Nisei casualties in France and the debate over returning to California

Vol. 19, No. 20, November 18, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Two subjects ran side by side through this eight-page issue: the war in France and the question of Japanese Americans going home. Fourteen Nisei soldiers were reported killed, 49 wounded and three missing with the Japanese American Combat Team, and page 2 reported that the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was serving with the 36th (Texas) Division. At home, Brig. Gen. Hays of the California State Guard said his men would enforce the law if the return of Japanese Americans led to disturbances. Larry Tajiri’s column looked back over thirty-three months since evacuation, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about a wounded veteran ejected from an Arizona barber shop.

Also in this issue: Joe Grant Masaoka reported that Colorado voters rejected Amendment 3, an alien land law. The JACL announced a second national conference in Salt Lake City for December 1 to 3, and Saburo Kido was admitted to the Utah Bar. Smaller community items include a tea dance for servicemen in Chicago and a new hostel in Washington, D.C.

What’s in this issue

National

• California State Guard Chief Says Returning Evacuees Will Be Protected from Violence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Brig. Gen. Hays of the California State Guard said the State Guard would enforce the law if disturbances arose from the return of Japanese Americans to California. He personally believed the return was unwise, though he did not endorse the demands of protesters.
• First Alien Evacuee Back in Sacramento, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Sacramento Bee reported that K. Osada, a 65-year-old farm labor contractor, was granted permission to return to Sacramento after evacuation. The FBI reviewed his papers and the permit reportedly allows him to reside in the city indefinitely.
• Army Explains Policy on Return of Two Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Western Defense Command said the return of James K. Yamamoto and Frank K. Fujiwara followed long-standing policy covering mixed marriages, family ties to servicemen, and meritorious cases. Protests from local officials and veterans’ groups in California had prompted the explanation.
• Legislator Will Check Reports on Evacuee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. John Z. Anderson said he would look into reports that evacuees were returning to the coast, after learning James K. Yamamoto planned to return to his farm by December 1. Anderson had opposed evacuee returns and said he had received only noncommittal replies from federal agencies.

Military & Veterans

• Report Fourteen Nisei Killed, 49 Others Wounded in France, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fourteen soldiers of Japanese ancestry from western states were killed, 49 wounded and three reported missing in action with the Japanese American Combat Team in the Vosges foothills. Casualties occurred mainly in fighting between October 15 and 21, and most had lived in California before evacuation.
• Japanese American Combat Team Attached to Famous Texas Division in France, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Chicago Tribune dispatch reported the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is now serving with the 36th (Texas) Division in France. The article recounts the unit’s history, including its role in breaking through to the surrounded ‘lost battalion’ on October 30.
• Report Poston Hero Missing in France, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Jou Okitsu of Poston, who had received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, has been missing in action since October 19. He had been cited for bringing medical aid to wounded comrades before contact was lost.
• Report Hunt Volunteer Killed in Europe, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Robert Endo of Salt Lake City, who volunteered from the Minidoka center, was killed in action in France on November 2. He served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and is survived by his parents, brothers and a sister.
• Wounded Nisei War Veteran Ejected from Barber Shop, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pvt. Raymond Matsuda, a crippled 442nd veteran with seven army ribbons, was ejected from a barber shop near Poston because of his ancestry. The barber, Andy Hale, admitted ordering him out and said his shop sign barred Japanese.
• Son of Gila River Evacuee Killed, Twelve Others Wounded, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Tatsumi Furukawa of Gila River was killed in action in France and had earlier received a Bronze Star for heroism in Italy. Twelve other Gila River soldiers were reported wounded, and three more were reported killed.
• Three Heart Mountain Soldiers Reported Wounded in France, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Set. George Mayeda of Heart Mountain was killed in France on October 15, and three others were reported wounded. The article gives brief biographical details about each of the soldiers.
• Topaz Kin Learn Three Wounded on French Front, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Three soldiers of the 442nd from the Topaz center, Sgt. Lou Tsunekawa, Pfc. Ito and Sgt. Tom Sagamori, were reported wounded in action in France. Sagamori had been wounded previously on the Italian front.
• Second Issei Son Killed on European Battlefield, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. George Saito of Belmont, Massachusetts, was killed in action in France, following his brother Calvin’s death in Italy. Their father Kiichi Saito had received a letter from George stating that America was a good country.
• Nisei Who Urged Volunteering Against Nazis Killed in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Edward Ogawa of Salt Lake City, who had recruited Nisei volunteers, was killed in action in France on October 18. He had been twice wounded in battle and had written a message urging Japanese Americans to prove their loyalty.
• Pfc. Hattori Killed in Action in France, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pfc. Kanio Hattori, a native of San Jose, California, was killed in action in France and had been drafted in March 1941. His wife is a resident of the Amache center.
• Pvt. Sumida Wounded in Action in France, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Yubio Sumida, husband of Molly Sumida at Poston, was reported wounded in action in France. He is a 1940 graduate and has two other brothers in service.
• Nisei GI Still Pursues Butterfly Hobby in Pacific, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Pvt. Bill Dorium, a Granada center soldier, continued his butterfly collecting hobby in the South Pacific. He sent his parents a collection of several hundred butterflies gathered between battles.
• Two Nisei Casualties Reported in Pocatello, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Pfc. Harvey E. Yamashita was reported wounded and Pfc. K. Morimoto was reported missing in action, both from the Tyhee farming area near Pocatello. The telegrams were received by their parents.
• Nyssa Nisei Hurt in Recent Battle, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Pvt. Arthur Iwasaki of Nyssa, Oregon, was slightly wounded in action in France on October 20. He had been inducted into the army in March 1942.
• 161 Nisei Receive Active Duty Orders in Denver Area, by P.C. Staff, page 4. 161 Denver-area Nisei reservists received orders to report for processing at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for active duty. The men had been enlisted reservists before being called up.
• The Casualty Lists, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial notes heavy casualties among Japanese American soldiers from western states and recalls the 100th Battalion’s heavy losses in Italy. It criticizes continued discriminatory attitudes at home, citing the Arizona barbershop incident.

