Veterans, Dillon Myer and the end of the Air Forces ban

Vol. 22, No. 21, May 25, 1946. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American soldiers and veterans ran through much of this eight-page issue. Enlistment in the Army Air Forces was opened to Americans of Japanese ancestry, and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that the War Department confirmed the change. In Spokane, VFW Post 51 blackballed two 442nd veterans, which Bill Hosokawa condemned in his column and the VFW’s national commander said he disliked. At a New York dinner sponsored by the JACL, Dillon Myer was honored for resettling 115,000 evacuees, and an editorial praised his three years at the WRA.

Other pages cover Larry Tajiri on bills before Congress in an election year, John Kitasako’s memory of Palo Alto’s departure in 1942, and a Chicago Tribune editorial urging indemnification. Letters from Masao O. Tsukui and Asael T. Hansen describe an Issei couple facing deportation. Chapter news includes new JACL chapters in Spokane and Mid-Columbia.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• Enlistments in Army Air Corps Opened to Japanese American Group as Wartime Ban Lifted, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Army Air Forces now accept enlistments from Americans of Japanese ancestry, though recruiting was not coordinated with the rescinded ban. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin pressed the War Department, which confirmed the change and promised to recall affected Nisei enlistees to their chosen branch.
• Three Veterans Save Nisei Youth, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three war veterans volunteered blood for Henry Uwazumi, a Japanese American youth facing a major operation in San Francisco. Their donation helped save his life, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
• Salt Lake Nisei Soldier Drowns in Berlin Lake, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Pfc. Shiro Asahina of Salt Lake City drowned on May 19 when his canoe capsized on Schlechtensee lake in Berlin. His parents’ other sons, including a decorated captain, have returned from Army service.
• Italian Brides of Nisei GIs Leave for Home in America, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Italian and French war brides of 442nd soldiers boarded the USS Algonquin for the United States and Hawaii. Two wives are bound for Hawaii before traveling to California to await their husbands.
• Paratroop Leader Condemns Post 51’s Discrimination Against Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Spokane VFW Post 51 blackballed two 442nd veterans, prompting World War II paratroopers led by Rock Hutchings to threaten a new post. The incident repeats a similar rejection from the previous year.
• National VFW Head Raps Spokane Ban, by P.C. Staff, page 1. VFW national commander Joseph Stack said he disliked reports that two Japanese American veterans were blackballed at Spokane Post 51. He noted the national organization already includes Japanese American, Negro, and Indian members.
• Nisei Sergeant Cited for Work by Gen. Stilwell, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sgt. Morioka of Murray, Utah received an Army commendation ribbon for meritorious work at the Ninth Service Command reception center at Fort Douglas. The award was presented on behalf of General Stilwell.
• Scar Doctor Commended by Fifth Army, by P.C. Staff, page 3. First Lt. Roy K. Futamata, assistant battalion surgeon of the 442nd, received the Fifth Army commendation for skill and coolness treating casualties under fire. The citation praised his work in operating a medical installation in dangerous conditions.
• 442nd Cagers Split Series With Paratroopers in Bremen, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team basketball squad won one game and lost one against the 508th Parachute Regiment in Bremen on May 7 and 8. Tommie Harimoto and Frank Ichimoto led the first-game win, while Bull Suzuki led the losing effort in the second.
• Seattle Nisei Wins Soldier’s Medal for Heroic Action, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Technical Sergeant George E. Nakamura of Seattle received the Soldier’s Medal for removing gas cans from a burning tent in December. His brother Pfc. Bill Nakamura was killed in Italy and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
• Nisei Soldiers Participate in V-E Day Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team marched in a Leghorn ceremony on May 8 marking the first anniversary of V-E Day. Col. Francis H. Oxx praised the unit’s extraordinary performance.

