Nisei casualties in Europe and the fight over returning home

Vol. 20, No. 6, February 10, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

The War Department’s list of Nisei soldiers killed, wounded and held prisoner on the Western Front led this eight-page issue: 47 killed, 13 wounded and two prisoners of war. Other pages followed the soldiers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, including a posthumous Distinguished Service Cross for Pvt. William K. Nakamura and Combat Infantryman Badges for 160 replacements. Alongside the war news came the hostility facing Japanese Americans who tried to return to the West Coast. Four men faced arson and attempted dynamiting charges after attacks on the Sumio Doi farm in Placer County, California, which Bill Hosokawa took up in his column.

Also in this issue: Larry Tajiri wrote about the poor sales of Taro Yashima’s book The New Sun, and the editorials looked at Nisei in agriculture and at Earl Finch of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Reports covered the Hood River Legion post and the honor roll, WRA Director Dillon Myer’s announcement that the relocation centers would close by year’s end, and a Salt Lake City conference of center delegates.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• War Department Announces Names of 47 Nisei Killed, 13 Wounded in European Area, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department identified 47 Nisei soldiers killed, 13 wounded, and two prisoners of war in the European theater. Next of kin were notified in advance, and the lists are compiled weeks after notification.

Military & Veterans

• Sugar Cookies from a Star, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Actress Madeleine Carroll, now doing Red Cross work, offers a sugar cookie to wounded Pfc. Morris N. Miyasato, a Hawaiian Nisei of the Japanese American Combat Team. The photo was taken aboard a hospital train evacuating wounded soldiers.
• Nisei Killed, Five Hurt on Western Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. One Nisei soldier was killed and five others wounded in action on the Western Front, according to War Department notices to relocation center families. Names and home centers of each casualty are listed.
• 160 Mainland Nisei Soldiers Awarded Combat Infantryman Badges on Western Front, by P.C. Staff, page 2. 160 Nisei replacements who joined the 442nd Combat Team received the Combat Infantryman Badge for action in the Vosges Mountains. They also took part in the rescue of the Lost Battalion near Bruyeres, France.
• Japanese American Enlists for Maritime Training, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Takato Ted Uyeno of Boston enlisted in the U.S. Maritime Service on the third anniversary of Pearl Harbor. He said he wanted to offer his services to the country of his birth.
• War Department Announces Names of Nisei Wounded, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Department released names of Nisei soldiers wounded and taken prisoner in the European and Pacific theaters. Next of kin and home relocation centers are listed for each.
• CBI Veteran Raps Reported Protests Against Nisei Nurse, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sgt. Archie Bolon, a China-Burma-India veteran, condemned reported protests against nurse Masako Takayoshi as unfair. He recalled serving alongside Japanese American soldiers without discrimination.
• Blind Nisei Hero Completes Seeing-Eye School Course, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Yoshinao Omiya, a blind Hawaiian-born veteran of the 100th Battalion, is completing Seeing Eye training with his dog Audrey in Morristown, New Jersey. He lost his sight during the Volturno River crossing in Italy.
• Thrice-Wounded Soldier Visits Relatives at Poston, by P.C. Staff, page 3. S/Sgt. Min Murakami of Maui, wounded three times in Italy and France, visited his relatives at the Poston relocation center. He was first wounded in December 1943 and again in July and October 1944.
• Anti-Evacuee Acts Disgust GIs in France, by Ralph G. Martin, page 3. Stars and Stripes reported that American troops on the Seventh Army front angrily criticized the Hood River Legion post’s action. Soldiers praised Nisei comrades who had saved their lives.
• Fifth Ishida Son Leaves for Army, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mochiu Ishida left Madison, Wisconsin, for induction at Fort Sheridan, joining other Nisei reporting that day. He is the fifth Ishida son to serve, with four brothers already overseas.
• Vest-Pocket Nisei WAC Joins Pharmacy Staff of Army Hospital, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Kumi Matsusaki, a Nisei WAC pharmacist, joined the staff of Nichols General Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. She earned her pharmacy degree at the University of Colorado in 1940.
• Seattle Nisei Saved Buddies, Awarded DSC Posthumously, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pvt. William K. Nakamura of the 442nd Combat Team was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for heroism near Castellina, Italy. He single-handedly eliminated enemy machine gun positions to save his platoon.
• Back Pay Finally Catches Up With Combat Veteran, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Richard M. Okasaki of the 100th Infantry Battalion receives a large back pay amount at Fort Ord. He wears eight decorations, including the Silver Star earned in France.
• Wounded Nisei Soldier Bowls Despite Loss of Right Leg, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pfc. Tokio Shiomichi, who lost his right leg to a land mine in Italy, impressed friends by bowling on one leg at a Milwaukee alley. He said handicaps are whatever you make them.

