Nisei soldiers in France and hostility toward returnees in 1945

Vol. 20, No. 11, March 17, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

The 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd Combat Team led the news. More than 1,547 Purple Hearts and Oak Leaf Clusters had gone to its men since the first combat in Italy in 1943, and further stories followed the 442nd on the Franco-Italian frontier, including its engineers, artillery and the cooks who carried hot food to the front. A Tenth Circuit ruling upheld the convictions of 63 Heart Mountain men for refusing induction. The WRA listed 113 soldiers from the camps as killed in action, with Minidoka the highest at 23.

Back home, the paper covered attacks and protests as Japanese Americans returned to the West Coast: a fire at a Delano hall, arson at the Takeda home near San Jose, a trial in Placer County, and the American Legion’s restoration of names to the Hood River honor roll. Other items covered a Tule Lake story, a federal ruling in Ogden, and the Intermountain Nisei basketball tournament won by Salt Lake’s Harlem A.C.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Report 1,547 Purple Hearts Awarded Men of Famed 100th Battalion Since Salerno, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 100th Infantry Battalion of the 442nd Combat Team has earned more than 1,547 Purple Hearts and Oak Leaf Clusters since its first combat in Italy in 1943. Its members have also received 21 Distinguished Service Crosses, 73 Silver Stars, and other decorations for their actions in the Franco-Italian frontier campaign.
• Eight Japanese Americans Killed, Eight Wounded in Action on European Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department announced the names of eight Japanese American soldiers killed, eight wounded, and four taken prisoner in Germany. The report included next-of-kin addresses for each soldier.
• 904 Nisei from WRA Centers Listed Casualties, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The WRA reported 113 soldiers from war relocation centers killed in action, 375 wounded, and 16 missing as of February 24. Minidoka had the most fatalities with 23, followed by Rohwer with 17.
• Missing Nisei Now Prisoner in Nazi Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. George Funai of Ogden, Utah, reported missing in France on December 5, is now a prisoner of war in Germany. He has three brothers and a brother-in-law also serving in the military.
• Japanese American Soldier Liberated by Soviet Forces, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Radio reports indicated a soldier of Japanese ancestry, identified as Staff Sgt. Hisae Shimamatsu, was among American prisoners of war freed by the Red Army on the Eastern Front. The report was heard in Salt Lake City on March 15.
• Sgt. Ben Kuroki Reported in Action on Pacific Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Tech. Sgt. Ben Kuroki, a Nisei veteran of 30 heavy combat missions in European and African theatres, is now serving with the U.S. Army Air Forces in the Marianas. The report was published by the Omaha World-Herald.
• Army Reveals Combat Team of Japanese Americans Now Part of 44th Artillery Group, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Brig. Gen. Ralph C. Tobin, commander of the 44th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade, praised the 442nd Combat Team now serving under his command as magnificent soldiers. He noted that many of the unit’s men had won commissions and that they were eager to return to their units.
• Nisei Cooks Carry Hot Food to Front-Line Combat Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cooks of the 442nd Combat Team carried hot meals nearly three hours to a battalion that had taken Hill 617 near Bruyeres during the Seventh Army’s October push. The cooks volunteered as a carrying party when field kitchens were five miles to the rear.
• Sgt. Ito Saves Five Wounded Nisei Soldiers Under Enemy Fire, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Staff Sgt. David M. Ito of the 442nd Combat Team administered first aid to five wounded men under heavy German artillery fire during the Vosges fighting. He then helped carry the injured to safety, and he is listed as hailing from Chicago.
• Canadian Nisei Participated in Historic Commando Raid on French Coast at Dieppe, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. David L. Tsubota of Montreal, a Canadian Nisei commando captured at Dieppe in 1942, returned home after two years in a German prison camp. He had joined the Black Watch of Canada after being discharged from the navy due to his ancestry.
• Japanese Canadian Nisei Participated in Historic Commando Raid on French Coast at Dieppe, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Japanese American engineer and bazooka team leader is recognized for heroism in clearing a German attack on the Lost Battalion rescue. The soldier had been rendering first aid under fire and directing bazooka teams to repulse a counterattack.
• Japanese American Combat Veterans See Broadway Hit, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A U.S.O. troupe performing the Broadway comedy Junior Miss entertained Nisei soldiers of the 442nd at the Riviera Rest Center in Nice. The troupe has played over a hundred performances since arriving overseas in November.
• Japanese American Engineers Play Vital Part in Operations of 442nd on Italian Frontier, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An engineer combat company of the 442nd is laying minefields, barbed wire, and obstacles along the Franco-Italian frontier. The company has also served as infantrymen and cleared numerous minefields and built bridges under enemy fire.
• Idaho Soldier Gets Munitions to Nisei Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pfc. Setsuo J. Matsuura volunteered to run ammunition through a mortar and artillery barrage to a company pinned down in the Vosges Mountains. His resupply let machine gunners drive the Germans back, enabling the company to resume its advance.
• Bazooka Teams Led by Nisei Helps Repulse German Forces, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Technical Sergeant Masamitsu led bazooka teams forward under artillery fire to resupply a company threatened by German tanks during the rescue of the Lost Texas Battalion. He rescued a wounded man and placed his teams to help repulse the counterattack.
• Japanese American Artillery Unit Active in French Alps, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Field Artillery Battalion of the 442nd is providing accurate fire support for infantry patrols along the Franco-Italian border. The battalion earlier accounted for over 75 percent of enemy casualties in Italy and fired more than 75,000 rounds.
• Sergeant Leads Troops in Capture of Fortified Hill, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Staff Sgt. Tsuneo Takemoto of Hilo, Hawaii, led a platoon in capturing a fortified German hill during the Seventh Army push. He charged alone through automatic fire to encourage his men, who then overran the enemy defenses.
• Lodi Soldier Wins Officer Rating on Battlefield, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Staff Sgt. James Hajime Kurata of Lodi, California, was commissioned a second lieutenant on the battlefield in France. He served as an artillery forward observer with the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion during the Vosges fighting.
• Marauder Veteran Praises Nisei Who Served in Burma, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Master Sgt. John D. Russell, a veteran of Merrill’s Marauders, praised the Japanese American members of the unit as being with them all the time in Burma. He spoke in a Salt Lake Tribune interview.
• St. Louis Soldiers Receive Citations, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Pvt. John J. Sakai and Pfc. Mitsuo Saito of St. Louis received citations for outstanding bravery in the 442nd. Both were also awarded the Purple Heart.