Community

• Yuba Legion Reports Protests Against Nisei Honor Roll, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Protests arose after the Yuba-Sutter American Legion post placed 13 Japanese American soldiers on its honor roll. The Legion committee then grouped their names into a separate section after hostile criticism.
• Four WRA Field Offices to Close, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Four WRA relocation offices in Billings, Scottsbluff, Casper and Grand Junction will close during November. The News-Courier reported the closures.
• Seattle Nisei Cited for Aid to Wounded During Battle, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pfc. Frank T. Okita, an aid man with the 442nd, was cited for ministering to wounded soldiers and evacuating them under heavy bombardment in Italy. He had volunteered for combat duty from the Minidoka center.
• Campaign Reunites Three Gl Veterans of Italy in Iowa, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Three Iowa and Hawaii soldiers from the 34th Infantry, including two Nisei, reunited in Des Moines while on furlough. They had fought together from Salerno onward and hoped to remain together after the war.
• Nisei Girls Plan Tea Dance for GIs, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The newly organized girls’ Y club planned a tea dance for servicemen in Chicago over Thanksgiving at the Loop YWCA. The event was expected to draw service personnel passing through the city.
• Davis County PTA Votes 4 to 1 to Hire Nisei Nurse, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Members of Davis County PTA organizations voted 64 to 16 in favor of hiring a Japanese American nurse for the county health program. The nurse was the only one available at the time.
• Chicago Nisei to Hear Carey McWilliams, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Carey McWilliams, author of Prejudice, will address Chicago Nisei on November 26 at the Olivet Institute. The Chicago JACL announced the event.
• Larry Smith Visits Fresno to Open War Loan Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 7. NRC commentator Larry Smith visited Fresno to help local schools promote the Sixth War Loan drive. He made remarks about Japanese Americans that were reported by the Fresno Bee.
• Inter-Faith Group Opens Hostel in Washington D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Inter-Faith Committee of the Federal Council of Churches opened a hostel for relocators at 2311 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Parker Barrett will serve as hostel directors.
• Nisei Rookie Shows Marksmanship, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Pfc. Minoru Shigematsu, a rookie at Poston, scored a brilliant 200 on a marksmanship test in Company D, 171st Infantry at Camp Shelby.

Commentary

• Farewell to Isolationism, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial argues that the November 7 elections repudiated isolationism, which had contributed to the breakdown of collective security before World War II. It notes that Japanese Americans are fighting in Europe and the Pacific to prevent another world war.
• 33 Months Since Evacuation, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. Tajiri reviews the thirty-three months since evacuation and the demonstrated loyalty of Japanese Americans in military service. He argues that restrictions will inevitably be lifted and that pending Supreme Court decisions will shape the relocation program.
• Citizens of Colorado Reject Proposed Racist Legislation, by Joe Grant Masaoka, page 5. Masaoka reports that Colorado voters rejected Amendment 3, an alien land law that would have affected Issei property owners. He notes the measure was defeated by a margin of roughly 12,000 votes.
• From the Frying Pan: The Andy Hales and the Super-Patriots, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Hosokawa condemns barber Andy Hale’s ejection of a wounded Nisei veteran from his shop. He argues that bigotry like Hale’s is an outrage to American decency.

JACL

• JACL President Admitted to Utah State Bar, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Saburo Kido, national JACL president, was admitted to the Utah Bar through reciprocity with California, where he had practiced law for sixteen years. He was also recently admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• JACL to Hold Conference on Nisei Future, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The JACL will hold its second national conference in Salt Lake City on December 1 to 3. Agenda items include postwar planning and the return of evacuees to the Pacific coast.

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