Tag Archive: Ron Oba

The Evolution of Post World War II Hawaii Through the 442nd Nikkei

We present the following article written by Ron Oba, originally published in 1992 and posted to our website on December 19, 2010. Ronald Masami Oba (1922-2017) served as a Technician 5th Grade in F Company, 2nd Battalion. Oba was born and died in Aiea, a suburb of Honolulu. He volunteered for the 442nd on March 23, 1943, when the initial call for volunteers was issued. He served during the 442nd campaigns in Italy and France, and during the post-war occupation duties in Italy. Oba arrived back home to Hawaii with 550 other veterans on December 16, 1945, on the troopship USAT Aconcagua. He was president of the 442nd Veterans Club 1990-1993. Oba was inurned at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.  ...

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center ** New Exhibit Honors Nisei Veterans

Eileen Sakai reports on the “Face of the Enemy, Japanese Americans Struggle to Prove their Loyalty”  exhibit that is now on display at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. MIS veteran, James Tanabe and his wife Yoshie are outspoken advocates for the accurate public portrayal of Japanese Americans. They arranged for the Exhibit Committee to meet with National Park Service officials to work out an agreement and design a small exhibit for the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center, focusing on the impact to Hawaii’s citizens of Japanese ancestry immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In addition to construction of the new visitor center, the USS Arizona Memorial became a World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, under a new federal program. The new visitor...

Ron’s Canteen *** Lt. Col. John D. Porter

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 urge to recapture youth through the acquaintances you haven’t seen or heard from since.  It’s as if that the remembrances of old friends and the telling of your life story with the joy of coupling the stories with the names of soldiers you’ve lived with will somehow keep immortality alive.  Maybe that is the reason so many of the veterans are now coming in to the Archives for their oral histories so that their legacy will live forever through...

Memorial Day Observance at the Waikiki Natatorium

2012 Officers for the 442