Lt. Ehren Watada and a community divided, plus 2006 scholarship winners

Vol. 143, No. 5, September 1, 2006. 12 pages. View this issue

The case of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused to deploy to Iraq, ran through much of this 12-page issue. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom reported on groups that backed him, and nine California veterans groups spoke against him, including Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura. Readers wrote in on both sides, and Andy Noguchi compared the debate to older community splits, including the Heart Mountain draft resisters. Aoyagi-Stom also looked at calls for racial profiling after a foiled British plot, with JACL leaders and Rep. Mike Honda opposed.

Angel Island is the other subject: two stories on the immigration station’s Japanese immigrants, from picture bride Hisayo Yoshino to the family memories of Marvin Uratsu and Ken Ishibashi. JACL announced its 2006 National Scholarship winners, 27 awards totaling $57,000. Elsewhere are a profile of NFL linebacker Scott Fujita by Lynda Lin, a remembrance of flight attendant Betty Ong, and a fall films preview.

What’s in this issue

National

• Angel Island Foundation Hopes to Tell Japanese Immigrants’ Story, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation is researching and collecting stories of Japanese immigrants, like picture bride Hisayo Yoshino, who passed through the facility from 1910-1940. The nonprofit is working on a book to be released in 2010 alongside a new immigration museum, and is seeking Japanese American families willing to share their personal histories.
• Racial Profiling Rears Its Head Again, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Following a foiled British terrorist plot in August 2006, calls for racial profiling of Muslim and South Asian communities have resurfaced, with some citing the WWII Japanese American internment as precedent. JACL leaders and lawmakers including Rep. Mike Honda argue profiling is both unconstitutional and ineffective, pointing to historical examples where it failed to prevent terrorism.
• Watada Controversy Continues to Divide JA Community, by P.C. Staff, page 1. As 1st Lt. Ehren Watada faced a pre-trial hearing over his refusal to deploy to Iraq, the Japanese American community remained sharply divided, with civil rights groups and JA Vietnam veterans supporting him while WWII and Korean War veterans condemned his actions as dishonorable. The controversy has reignited old community debates about loyalty and patriotism reminiscent of WWII-era divisions.
• NCRR, Religious Leaders, JA Vietnam War Vets Announce Support for Watada, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, Los Angeles religious leaders, and the Asian American Vietnam Veterans Organization announced their support for Lt. Ehren Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq. Supporters argue his case raises core constitutional issues about the legality of the Iraq war and freedom of speech.
• JA Veterans Groups Attack Watada, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nine California veterans groups criticized Lt. Ehren Watada for disobeying deployment orders to Iraq, with leaders like Robert Wada and Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura saying his actions disrespect the legacy of JA military service. The groups argue Watada is trying to make himself a martyr and that his actions tarnish the reputation earned by JA soldiers in past wars.
• Critics Outraged ‘Survivor’ Playing the Race Card, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. City officials, including New York City Councilman John Liu, criticized CBS for dividing ‘Survivor’ contestants by race for its 13th season. Critics argue the format promotes racial division and negative stereotypes.
• Wal-Mart Image-Builder Resigns, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Andrew Young resigned from his role improving Wal-Mart’s public image after telling an African American newspaper that Jewish, Arab and Korean shop owners had ‘ripped off’ urban communities. Young, a former Atlanta mayor, apologized for the remarks before stepping down.
• 20-Year-Old Center for Asian Immigrants to Close, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. St. Julie Asian Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, which offered English and citizenship classes to Asian immigrants for two decades, announced it would close on Sept. 1. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur had relied on donations, grants, and personal sacrifices to keep the center open before ultimately losing the battle to save it.
• Gallup Honors Medal of Honor Winner Hiroshi Miyamura, by Associated Press, page 3. The city of Gallup, New Mexico honored native son and Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi ‘Hershey’ Miyamura with a monument on the city’s Veterans Memorial Plaza. Miyamura, who killed dozens of enemy soldiers before being captured during the Korean War, used the ceremony to highlight the contributions of other unrecognized JA veterans from Gallup.
• Allen’s ‘Macaca’ Comment Enrages APA Groups, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Virginia Senator George Allen faced criticism for calling a rival campaign staffer of Indian descent ‘Macaca’ during a rally, prompting Rep. Mike Honda and Indian American political leaders to demand an apology. Allen apologized to the staffer personally amid renewed scrutiny of his past associations with Confederate symbols.

Sports

• The Saint With Green Eyes, Community Ties, by Lynda Lin, page 1. New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, adopted as a baby by Japanese American parents, embraces his ‘dual heritage’ despite having no Japanese blood and often being mistaken for something else. As he enters his fifth NFL season, Fujita hopes to help restore hope to the Gulf Coast region one year after Hurricane Katrina devastated it.

