Vol. 151, No. 9, November 5, 2010. 16 pages. View this issue
Japanese American military service ran through this 16-page issue. A three-page roundtable by Nalea J. Ko brought together thirteen veterans of the 442nd RCT, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the MIS at the Go For Broke National Education Center. They spoke about the Congressional Gold Medal, serving while their families were interned, and crediting fallen comrades and their Issei parents. In a commentary, Phillip Ozaki told of lobbying senators for the medal bill, which President Obama signed into law on Oct. 5.
The issue also profiled two other lives in uniform. Navy Lt. Janelle Kuroda, a Yonsei in the JAG Corps, answered questions from APA and JACL youth for Veterans Day. Another article followed MIS veteran George Fujimori from wartime linguist work to years at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Designs in Chicago.
What’s in this issue
In-Depth
- Nisei Veterans Discuss Honor, Sacrifice and Service, by Nalea J. Ko, page 3. Thirteen WWII Japanese American veterans of the 442nd RCT, 100th Infantry Battalion, and MIS gathered at the Go For Broke National Education Center to discuss receiving the Congressional Gold Medal. The veterans reflected on their wartime service, the internment of their families, and their feelings about being called heroes, often deflecting credit to fallen comrades and their Issei parents.
- Nisei Veterans Discuss Honor, Sacrifice and Service (Continued), by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. The roundtable discussion continues with veterans George Fujimori, Ken Akune, Robert Ichikawa and Don Seki recounting their decisions to volunteer for military service despite their families being interned. Sam Fujikawa and Ocean Miyake also joked about the rivalry between mainland ‘Katonk’ and Hawaii ‘Kanaka’ soldiers within the segregated unit.
- Nisei Veterans Discuss Honor, Sacrifice and Service (Conclusion), by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. In the final portion of the roundtable, veterans Ken Akune, Sam Fujikawa, Frank Fukuzawa and Ken Miya discussed how the Congressional Gold Medal will raise awareness of their wartime contributions, crediting the Issei generation’s sacrifice and patience for instilling values that carried them through the war. Many expressed humility, saying the true honorees are those who died in service.
- The Japanese American Veteran ‘Playboy’, page 8. George Fujimori, a 90-year-old MIS veteran who served as a linguist convincing Japanese soldiers to surrender during WWII, later spent 16 years running Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Designs furniture shop, creating the iconic Playboy rotating bed. The article details his wartime experiences, the trauma that followed him into nightmares, and his colorful, secretive years working alongside Playboy bunnies and celebrities in Chicago.
National
- Navy Lt. Janelle Kuroda Reflects on Military Service This Vets Day, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. APA and JACL youth posed questions to 30-year-old Navy JAG Corps member Janelle Kuroda, a Yonsei whose family has served in every American war since World War II. Kuroda discussed her path to becoming a judge advocate, her experiences as an Asian American woman in the military, and how her family’s military legacy inspired her own sense of service.
- Navy Lt. Janelle Kuroda Reflects on Military Service This Vets Day (Continued), by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 11. Kuroda continued answering questions about how her experience in Southwest Asia shaped her views on current conflicts and how being a judge advocate differs from civilian law practice. She also described her role advising the commander of Navy Region Southwest Asia on legal matters involving international and Bahraini law.
Commentary
- Working the Hill for WWII Nisei Vets, by Phillip Ozaki, page 10. Former JACL Mineta Fellow Phillip Ozaki recounts his experience lobbying senators to co-sponsor the Congressional Gold Medal bill, sharing his grandfather Sam Ozaki’s internment and 442nd RCT story to win support. Working alongside WWII veteran Grant Ichikawa and other advocates, Ozaki helped secure the needed 67 Senate co-sponsors, leading to the bill’s passage and President Obama’s signing of it into law on Oct. 5.
Obituaries
- Masako Mary Yamada, page 15. Masako Mary Yamada, who served as a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer during and after World War II, passed away in New York City on April 17, 2010, at age 97. Born in Los Angeles, she later worked as an instructor and guidance counselor after her military service, and her image appears on the cover of the book ‘Serving Our Country: Japanese American Women in the Military during World War II.’
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