Medals of Honor for 20 Nisei soldiers and the push to save the camps

Vol. 130, No. 19, May 12, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories shared the front page of this eight-page issue. Kristine Minami reported that twenty Japanese American World War II soldiers, most from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or 100th Battalion, will receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on June 21, with only about five still living. She also reported on JACL’s lobbying for a $4.8 million budget package to preserve incarceration (often called internment) camp sites, including Manzanar and Tule Lake. Martha Nakagawa covered the 31st Manzanar Pilgrimage and the Manzanar Advisory Commission meeting.

Elsewhere, pages 3 and 4 followed redress, including a court case over appeal rights under the Civil Liberties Act and a new bill from Rep. Xavier Becerra, plus plans for the JACL national convention. Bill Hosokawa wrote about Japanese Americans caught in Hiroshima, Bill Marutani contributed two pieces, and Pat Morita was named emcee of a Go for Broke celebration.

What’s in this issue

National

• 20 Japanese Americans to Receive Medal of Honor, by Kristine Minami, page 1. Twenty Japanese American WWII heroes, including Sen. Daniel Inouye, will receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on June 21 after a congressionally mandated study of Asian American holders of the Distinguished Service Cross. Most honorees fought in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team or 100th Battalion, with only about five recipients still living.
• Clinton Appoints Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, by P.C. Staff, page 3. President Clinton appointed 15 members and a chair, Norman Mineta, to a new advisory commission tasked with improving the quality of life for Asian Pacific Islander Americans. The commission will study ways to boost public and private sector involvement in APIA health, well-being, and participation in federal programs.
• Court Hears Arguments Over Redress Appeal Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 3. U.S. attorneys argued in federal court that applicants denied redress payments under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 no longer have the right to appeal to federal court, in a case involving Los Angeles resident Robert Murakami. Attorney John Ota countered that supplemental redress funding in 1999 preserved appeal rights, warning that hundreds of denied applicants could lose recourse if the government prevails.
• Campaign for Justice Seeks Congressional Support for New Redress Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Campaign for Justice launched an emergency letter-writing campaign urging Congress members to co-sponsor Rep. Xavier Becerra’s new Civil Liberties Act of 2000, which would fund public education, provide redress for previously ineligible internees, and ensure equity for Japanese Latin American internees. The group is especially urging support from Nikkei legislators like Rep. Matsui and Rep. Mink.
• Attack on Asian Students Draws 200 to Rally, by Associated Press, page 3. About 200 people rallied at Binghamton University to protest the beating of four Asian students, including John E. Lee who suffered a fractured skull, two months earlier by members of the wrestling team. Students demanded new counselors, an Asian American studies curriculum, policy revisions, and an administrative apology.

JACL

• Preserving the Internment Camps a Priority for JACL, by Kristine Minami, page 1. JACL is lobbying Congress to support a $4.8 million budget package to preserve internment camp sites including Manzanar’s visitors center, a kiosk at Tule Lake, and expanded protections at other camp sites. Despite bipartisan support, the funding faces an uphill battle as defense appropriations have squeezed other budget allocations.
• JACL National Officer Candidates Announced for 2000 Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Eleven individuals have submitted applications for JACL national officer positions ahead of the June 29 convention, according to nominations committee chair Lilian Kimura. The committee is encouraging additional candidates to run for offices where none are yet slated, with floor nomination forms to be sent to chapters.
• Time Running Out to Sign Up for National Steinbeck Center Tour, by Roger Minami, page 4. JACL national convention guests can join a tour of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas hosted by the West Valley JACL Senior Citizen’s Club on July 1. Transportation costs and lunch details are outlined, with reservations required ASAP through Art Okuno.
• Bus Rides in Monterey Available for Veterans Tribute Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Honorary co-chairs Harry Fukuhara and Rudy Tokiwa arranged bus transportation for those attending the Tribute to All Japanese American Veterans dinner in Monterey, including an optional tour of the Defense Language Institute. Reservations must be made through several contact persons by the May 20 deadline.
• Convention to Hold Hate Crimes Workshop, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A JACL convention workshop will address hate crime trends and prevention, featuring panelists including an FBI Special Agent and Sacramento police officials. The session aims to give JACL chapters law enforcement insight on identifying perpetrators and responding to hate crimes in their communities.
• Washington, D.C., JACL Chapter Publishes Speakers Bureau Brochure, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Washington, D.C. JACL chapter’s education committee published a brochure about its speakers bureau, which has educated schools and community groups about the Japanese American experience since 1995. The brochure, funded partly by a JACL Legacy Grant, features illustrations by Sansei artist Kristine Aono and will be distributed to social studies teachers in the D.C. area.