Incarceration & Redress

• Tenth Circuit Court Upholds Verdict in Draft Cases, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of 63 Heart Mountain men for refusing induction, with the Fujii decision to govern 62 related appeals. Fujii argued that his confinement after evacuation violated his constitutional rights, but the court held he should have reported for induction and then sought habeas corpus.
• Four Men to Face Trial April 16 in Placer County Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Placer County Superior Court judge ordered four men held for trial on April 16 on charges of conspiracy to damage property belonging to Sumio Kanzaki, a Japanese American farmer. The case stems from attacks on returning evacuees.
• Suyenaga Sentenced Again for Refusal to Testify in Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Hideo Suyenaga of Poston was again sentenced to 30 days in Yuma County jail for refusing to answer deposition questions in a California alien land case. He had obtained a temporary writ of habeas corpus challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

Community

• National Commander of Legion Praises Hood River Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. American Legion National Commander Edward N. Scheiberling praised the Hood River, Ore., post for restoring the names of 15 Japanese American servicemen to its honor roll. He said the decision strengthened the Legion’s stand against bigotry and race hatred.
• Fire Damages Japanese Hall in Delano, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A fire on March 11 seriously damaged the Japanese Association hall on Eighth Avenue in Delano, California, with losses estimated at $4,000. It was the second serious fire to hit evacuee property in Delano within two weeks.
• Soldier Digs Up $12,000 from Delano Garage, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pvt. Ernest Takaki, a former Delano druggist serving in the Army, returned on furlough and recovered $12,000 in cash from a cement box in a garage, accompanied by police. He had buried the money before being evacuated.
• Judge Wolfe Inducts New Topaz Council, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Utah Chief Justice James H. Wolfe swore in 42 newly elected councilmen at the Topaz relocation center and praised the residents for their orderly conduct. He urged them to cooperate with administrators in resettling the roughly 6,000 people still in the camp.
• Gresham Group Asks Fair Play for Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A citizens committee in Gresham, Oregon, organized a meeting to support fair play in the return of Japanese Americans, with speakers including former Governor Charles A. Sprague. Dan McDade withdrew from the program due to the local American Legion post’s public opposition to returnees.
• Seek Housing for Evacuees in San Jose, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A conference in San Jose planned a hostel in the old Japanese church building for returning evacuees needing temporary lodging. WRA San Jose office director James E. Edminston praised the Santa Clara Valley’s cooperative attitude toward returnees.
• Alien Land Law Case Opened in Salinas, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Trial began in Salinas Superior Court against Yeizo Ikeda, charged with violating California’s alien land law by farming 72 acres registered under another name. Ikeda testified he bought the land for his eight-year-old daughter and registered it in a relative’s name until she came of age.
• Japanese Americans Win Boxing Title at Pacific Post, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Engineer Chowhounds, a boxing team from a Japanese American engineer battalion at a Pacific Army base, clinched the 1944-45 post championship. They were also expected to win several individual weight-division titles in March.
• San Jose Prep Students Rap Anti-Nisei Acts, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Students at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Jose passed a resolution opposing violence against Japanese Americans after an attempted arson of the Takeda home. Copies were to be sent to other high schools in the area.
• Evacuee Colony Rumors Bring Protests from Louisiana Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Officials of Jefferson and St. Charles parishes in Louisiana protested rumors of a Japanese American evacuee farming colony in their area. WRA relocation supervisor Jesse H. Lewis said he had no knowledge of such plans.
• Police Seek Arsonists in Takeda Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Santa Clara County officials said two suspects were under observation in the March 6 fire and shooting attack on the Takeda home near San Jose. Deputy Sheriff Jack Gibbons called it an arson case and promised vigorous prosecution.