National

• California State Sues to Take 40 Acres of Farm Land, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State of California filed suit against Keiichi Nakashima and Teraoka over 40 acres of farmland near Parlier. The state alleges the Nakashimas acquired the land improperly and have profited from it since 1934.
• Japanese Americans Honor Dillon Myer in Tribute to Success of War Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. At a May 22 New York dinner sponsored by the JACL, WRA director Dillon Myer was honored for resettling 115,000 evacuees. Myer credited the group’s cooperation, Nisei military service, WRA staff, and volunteer organizations for the success.
• Nisei to Study Group Attitudes in Chicago Area, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Masato Okada of Sacramento received a Julius Rosenwald Fund fellowship to study racial attitudes in Chicago’s new Japanese American community. The study will focus on Nisei attitudes toward the Negro group.
• Nisei Interpreters Rout 16 Japanese From Okinawa Cave, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sixteen Japanese soldiers hiding in a southern Okinawa cave surrendered after being flushed out by Nisei interpreters during a systematic search. They reportedly learned of Japan’s defeat only upon capture.
• Race Bias in U.S. Statutes Criticized by Nisei War Veteran, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ben Kuroki told the New Jersey Federation of Women’s Clubs that U.S. immigration and naturalization laws still discriminate by race. He also described union and GI Bill school barriers facing Nisei veterans and condemned California’s escheat campaign against Nisei-operated farms.
• Deportee Wins Test Case in Denver Court, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Symes granted a permanent writ of habeas corpus to Sato, who faced deportation because a two-hour stop in a Canadian port during an Alaska trip was deemed an illegal re-entry. Sato had entered the U.S. before the 1924 immigration act.
• Passage of Indemnification Bill Urged by Chicago Newspaper, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago Tribune editorially urged Congress to pass evacuation indemnification as a matter of simple justice. It acknowledged the evacuation was unwarranted in hindsight and praised Japanese American wartime service.
• Gen. MacArthur’s Order Opens Way for Return to U.S. Homes of Nisei Stranded in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 8. General MacArthur directed the Japanese government to list American nationals who forfeited citizenship through Japanese service. The list will help consular officials decide the status of Nisei seeking to return home.

Incarceration & Redress

• Canadian Repatriates Scheduled to Sail Next Week, by P.C. Staff, page 1. About 1,500 Japanese Canadian repatriates are scheduled to sail from Vancouver on two United States ships on May 27 and 31. Most are voluntary repatriates or dependents of those who requested repatriation.

Community

• Farmer Kills Self With Shotgun, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Shinji Aizawa, 49, a longtime Jerome, Idaho resident, was found dead from a shotgun wound on May 18 in an apparent suicide. Friends said he had been despondent in recent weeks.
• Elk Grove Girl Reported Missing, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Authorities are checking leads on Helen S. Ino of Elk Grove, missing since last week, who may have gone to Los Angeles or Utah. She reportedly withdrew $700 from the bank before disappearing.
• Salt Lake Group Will Hold Annual Talent Fete June 1, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Young People’s Fellowship of the Salt Lake City Japanese Christian church will hold its fourth annual Extravaganza talent show on June 1 at West High auditorium. Prizes and audience participation are planned.
• JACL Official Charges Water Turned Off at Lomita Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 3. About 160 returned evacuees at the Lomita air strip were left without drinking or washing water for several hours on May 11 when WRA officials shut off supply, according to JACL representative Scotty Tsuchiya. The families were awaiting incomplete housing tied to their work contracts.
• Spokane Chapter Elects Numata as President, by P.C. Staff, page 6. George Numata was elected president of the newly organized Spokane JACL chapter on May 17. Other officers were chosen for vice presidents, delegates, and recording roles.
• 300 Attend JACL Dance in New York, by P.C. Staff, page 6. More than 300 people attended the New York JACL dance on May 11 at the Hotel Delmonico, honoring the Greater New York Citizens Committee and the WRA eastern office. Ben Kuroki and Masao Satow attended, and Lisa Morrow performed.
• Gingham and Jeans, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Cotton Hop is scheduled for May 29 at the Fresno B Street USO, featuring the Trionettes and vocalists. Attendees are asked to wear gingham and jeans.
• Livingston Notes, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Aileen Yamoto married Pvt. Toshio Shoji on May 14 in Livingston, and Pvt. Arthur Shoji of the 442nd was home on furlough. Mr. Kishi also returned home after Pacific service.
• Church Outing, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Nisei YPF groups from Caldwell and Ontario joined First Presbyterian Church members of Boise for a wienie bake at Memorial Park on May 19. About 70 young people attended.
• Canadian Nisei Teacher Hired at Toronto School, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Henry Ide, a Nisei who taught in Ontario, was appointed to the staff of a Toronto public school. He is a graduate of the University of British Columbia.

