Casualties and the Turin entry: the 442nd in Italy, April 1945

Vol. 20, No. 18, May 5, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

The 442nd Infantry Regiment’s last weeks in Italy led this eight-page issue. The Office of War Information announced that 30 Japanese American soldiers had been killed and 188 wounded, and the paper printed the casualty list by state. Another story reported that the regiment entered Turin on April 30 and found it under the control of Italian partisans. Larry Tajiri’s editorial, “Closing the Centers,” noted that WRA services would end within seven months and the camps would close January 2, 1946. Bill Hosokawa and Carey McWilliams wrote about the acquittal of three men charged in attacks on Sumio Doi’s farm and a boycott of produce grown by Rukuta Tsubota.

Other pages carried news of the 100th Battalion, including Silver and Bronze Stars and a planned memorial in Sparta, Wisconsin. Dr. T. T. Yatabe’s work for JACL in Illinois and Milwaukee is covered, along with a visit by Frank Sinatra to Fellowship House in Philadelphia and a report on Nisei interpreters on Okinawa.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• 30 Nisei Killed, 188 Wounded in Italy Combat Casualties Announced by Office of War Information, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of War Information announced 30 Japanese American soldiers of the 442nd Infantry Regiment were killed and 188 wounded in action on the Italian front. All next of kin had previously been notified by the War Department.
• 442nd Infantry Occupies Turin, Climaxing Coastal Offensive, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 442nd Infantry Regiment entered the industrial city of Turin on April 30 and found it under control of Italian partisans. The entry completed a coastal offensive along western Italy that followed earlier occupation of Genoa.
• Japanese Brazilians Fighting in Italy, Says Nisei Soldier, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Brazilian citizens of Japanese ancestry are serving in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force in Italy, according to a report from a Nisei soldier. He said he met a Japanese Brazilian soldier named Kato in his unit.
• 20 Members of 100th Unit Given Honors, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Brigadier General Ralph C. Tobin presented Silver and Bronze Stars to members of the 100th Battalion at a ceremony in France. He praised the unit’s disciplined record and expressed pride in commanding them.
• Nisei Soldier Aids Comrades Despite Wounds, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Private First Class Joph Ito, an aidman, was wounded while treating fellow soldiers during an attack to capture Bruyeres. He received a Silver Star for remaining with the wounded for over five hours.
• Azusa Family Learns Son Hurt in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Nakada family of Azusa, California, whose seven sons serve in the Army, was notified that Pfc. George Nakada was seriously wounded in Italy. Another son, Henry, had also been wounded earlier and recovered.
• Members of Iowa Family Write to Nisei Serviceman, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Tom Nishikawa, a Hawaiian Nisei soldier in Italy, has corresponded since 1943 with Mrs. O. G. Emerick of Perry, Iowa, who became his American mother. The families have exchanged gifts and letters.
• Idaho Nisei Soldier Returns from Combat, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pvt. Roy Okamura of Tyhee, Idaho, returned from the European theater after combat and is receiving treatment at an East Coast hospital. He was transferred for further care.
• Wounded Nisei Soldier Gets Ovation in Los Angeles, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Cpl. Heynai Iiyama, recently returned from combat with the 442nd, was given an ovation at a United Nations rally in Los Angeles. He was overcome with emotion and could not finish his speech.
• DSC Winner Hurt in Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Pfc. Arthur Yamashita, a Distinguished Service Cross recipient, was wounded in Italy on April 19 while serving with the 100th Battalion. Four other Yamashita brothers also serve in the U.S. Army.
• Idaho Soldier Killed in Recent Action in Italy, by Jeanne Kawamura, page 6. Pvt. Fred H. Nagano of Pingree, Idaho, was killed in action in Italy on April 6 while serving with the 100th Battalion. Pvt. Kazuo Endow of Tyhee, Idaho, was wounded for a second time.
• Frontier Fighting Ruse Used by Nisei to Confuse Germans, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Staff Sergeant James S. Koizumi received a Silver Star for a ruse in which he and five men simulated a larger force to confuse Germans. The action occurred near Bruyeres in France.
• Sparta Selects Park Site for Memorial to 100th Battalion, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The city council of Sparta, Wisconsin, chose a park site bordering Perch Lake for a memorial to the 100th Battalion. The battalion had frequently visited the town from nearby Camp McCoy.
• Japanese American Soldier From Hood River Posthumously Awarded Silver Star Medal, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tech. 3rd Grade Hachiya, born in Odell, Oregon, received a posthumous Silver Star for gallantry on Leyte. He was killed after pursuing an enemy patrol alone to try to capture them.
• Soldiers Prove Popular With People of Riviera Towns, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Residents of Riviera towns near Monte Carlo praised the manners of the 442nd soldiers and welcomed them into their homes. Several French families called the men friends during the unit’s tour in the Maritime Alps.
• U. S. Army Utilizes Many Nisei Specialists in Okinawa Battle, by P.C. Staff, page 8. War correspondent Roy Cummings reported that many Japanese American interpreters, mostly from Hawaii, are serving on Okinawa. He described them persuading frightened civilians to surrender.