• Washington War Fund Solves Clerical Problem with Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Washington, D.C., Community War Fund hired 15 Japanese American women who became among its best employees. The article reports that the women faced no antagonism in the capital.
• Federal Judge Turns Down Dismissal Bid in Ogden Case, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Federal Judge Tillman D. Johnson denied a motion to dismiss a suit by Verda Hulse and George Sugihara against Ogden city officials who refused them a business license due to Sugihara’s Japanese ancestry. The judge also issued a restraining order against city proceedings pending trial.
• Fresno Committee Expresses Concern on Evacuee Housing, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Fresno Emergency Housing Committee agreed to ask the federal government what housing is being provided for returning evacuees who do not own homes. Members suggested portable units but emphasized that housing for war workers must come first.
• Final Rites Held in Milwaukee for Mrs. Kashiwagi, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Funeral services were held in Milwaukee for Mrs. Toshi Kashiwagi, who died from acute gastroenteritis after eating spoiled home-canned mushrooms. She had moved to Milwaukee from Denver six months earlier.
• Vancouver Paper Says Deportation Talk Is Futile, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Vancouver Province editorially criticized calls for postwar deportation of Japanese Canadians, calling it futile to send them to Japan. It urged more practical solutions.
• Salt Lake Team Wins Annual JACL Basketball Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Salt Lake’s Harlem A.C. won the annual Intermountain Nisei basketball tournament by defeating Topaz high school 29 to 27 in the finals. Topaz had earlier edged Denver in a double-overtime semifinal.
• Group Calls Meeting to Protest Names Be Restored, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A planned meeting of Hood River Valley citizens to demand that the names of Japanese American servicemen be restored to the county honor roll was reported. The Legion post had already voted to restore the names, despite continuing local opposition.

Commentary

• Verdict on Validity of Army Individual Exclusion Orders Postponed by Federal Judge, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Federal Judge Hall in Los Angeles deferred ruling on the constitutionality of Individual Military Exclusion Orders issued against Japanese Americans, after ACLU attorneys argued the cases involved due process rights. The plaintiffs, including Elmer Yamamoto, Dr. George Ochikubo, and Kiyoshi Shigekawa, had been cleared as loyal by the WRA.
• Bronx Student Says Coast Racists Disgrace America, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Fourteen-year-old Richard Yoshiton of the Bronx wrote to PM newspaper condemning anti-Japanese American violence in the Hood River valley and in Placer County. He argued that Nisei are better citizens than their attackers.
• Legion Official Denounces Campaign Against Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Adjutant Marshal G. Staub of the American Legion’s Captain Belvedere Brooks Post in New York denounced those who stir up prejudice against Japanese Americans as serving Hitler’s purposes. He invited Nisei veterans whose names were removed from the Hood River memorial to join his post.

National

• Anti-Evacuee Group Demands Resignation of WRA Director, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A mass meeting in Gresham, Oregon, passed a resolution demanding the resignation of WRA Director Dillon S. Myer over resettlement of Japanese Americans. The sponsoring Oregon Property Owners’ Protective League also announced a campaign for a constitutional amendment to exile all persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Youths Admit They Set Fire to Homes on Vashon Island, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Harold Stephen Burton, 22, was charged in Seattle with setting fire to four vacant homes on Vashon Island, three owned by evacuees of Japanese ancestry. Two younger youths also confessed, saying they set the fires for the thrill.
• Five Nisei Girls Declare Springfield Plan Is Failure, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Five Japanese American evacuee girls announced they were leaving Springfield, Massachusetts, calling the Springfield Plan a failure due to unfriendly attitudes from the AFL Central Labor Council. An AFL official reportedly said Japanese mayors would result if evacuees were allowed to settle there.
• Segregee Bloc Broken Up at Tule Lake Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Attorney General Francis Biddle told a House committee that internees at the Tule Lake segregation center had virtually controlled the camp, until Justice Department representatives expatriated 80 leaders and moved them to internment camps. The matter had not been publicized previously.

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