Each block is requested to send a delegate to the service. A...
More casualty notices hit Rivers in a bunch this week with the War Department telegrams announcing the death of two Gila boys and the wounding of seven others on the Italian front on April 5 and 6. Dead: Pvt. James J. Kanada, son of Mr....
Eleven more young Gilans have been called for active duty on Tuesday, May 1. The eleven are as follows: George F. Horii Mario L. Marubayashi John Y. Matsuda Minoru Monji Charles Y. Nishi Jinobu Nishimori Tommy Otani Benjamin Shiozaki Marcel R. Takata Yoshinori Takemoto Tom...
Seventeen men in all, 13 from Butte and four from Canal, left for active duty in the U. S. Army Monday night, after a send off ceremony at the Butte Amphitheatre. Hiroji H. Nishimura, chairman for the program, introduced speakers W. C. “Tom” Sawyer and...
Some 200 Nisei soldiers stationed at a camp near New York City were recently entertained by 125 Nisei girls from New York and vicinity at a party in honor of the soldiers at the Nyack, N. Y. USO. The program included singing by Miss Tubby...
Sixth Army Group, France — Working and fighting in the rugged Alpine mountains along the Franco-Italian frontier, an engineer combat company of the Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment is systematically laying a vast network of defense against possible enemy attack. Included in the engineers are:...
By Jack Furumura Pvt. Sanai Kageta, wounded 442nd veteran on convalescent leave, is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaburo Kageta and sister, Mitsuko, at 7-14-D. Kageta, who went overseas in August 1944 as a replacement for the nisei combat team was struck in the...
This message to all American soldiers of Japanese ancestry was given last week by Harold L. Ikes “I have gained deep satisfaction, which must have come to you as well, from the announcement by the Western Defense Command that the West Coast mass exclusion orders...
Photographs of two former Gilans now with the 7th Army in France have arrived at the reports office. Pfc. Chuck H. Mayeda, cannoneer in the famous 442nd combat team, is shown digging his foxhole. He is the son of Minaru Mayeda of 52-8-B here and...
Send offs for the thirteen young men who leave for active duty tonight will be held from 6:30 at the Butte auditorium and 7:15 at the Canal community stage. Short addresses will be given by representatives of the community councils and the administrative Staffs at...
Joe Tsujimoto, 20-year-old discharged veteran of World War II, was found dead at his home, 65-6-A, about 9:50 o'clock last night, with a knife wound through his heart, probably self-inflicted. John W. Nichol, police chief, stated that a coroner's jury is coming today. Their verdict...
13 young men of Rivers have been called to report for active duty in the United States Army on Saturday, Jan. 6, 1945. Again, Canal privates predominate with 9 calls from Canal and four from Butte. They are as follows: Canal: Makiji M. Kurata, Joseph...
Tokyo-born Henry Ebihara, 24, became the first to jump at the new War Department ruling permitting alien Japanese to enlist in the U. S. Army, this week's Time magazine reports. Ebihara, whose younger brothers and sisters are all citizens, was brought to the U. S....
Pfc. Fred Yamamoto, the first H3art Mountaineer to express his intentions of volunteering during the registration of 1943 and former member of the Sentinel staff who was killed in action in southern France Oct. 28, fought to ‘prepare for peace.’ Always a leader among young...
With The U. S. 7th Army in France — On the 7th day while Nazi guns kept hammering away, picking off one after another of the American lost battalion which had been cut off on a Vosges hill, 2nd Lt. Edwin Blonder, Cleveland, Ohio, an...
Featured in a recent issue of the Yank magazine, a weekly army publication having a world-wide coverage, was an article accompanied by several photographs, titled “The Battle of Belvedere,” which gave a detailed account of the participation of Japanese American soldiers in the battle for...
Cpl. Mark H. Tanouye, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Iwajiro Tanouye, 23-10-E, was reported to have been wounded in action recently in Italy, according to word received here. Attached to Battery A, 522 Field Artillery Battalion, 442nd combat team, Corporal Tanouye wrote from “somewhere...
Twenty-five enlisted men of the 442nd Combat Team will spend the week-end of June 5-6 at Bogalusa, La., as guests in the homes of the townspeople. The trip is being arranged by the Young Women's Professional Club of Bogalusa, under the direction of the YWCA,...
Captain Claude P. White received promotion Thursday to the rank of major in the 442nd Infantry, where he is regimental supply officer. Major White entered the army in 1940, has been stationed successfully at Ft. Benning, Ga., Camp Blanding, Fla., Camp Bowie, Tex., and since...
Forty-two rounds of fast boxing are scheduled for the first 442nd Combat Team boxing exhibition at 8'clock tonight in the third battalion area. Two “main events” are scheduled and two semi-wind ups. All bouts will be for two rounds two minutes a round. Intermission music...