In-Depth

• Growing Importance of Historic Site Seen at 31st Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. The 31st annual Manzanar Pilgrimage featured the highest-ranking National Park Service official ever to attend, Director Robert Stanton, signaling growing institutional support for the site. Attendees including Sue Kunitomi Embrey and Rose Ochi praised the momentum and discussed funding proposals to rehabilitate facilities for public and administrative use.
• Manzanar Commission Meeting Highlights, by Martha Nakagawa, page 5. The Manzanar Advisory Commission meeting covered park ranger programs including oral histories, a camp ID card program for student visitors, and archaeological excavation findings at the camp cemetery and a former pond site. The report also discussed the appointment of Debbie Bird as acting superintendent following Ross Hopkins’ retirement and plans to make Highway 395 a four-lane road.
• Manzanar Pilgrimage Draws First-Timers and Reflects Growing Historic Recognition, by Martha Nakagawa, page 5. NPS Director Robert Stanton highlighted Manzanar’s growing national prominence at the pilgrimage, aiming to prevent future injustices through education. First-time attendees including ACLU legal director emeritus Fred Okrand and former internee Thomas Shigekuni shared personal reflections, some critical of wartime JACL policy.
• Presenting Manzanar at the Eastern California Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Former Manzanar internee Shi Nomura spent over 20 years collecting objects, photographs, and stories to create the Manzanar exhibit at the Eastern California Museum, exploring themes of memory and reflection. A grant from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program is now funding restoration of the exhibit as Nomura’s health has declined.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ Comes to JANM, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A traveling exhibit on Japanese Americans in baseball opened at the Japanese American National Museum, featuring memorabilia, jerseys, and a diorama of the Gila River camp baseball diamond. Panelists including former Nisei ball players Pete Mitsui, Shig Takeyama, Sam Adachi and Henry Ota shared their experiences at the opening.
• Pat Morita to Emcee June 3 ‘Go For Broke’ Celebration, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Actor Pat Morita, known for ‘Happy Days’ and ‘The Karate Kid,’ will emcee a celebration at the ‘Go For Broke’ monument in Los Angeles honoring the 100th/442nd/MIS World War II veterans. Morita, who grew up in the Gila River internment camp, says the stories of these veterans inspired him and shaped his understanding of what being American means.

Commentary

• Remembering the JA A-Bomb Victims, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa recounts visiting the Atomic Bomb Museum in Hiroshima and highlights the plight of an estimated 2,000 Japanese Americans caught in Hiroshima during the bombing, many of whom suffered lasting physical and psychological harm. He notes decades of failed legislative efforts by Kanji Kuramoto and Rep. Edward Roybal to secure federal compensation, contrasting it with the government’s recent decision to compensate nuclear weapons workers.
• The Postmaster, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Bill Marutani reminisces about his time in Minnesota with friends Tom Semba and Tom Seto, describing golf, bridge, and dining experiences that broadened his cultural horizons. He also reflects on the Nikkei community’s concentration in Washington state’s Puget Sound area and encourages preserving personal family histories in Pierce County.
• Re: Railroad, Mining Family Applicants, by Fumie Shimada, page 7. A letter writer highlights that only 381 railroad and mining family applicants received redress payments under the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, while 54 were denied, and calls for locating additional qualifying families. The writer references upcoming legislation by Xavier Becerra to address redress equity, including for Japanese Latin Americans.
• Seeking Former Students Featured in 1930s Nisei Orations Book, by Joyce Hirohata, page 7. A reader is trying to republish her grandfather’s 1930s book of speeches and essays by Japanese American high school students, seeking contact information for surviving relatives or classmates of those featured. She hopes to update the book with photographs and biographies detailing what happened to the students, many of whom lived through WWII internment.
• P.C.’s Whereabouts Column Helps Reader Find Closure, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A reader thanks the Pacific Citizen for running a ‘Whereabouts’ notice seeking Emiko Yoshimoto, which led to news that Yoshimoto had passed away about two years earlier. The notice brought closure for a friend searching for her after decades.

Obituaries

• Footprints in the Sand: Remembering Ellen Noguchi Nakamura, by Bill Marutani, page 7. Bill Marutani pays tribute to Ellen Noguchi Nakamura of the Seabrook, New Jersey JACL chapter, recounting her decades of volunteer leadership including founding the Seabrook Buddhist Temple, teaching Sunday school, and launching a radio program called ‘The Fuji Hour.’ Nakamura’s activism dated back to her involvement in Buddhist organizations during her internment at Jerome and continued through her later community museum work.
• Death Notice: Sakaye Terada Kometani, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sakaye Terada Kometani, 90, died May 6 in Rockford, Illinois, after a long career at McGill Metal Products and as an Electrolux sales representative. She is survived by four children, ten grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and her brother in Tokyo.

Community

• Former U.S. and Canadian Internees to Tour Internment Campsites in B.C., by P.C. Staff, page 8. A five-day bus tour in September will allow Japanese Canadian and American WWII internees to visit former internment campsites in interior British Columbia, including New Denver, organized by Chuck Kubokawa. The tour will culminate with the grand opening of the new Canadian Nikkei Cultural Centre in Burnaby, B.C.

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