National

• Trio to Face New Charges of Violations Following Acquittal in Terrorist Activity Against Nisei Farmer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three men acquitted of arson and attempted dynamiting of Sumio Doi’s farm faced new charges of contributing to delinquency of minors and alcohol sales to minors. Two Johnson brothers were also taken into custody by military authorities for being AWOL.
• Sumio Doi Takes Pre-Induction Physical Test, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sumio Doi, a Japanese American rancher and victim of a terrorist plot, awaited results of a pre-induction physical examination. He was the principal prosecution witness in the trial of three men acquitted of arson and illegal entry.
• Eleven Evacuees Employed on Farm in Placer County, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Placer County sheriff’s office reported eleven mostly elderly men of Japanese ancestry work on the Harvey Whitten ranch thinning peaches. Some local residents posted signs refusing Japanese trade, though no demonstrations were expected.
• Merced Sheriff Asks Funds to Protect Returned Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Merced Sheriff N. L. Cornell requested additional deputies and funds to protect returned evacuees in the Livingston district after shots were fired into the Kishi home. A state investigator joined the probe into terrorist acts against Japanese Americans.
• Governor Dempsey Says New Mexico Opposes Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. New Mexico Governor Dempsey stated the state does not want Japanese residents or evacuees. He made the remarks in a public statement on April 27.
• WRA Camps Will Remain at Work on VE-Day, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The War Relocation Authority announced its camps will remain at work during normal hours on the day victory in Europe is announced. The policy complied with a White House request that federal employees stay at their posts.
• Evacuees Integrated in Milwaukee Life, Mayor’s Group Told, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. William Rasche told a Milwaukee mayor’s committee that Japanese Americans are being integrated into community life. He noted the vocational school had opened its doors to them.
• WRA Official Hits Promoters of Commercialized Hate Drive Against Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 2. H. Rex Lee of the WRA told a Chicago audience that a small group of economically motivated agitators profits from anti-Japanese campaigns masked as patriotism. He said the fight is against race-baiters counting success in dollars.
• California State Senate Group Raps Return, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A California Senate fact-finding committee urged stricter enforcement of the Alien Land Act and scrutiny of Japanese language schools. It also reiterated opposition to the return of evacuees before war’s end.

JACL

• JACL Supports Fair Employment Bill in Illinois, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. T. T. Yatabe, JACL Midwest director, urged an Illinois Senate committee to create a state fair employment practices commission. War veteran Samuel Adams Jackson III also spoke in favor of the bill.

Community

• Nisei Student Passes Iowa Bar, by P.C. Staff, page 2. George Kita, a Nisei student at Drake University, passed the Iowa state bar examination. The news was reported briefly in the paper.
• Student Relocation, by P.C. Staff, page 4. About 3,000 Nisei have relocated to colleges from California to New York through the National Japanese American Student Relocation Council. The editorial highlights the council’s achievements and appeals for funds.
• JACL Official Talks on Nisei at Milwaukee Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dr. T. T. Yatabe told a Milwaukee audience that the Nisei are Americans and any problem belongs to the United States, not Japan. He visited Milwaukee to help organize a JACL chapter there.
• Chicago Girls Group Sponsors USO Party, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Chicago Girl’s Service Club and other YWCA-affiliated clubs sponsored a USO party at the Chicago USO Club on May 5. The club sends hostesses regularly and visits wounded men.
• Parma Girl Heads Nisei Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Grace Shiraishi of Parma was elected president of the Nisei Young Adult Fellowship of the Caldwell Methodist Church. Other officers were also named.
• Nisei Girls Act as Hostesses at USO Club in Chicago Loop, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Nisei girls from the Chicago Girl’s Service Club now serve regularly as junior hostesses at the USO Club on Wabash Avenue. Dolly and Yuri Tanaka described the work of greeting service men and organizing activities.
• Sinatra Speaks on Racial Tolerance, by Grayce Kaneda, page 7. Frank Sinatra visited Fellowship House in Philadelphia to speak on racial tolerance before a high school youth group. Grayce Kaneda describes the event and Sinatra’s pledge to organize a fundraising rally for the House.

Commentary

• Closing the Centers, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial rejects calls to keep relocation centers open, noting WRA services will end within seven months and the camps close January 2, 1946. It urges evacuees to resettle while WRA assistance remains available.
• Senator From Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial criticizes Senator Warren Magnuson for demanding a policy on Japanese Americans and repeating dual-citizenship claims. It argues he is repeating racist claims rather than respecting citizens’ rights.
• Vagaries, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. This column notes news items on Nisei soldiers, an Idaho internee project, and Canadian Japanese workers. It also discusses the Tsubota boycott commentary and Hosokawa’s response to Magnuson’s statements.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa criticizes the acquittal of three men in terrorist attacks on a Japanese American farm and the defense’s appeal to white supremacy. He argues racial hatred disgraces the nation and undermines the San Francisco conference.
• The Tsubota Boycott, by Carey McWilliams, page 5. Carey McWilliams reports that Rukuta Tsubota, returning to his Maryhill, Washington farm, was boycotted by Portland produce dealers organized by an Italian growers’ association. He notes the boycott targets Japanese produce and calls for federal intervention.
• Letter to the Editor: Correction on Preliminary Report on Los Angeles Area, by Fred Fertig, page 6. Fertig corrects an earlier statement that most Chinese Americans are friendly to returning evacuees and explains reasons for opposition among some Chinese immigrants. He calls for minorities to unite against discrimination and extend democracy for all.

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