(By Associated Press) Honolulu, May 28. — Lieut. General Delos C. Emmons, commander of the Hawaiian department of U. S. Army during the grim days following the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor will relinquish that command June 1 and be succeeded by Major Gen....
The 442nd Inf. lost its first game in six starts Tuesday afternoon, yielding 2-1 to the 474th Qm. Prior to this game the two teams were tied for the first place in the Eastern League standing. Stoner pitcher for the Qms. won his fourth straight...
Pvt. Paul Bannai, member of the 442nd Combat Team, was once a cashier at the California Bank and also worked for the Bank of America in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the Roosevelt high school in Los Angeles and attended the University of...
Several wives of enlisted men in the 442nd Combat Team presented Sgt. and Mrs. Merrill Greene with a wedding gift of table linen at a tea held at the USO Cottage Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Greene, the former Mary Paul Jefferson, is the program director for...
“Dynamite comes in little packages.” Proof of this old saying is seen in 442nd Inf. Service Co.'s mess Sgt. Hitoshi Kanemitsu. Measuring a scant 5' 2 “and weighing a mere 117 lbs, Sgt. Kanemitsu keeps the company's mess hall going smoothly and efficiently with growls...
Co. K, 3rd Bn., 442nd Inf., is presenting a musical skit tonight in Dixon Stadium, the amphitheater just behind Service Company, 442nd Inf. Sgt. Charles Tanaka, leader of the Hawaiian Combateers, is in charge of the program and promises one full of variety, talent, and...
Corp. Frederick O. Jimbo has been commissioned a Warrant Officer in the field artillery battalion of the Japanese American Combat Team. Formerly a resident of Sacramento, Cal. Mr. Jimbo is a graduate of the School of Business Administration of the University of California at Los...
The 442nd Inf. Baseball team is justified in proudly and loyally announcing it is as yet still undefeated. The team has played five games and has amassed a total of 74 runs as compared to the four allowed opponents. Hattiesburg American 1943 May 24 Page...
Pvt. James Kamo, Service Co., 442nd Inf. Is working up a judo exhibit, which will be given at the Fieldhouse. The date will be announced. Pvt. Kamo defines judo as a “streamlined version of Ju-jitsu.” He has been doing judo for about 8 years and...
The sun beat down piteously. The red clay drill field at Camp Shelby caught the glare and the heat and hurled them back cruelly in the faces of the marching men. Perspiration streamed and darkened their dusty uniforms. Then came a rest. The man fell...
Company L, 442nd Infantry, gave a variety show entertainment Wednesday evening at the third battalion amphitheater of the Japanese American combat team. The title was “You Can Take It With You. (We don't want it!)” comedy skits, group and chorus singing, Hawaiian melodies, and a...
Lt. and Mrs. Roy M. Hirano have arrived from Camp Savage, Minn. Lt. Hirano is with the Reg. Hqs. Co., 442nd Inf. The Hiranos are here apartment hunting. Any help along this line will be greatly appreciated. They may be reached at phone number 2687....
Enthusiastic ring followers in the Japanese-American Combat Team don't believe in pulling their punches. They are confidently predicting that their newly-formed boxing team will win the championship of Camp Shelby. The team, which was organized under the direction of Lt. Roger (Slugger) Smith, a former...
(By Associated Press) Manzanar, Calif. — One of the American-born Japanese detained for the duration of this war fought for Uncle Sam in another — the Spanish-American. Harry Noboteru Sumida was a gunner's mate on the battleship Indiana. He was wounded by a shell, and...
Co. L, 3rd Bn., 442nd Inf. announces a Hawaiian musical skit at 7:00 tonight at the 3rd Bn. amphitheater. Men in this Bn. and their guests are invited. The amphitheatre, directly behind Co. L area, is picturesquely situated among Mississippi's famous pine trees. This skit,...
Cpl. Harry Komatsu of Service Company, 442nd Inf., misses one thing in Mississippi. Snow. He is an avid skier — owning not one but two complete skiing outfits. His hometown, Sacramento, is not far from the Sierra Nevada's — his favorite stomping grounds. When not...
The cat that traveled to London to see the queen was a piker compared to Henrietta, who has come all the way from Hawaii to reside in Hattiesburg. Henrietta is a red 9-tenths Persian belonging to captain and Mrs. R. B. Ensminger, 119 Mabel Street....
Japanese-American troops of the 442nd Combat Team celebrated “I Am an American Day” Sunday in their own regimental area with a special program extolling the advantages of citizenship and acknowledging its responsibilities. By voluntarily enlisting for service in the combat team, these soldiers already have...