JACL

• Please Support JACL, by Larry Oda, page 1. JACL National President Larry Oda asks members for donations during the Mid-Year campaign, which provides up to seven percent of funds necessary for JACL’s daily operations. He highlights the organization’s ongoing scholarship program and other national initiatives that rely on donor support.
• PSW District’s 10th Annual Awards Dinner to Honor ‘Dedication’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL Pacific Southwest District will honor outstanding members from each chapter at its 10th Annual Awards Dinner themed ‘Dedication.’ Honorees include representatives from chapters such as East Los Angeles, Gardena Valley, and San Diego, with proceeds supporting JACL’s efforts to train future community leaders.
• JACL Announces 2006 Scholarship Winners, by P.C. Staff, page 6. National JACL announced its 2006 scholarship winners, awarding 27 scholarships totaling $57,000, with excerpts published from Freshmen division recipients’ personal statements. Winners reflected on lessons from the WWII Japanese American internment experience and their hopes for applying those lessons to contemporary issues like post-9/11 racial profiling.

In-Depth

• Remembering Betty: Sept. 11 Commemoration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Betty Ong, an American Airlines flight attendant, calmly relayed crucial information about the 9/11 hijackers to authorities from Flight 11 before her death, yet remains far less commemorated than other Sept. 11 victims. Her sister Cathie Ong-Herrera has fought for greater recognition and started a foundation in Betty’s name focused on childhood obesity prevention.
• Angel Island: Recalling Immigrant Journeys, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 5. Marvin Uratsu and Ken Ishibashi share family memories of passing through the Angel Island Immigration Station as children in the 1920s and 1930s, recalling humiliating medical exams and lengthy processing. The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation continues seeking Japanese American families’ stories for an upcoming book on Pacific Coast immigration history.

Commentary

• Readers Continue to Debate Watada, by O. James Tuashima, Roy W. Takeuchi, and others, page 2. Multiple readers wrote in with varying opinions on Lt. Ehren Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq, ranging from support based on constitutional grounds to criticism that he should face military justice consequences for his choice. Letter writers debated the legality of the Iraq war and compared Watada’s actions to historical JA figures like Korematsu.
• Lt. Ehren Watada: Hero, Villain, or None of the Above?, by Andy Noguchi, page 8. Andy Noguchi draws parallels between the current divisions over Lt. Ehren Watada’s Iraq war protest and historical JA community splits over WWII loyalty and military service, including the Heart Mountain draft resisters. He concludes that Watada, like the WWII resisters and veterans, deserves respect as an individual acting on personal conscience rather than being labeled simply hero or villain.

Arts & Entertainment

• All-American Girl, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa reflects on her study abroad experience in Singapore, where her American identity rather than her Asian ethnicity marks her as an outsider, unlike in the U.S. She explores how the minority experience is a universal phenomenon and forms connections with an international group of students navigating dual cultural identities.
• Fall Films Preview, by Compiled by Lynda Lin, page 9. This roundup previews several upcoming films including Zhang Yimou’s father-son drama ‘Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles’ starring Ken Takakura, Tony Jaa’s action film ‘The Protector,’ Jet Li’s supposed final martial arts film ‘Fearless,’ and a documentary on disgraced Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori. Each film is briefly summarized with plot and background details.

Obituaries

• Masumi Hayashi, Photographic Artist Created Collages About the Loss of the American Dream, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 11. Masumi Hayashi, a renowned photographic artist and Cleveland State University professor known for her work on internment camps including ‘American Concentration Camps,’ was shot to death near her apartment at age 60. A neighbor was arrested in connection with her killing and that of another building resident.
• John Takeji Ushijima, Early Statehood Lawmaker, Dies at 82, by Associated Press, page 11. John Takeji Ushijima, a former Hawaii state Senate president and 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran, died at 82 after helping craft landmark legislation including the Prepaid Health Care Act. He served 23 years in elected office and was Senate president from 1974 to 1978.
• Founder of Vietnamese Language Newspaper in U.S. Dies at 65, by Associated Press, page 11. Yen Ngoc Do, who founded Nguoi Viet, the first and largest Vietnamese-language newspaper in the United States, died at 65 from complications of diabetes and kidney disease. He started the paper in 1978 from his Garden Grove home, growing it from a four-page weekly into an 18,000-circulation daily.
• Death Notice: Richard Shunichiro Okinaga, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Richard Shunichiro Okinaga, a 91-year-old Stockton-born resident of West Los Angeles, passed away on July 23 at his residence. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Janice, and daughter Elaine, with services held at West Los Angeles United Methodist Church.

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