National

• 4 Men Face Arson, Attempted Dynamiting Charges for Acts of Vandalism on Doi Farm, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Four men were arrested for terrorizing Japanese American farmer Sumio Doi in Placer County, California, and released on bond while two AWOL soldiers remain jailed. The district attorney will file arson and attempted dynamiting charges, with the State Attorney General assisting.
• Evacuee-Owned Land In San Diego Area Escheated to State, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A San Diego superior court escheated 118 acres owned by alien Japanese Masato and Sumi Tanida to the State of California under the alien land law. The Tanidas, then at Poston, did not contest the suit.
• San Francisco Civic Unity Council Pledges Aid Toward Resettlement of Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Council for Civic Unity in San Francisco appointed a committee to help the resettlement of Japanese Americans and pledged cooperation with the government. The committee urged federal action on housing for returning evacuees.
• Oregon Berry Group Opposes Return of Evacuee Farmers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Washington County berry growers association in Oregon voted to oppose evacuee return to farmland and to boycott canners leasing land to Japanese aliens. The group echoed a stand taken by Hood River apple growers.
• Wyoming Bill Bans Evacuee Fish Permits, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Wyoming House approved a bill barring WRA evacuees from hunting and fishing licenses. The measure targeted residents of the Heart Mountain center.
• Hood River Post Defies National Legion Commander; Refuses to Replace Names of Nisei Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Hood River American Legion post refused national commander Edward Scheiberling’s request to restore the names of Japanese American soldiers to the county honor roll. The post deemed restoration inadvisable and newspaper ads continued to campaign against Japanese American return.
• OWI’s Japanese Section Moved Back to San Francisco, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Office of War Information’s Japanese Division, which produces shortwave broadcasts to Japan, will move from Denver to San Francisco. Twenty-one Japanese American translators and announcers will make the move.

Commentary

• Doctor Quits Hospital Which Refused Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dr. Selig Shevin resigned from Jackson Park Hospital in Chicago after the hospital refused to treat a 19-year-old Nisei woman. His appeal to reverse the decision was rejected by hospital staff.
• Nisei in Agriculture, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that anti-evacuee agitation on the West Coast is driven by economic interests seeking to eliminate Japanese American farmers. It cites Bureau of Agricultural Economics estimates that Japanese American landholdings may shrink to 25 percent of prewar levels.
• An Ordinary American, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial profiles Earl Finch of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who hosted thousands of Nisei soldiers at Camp Shelby with picnics, rodeos, and hospitality. It presents him as a symbol of the friendly heart of America.
• A Publishing Failure, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Larry Tajiri’s column examines the commercial failure of Taro Yashima’s autobiography The New Sun, despite Henry Holt’s efforts to promote it. He argues that anti-Japanese prejudice caused the public to ignore a valuable book.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa examines the Placer County night-riding attacks on Sumio Doi, arguing the violence is an attempt to deny citizens’ rights and that the Japanese American community should stand firm. He notes that exclusionist objectives attract only the baser element.

Community

• Wounded Soldier Home on Furlough, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sgt. Frank Sakamoto returned to Montpelier, Idaho, on convalescent furlough after facial wounds from mortar shrapnel near Bruyeres, France. He was serving with the Japanese American Combat Team.
• Nisei Nurse Back at Post In Northwest Against Evacuee Protest, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masako Takayoshi returned to King County’s Harborview Hospital in Seattle after a reported nurses’ petition against her employment. Hospital superintendent Janet Kemgold said no petition was received.
• Nisei GIs Lead Twin Cities League, by Pvt. Peter Ohtaki, page 3. The Fort Snelling All-Stars, a team largely of Nisei soldiers, won eight straight games in the Twin Cities and advanced to the Seventh Service Command tournament. Wat Misaka, a former University of Utah star, is team captain.
• Production Figures Listed for Topaz Agricultural Project, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Residents of the Topaz relocation center produced large quantities of vegetables, grain, livestock, and eggs in 1944 despite poor alkali soil. The annual agricultural report documented contributions valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
• California Christian Youth Urged to Welcome Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Professor Harlan Hogue of Scripps College urged California Christian youth to welcome returning Japanese Americans. He framed the return as part of Christianity’s mission to bring the kingdom of Jesus into every area of life.
• Welcome Home!, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Shosuke Nitta family returned to their Santa Ana, California, farm from Poston after two and a half years of evacuation. Friends from the Methodist church greeted them and the family was assisted by their banker and ranch manager.
• Evacuee Conference Planned in Salt Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Relocation center delegates will meet in Salt Lake City February 16 to 18 to discuss plans for the closing of WRA centers. The Topaz council will sponsor the conference.
• Idaho Soldiers Return Home On Furloughs, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Four Nisei soldiers from Pocatello, Idaho, returned home on ten-day furloughs. Their visit was reported by the Irrigator.
• Year’s End, Myer Declares, by P.C. Staff, page 7. WRA Director Dillon Myer announced that all relocation centers will close by year’s end and described the situation on the West Coast. He said the return to the coast is becoming a national issue.
• Nisei Businessman Challenges Ogden City Policy of Denying Japanese Americans Licenses, by P.C. Staff, page 7. George Sugihara and Verda Hulse filed a federal suit against Ogden City commissioners for denying Sugihara a business license because of his Japanese ancestry. Sugihara is a U.S. citizen who has lived in America all his life.
• Wounded Nisei Buddy Visits Wisconsin Home, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pfc. Karl Doi’s relative and wounded veterans Pfc. Fisher and S/Sgt. Oshiro visited Milwaukee. The two veterans had fought together in the 84th Division in Italy.
• 170 Persons Attend Boise Valley Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Boise Valley Christian Conference of Japanese Americans drew 170 attendees at the First Methodist church in Caldwell. Dr. C. K. Vliet, a Methodist leader from New York, served as guest speaker.
• National Office Has Received $13,800 from Local Chapter Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL president Saburo Kido urged chapters with funds to reopen offices on the West Coast to help returning evacuees. Chapter contributions to the national office totaled nearly $13,800.
• Cal Aggies Will Reopen on March 3, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The University of California College of Agriculture at Davis will reopen March 3 for a sixteen-week spring term. The course is designed for veterans but open to any interested person over 18.

Obituaries

• Final Rites Held at Topaz for Pioneer Episcopal Minister, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Final rites were held at Topaz for Rev. Hisayoshi Barnabus Terasawa, 88, the first Japanese-born Episcopal minister ordained in Japan. He pastored churches in Osaka, Wintersburg, and San Francisco.

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