JACL

• Oregon Reactivates JACL Chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Mid-Columbia chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, inactive since the 1942 evacuation, was reorganized on May 19 in Dee, Oregon. Mamoru Noji of Parkdale was elected president.

Commentary

• Four Years Ago It Was Evacuation Day for Nisei in Palo Alto, by John Kitasako, page 2. Kitasako recalls the May 25, 1942 departure of Palo Alto evacuees to Santa Anita, noting their good spirits and friends’ farewells. He reflects that evacuation, though costly, produced Nisei resilience and wider integration while the government still owes a debt of justice.
• Some People Don’t Know the War’s Over, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa criticizes the Spokane VFW post for blackballing Nisei veterans and calls such racism inexcusable after the war. He notes that Japan was an Allied power in the war the veterans fought.
• Tribune’s Hates, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises the Chicago Tribune for its fair stance toward Nisei and its support for evacuee reimbursement. It acknowledges that the paper’s other views often clash with Nisei interests.
• Romaji Press, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial supports Japanese newspapers’ proposal to print news in Romaji, citing the time saved by a 26-letter alphabet over thousands of characters. The writer recounts failing to master Japanese despite college study.
• Winona Incident, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial laments that 800 Japanese Americans were placed in the uncompleted Winona trailer camp at Burbank without basic facilities. It attributes the failure to congressional funding limits, poor planning, and government neglect.
• Dillon S. Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Dillon Myer for his three-year WRA leadership, which resettled over 100,000 evacuees. It emphasizes that the evacuees’ confidence in Myer was the greatest tribute he received.
• Air Forces Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes the contradiction in Air Forces policy, which excluded Japanese Americans while Nisei intelligence specialists served overseas. It also observes that the War Department’s overall record toward Japanese Americans is full of contradictions.
• Restrictive Covenants, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that racial restrictive covenants are a form of legalized racism that bars minorities from new housing developments. It cites recent court rulings in Los Angeles and Toronto as hopeful signs against them.
• It’s an Election Year, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reports that pending bills affecting Japanese Americans face delay as Congress members rush home for elections. He notes that the indemnification bill enjoys broad bipartisan support while the Eberharter and Issei naturalization bills remain stalled.
• Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A poem in memory of George K. Sawada contrasts a mother’s tales of samurai warriors with the Nisei soldier’s American identity. It reflects on the difficulty of being honored abroad while facing hatred at home.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa collects brief notes on Japanese Americans in union employment, Hollywood contributions, a Nisei veterans’ AVC chapter, and high school war casualties. The column closes with reports on Nisei veterans and community life across the country.
• Letter to the Editor: Food for Europe, by Harvey R. Otsuji, page 5. Otsuji suggests a Nisei fundraising campaign through the JACL to help European youth through Save the Children Federation. He argues that Americans once helped Japanese Americans and the community should now return the favor.
• A Letter from an Issei, by Masao O. Tsukui, page 5. An Issei man writes to explain his family’s situation, after an immigration inspector declared him and his wife deportable under the abrogated treaty. He describes his life in the U.S. and asks Congress to modify the law.
• My Heart Is in America, by Asael T. Hansen, page 5. Hansen, a former WRA analyst, publicizes the deportation case of Masao and Tsuku, long-time legal residents whose status ended when the treaty was abrogated. He argues the law’s racist discretion clause should be removed through the Eberharter bill.
• Correction, page 5. The Pacific Citizen corrects its prior report, identifying the Japanese Christian leader’s surname as Uemura rather than Miura. The correction is brief and factual.

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