Rehearsals for the Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman play, “You Can't Take It With You,” are now underway, following the listing of an all soldier-WAAC cast. Directing the production, which we presented at the post within the next three weeks, are Pfc. Sol Stember,...
The 442nd Infantry again showed its power by completely smothering the 148th Engineers 23-0 in their game Thursday afternoon at Camp Shelby. Kiguchi, starting pitcher for the 442nd, fanned 7 out of 9 batters and allowed no hits in the first 3 innings. After that...
Pvt. Gordon Ichiji Oshikota of Co. K, 442nd Inf. celebrated his birthday on May 11 with a big cake sent to him by his family in Honolulu. The Oshikota family cabled both money and a message for his birthday. Chaplain Eugene West presented Pvt. Oshikota...
Pvt. James Kakuda of Co. L, 442nd Inf. was the Hawaiian Interscholastic diving champ in 1939-40. He attended McKinley high school and was a carpenter before he entered the army. When asked how he liked the mainland, he enthusiastically answered, “Give me Hawaii any time!...
Pvt. Takashi Hirose, Co. M, 442nd Inf., is one of the champion swimmers in the Combat Team. He has made four trips to the mainland to compete in various swimming meets. His swimming career began at the age of four; he entered competitive swimming at...
Pvt. Sam Fujikawa of Hqtrs, Co., 442nd Inf., was a cab driver in Honolulu before the war broke out. On Dec. 7, 1941 he was awakened by “a lot of noise.” Upon investigation he noticed that the sky was full of black smoke and knowing...
Another elimination ping pong contest which was sponsored by Service Club 5 Monday evening was hard fought with the game points being close. Semi-finalists were Pvt. Y. Furuno of the Medics, who lost to Pvt. W. Haraki also of the Medics 21-12, and Pvt. H....
Sgt. Suzumu Kazahaya in the 522nd F. A. proudly announces the arrival of a 6 pound 1 Oz. baby daughter, Kumi. Mrs. Kazahaya and the baby are in the Rohwer, Ark., Relocation Center where the baby was born on April 28. Both mother and daughter...
The reading habits of Japanese American troops in combat-team training at Camp Shelby indicate a fondness for books on American history and biography, technical subjects and social sciences, according to Miss Mattie Swearingen, librarian at the Service Club No. 3, which is well patronized by...
Japanese American troops at Camp Shelby sent 247 telegrams to their mothers in the islands on Mother's Day. The average cost was $2.00 a message of about 25 words. Many of the soldiers had never been away from home before they left for the mainland...
The 166th Inf. band played for the dancing at the open house held at Service Club 5 on Sunday. Although some of the members had seen and spoken to men in the 442nd Combat Team before this event, many of the band members were surprised...
Open house at Service Club 5 Sunday was a huge success and immensely enjoyed by all soldiers and their guests who came from Gulfport, Bay St Louis, and Hattiesburg. Dancing, which began at 2:30 and lasted until 5:00, was the main attraction for the afternoon....
Pvt. Lloyd Aoki of Co. L., 442nd Inf. attended the University of Hawaii for a year studying entomology and worked as a federal plant inspector before his voluntary enlistment. This being his first trip to the mainland, he was greatly impressed with the orchards that...
Pvt. Norima Horimoto, better known as “Shorty,” of Co. L, 442nd Inf., worked as a mechanic's helper in the American Can Co. In Hawaii. His hobby is stamp collecting. He has a large box of unmounted stamps in the Islands. When asked what he liked...
Pvt. Suneo Yamaguchi celebrated his birthday May 7, with a cake sent to him by his parents in Hilo, Hawaii. His family appealed to the USO in Hilo to arrange for a birthday cake to be given him on Friday. The cake, a beautifully decorated...
Sgt. Roy Otani of the 442nd Combat Team is spending the weekend with friends in Columbia. Pvt. Rodney Morinaka of Co. I, 442nd Inf. Is one of the many volunteers who left a defense job for active service. He likes to sing, as do so...
Nicknames are often a good index to the Americanization of our citizens of foreign ancestry. Nicknames are universal but only Americans have perfected the art of bestowing them with great irreverence to fit the subject. Nicknames of Japanese-American soldiers in training here for a combat...
Pvt. Larry Ishida of Hqtrs. Co., 2nd Bn., has been playing the piano for only a few months, but like so many of his musically talented fellow soldiers, he is really a “whiz.” He states that music is his hobby and first love, with any...
Soldiers in the Hawaiian combat team began work today at Camp Shelby after their first week-end open ball and open-house at Service Club 5 where they entertained 100 Japanese-American girls from the relocation center at Rohwer, Arkansas. The visitors arrived Saturday evening and went to...