Nisei in combat, and the 1944 fight over return to the West Coast

Vol. 19, No. 14, October 7, 1944. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American soldiers and the debate over the return of incarcerees filled this eight-page issue. The front page carried the War Department’s announcement that 27 soldiers of Japanese ancestry had been killed and five wounded in the Mediterranean area, with one more wounded in Europe. Staff Sgt. Edgar Laytha told how Staff Sgt. Kenny Yasui captured 16 enemy soldiers on the Irrawaddy River. The Supreme Court was expected to hear the Korematsu and Endo cases on Oct. 11 and 12, and the National JACL filed a friend of the court brief. Larry Tajiri’s editorials took up the Alien Land Laws and political race-baiting.

Elsewhere, Thomas R. Bodine reported that about 3000 Japanese American students had enrolled in more than 550 colleges. Bill Hosokawa questioned the 4-C draft classification given to some native-born Nisei. Page 7 reported that Minidoka men were sentenced for refusing preinduction physicals, and page 6 offered letters from Nisei servicemen.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• War Department Announces 27 Japanese Americans Killed, 5 Wounded in Combat, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The War Department reported 27 soldiers of Japanese ancestry killed in action and five wounded in the Mediterranean area, with one more wounded in Europe. Next-of-kin and home addresses for the casualties were listed by territory and state.
• Memorial Rites Held for Topaz Nisei Soldier Pfc. Robert Sachiyo Hoshino, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Memorial services were held at Topaz for Pfc. Robert Sachiyo Hoshino, killed in action in Italy on Aug. 26. He had been recalled to active duty and went overseas in spring 1944.
• Sgt. Tanouye Succumbs to Battle Wounds, by P.C. Staff, page 1. T/Sgt. T. Tanouye of Rohwer died of wounds received in Italy, his family was notified by telegram. The Tanouyes were former truck farmers from Torrance, California, who transferred from Jerome.
• Sgt. Kenny Yasui Captures 16 Enemy Japanese Troops in Action on Irrawaddy River, by Staff Sgt. Edgar Laytha, page 1. Staff Sgt. Kenny Yasui, a California-born Nisei, captured 16 Japanese soldiers on an island in the Irrawaddy River by using his Japanese language skills. Sgt. Edgar Laytha recounts the incident as one of many achievements of Nisei soldiers.
• Official Censorship Lifted on Participation of Nisei Soldiers on Burma Front, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Censorship was lifted on Japanese American volunteers who fought in the Burma campaign with Merrill’s Marauders and other Allied units. The article lists the Nisei soldiers, including several cited for valor.
• Officer, Nine Men Receive Bronze Stars, by P.C. Staff, page 2. First Lieutenant William S. Pye and nine Japanese American soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion received Bronze Stars for heroism in Italy. The enlisted men were veterans of the Fifth Army drive from Salerno.
• Pfc. Murakami Wounded in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Pfc. Murakami of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was wounded in action in Italy on Aug. 31, according to word received at Poston. He had been the first councilman elected from Block 44.
• Japanese American Troops Participated in Allied Airborne Invasion of Southern France, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese American troops took part in the Allied invasion of southern France and the march to the German frontier. They were reported as serving in China, Burma, Italy, and the Pacific islands.
• Nisei Soldiers Help Hold Small French Village Against Raid by Germans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A letter from Tech. 5th Grade Ralph Kuwada describes Nisei soldiers flown into southern France by glider and their front-line experiences. He recounts fighting off a German raid on a village and taking prisoners.
• Rifle Platoon Knocks Out Nazi Position, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Technical Sergeant Bert M. Tanaka of the 100th Infantry Battalion led his rifle platoon in knocking out a machinegun nest in Italy within ten minutes. He crawled forward under fire and tossed grenades into the dugout, forcing the enemy to surrender.
• Men of 100th Infantry Send Greeting to Captain’s Daughter, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Members of the 100th Infantry Battalion sent a war bond and birthday greetings to Linda Ann Hawkins, daughter of their commander Captain Lee B. Hawkins. The message expressed admiration for the captain and the cause for which they fought.
• Japanese American Musicians Play for Fifth Army Troops, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Twenty-nine musicians of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team band perform for Fifth Army troops in Italy, playing marches, Hawaiian music, and swing. Their Hawaiian vaudeville act and plans for a dance orchestra are described.
• Lieut. Tanahashi Refused Aid Until Other Soldiers Treated, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Lieutenant Kei Tanahashi of Heart Mountain died in Italy after refusing medical aid until every other wounded man in his platoon had been treated. His mother expressed pride in his service and hope his death would help the public see Nisei as loyal Americans.
• Milwaukee Dinner Honors Veterans of Italian Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Four Nisei officers who fought in Italy were honored at a Milwaukee banquet attended by 200 guests. The officers described the heroism of their men, including a private who returned to duty despite wounds.
• Bazooka Gunner Wins Bronze Star for Bravery in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Private Masao Awakuni of the 100th Infantry Battalion received the Bronze Star for knocking out a German tank with a bazooka below Cassino. His commanding officer praised his courage under fire.
• Figure in Test Case Held on Draft Charge, by Associated Press, page 7. Gordon K. Hirabayashi, a former University of Washington student and conscientious objector, was arrested again on a charge of failing to report for preinduction examination. He had earlier objected to the selective service questionnaire as discriminatory.
• Nine Nisei Report at Fort Douglas, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Nine Japanese American enlisted reservists left Pocatello for Fort Douglas on September 15. They were named individually in the report.

National

• Facts Dispel Fear, Declares WRA Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. WRA Director Dillon S. Myer told a Pasadena audience that public acceptance of relocating evacuees has proved easy and that dispersed relocation is desirable. He said 32,000 evacuees had already been relocated.
• Gannon Names National JACL As Pressure Group for Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California Assemblyman Chester Gannon attacked the JACL and other groups as pressure groups seeking the return of Japanese Americans to California. The article reports his warnings and his description of the JACL as a New York outfit.
• Canada May Continue Evacuee Supervision in Post-War Period, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Canadian labor minister Arthur MacNamara indicated that supervision of persons of Japanese ancestry may continue after the war to distribute them across Canada. Restrictions would not be lifted until dispersal was complete.
• Mackenzie’s Stand Upheld by Canadian Officials, by P.C. Staff, page 3. CCF members in Vancouver defended Pension Minister Mackenzie’s statement against the Liberal policy of quota-based distribution of Canadians of Japanese ancestry. The article reports the political debate.
• Myer Declares Public Opinion Changing Due to Combat Record, by P.C. Staff, page 3. WRA Director Dillon Myer told an Inter-faith Club in Los Angeles that public opinion on Japanese Americans is changing because of the combat record of Nisei soldiers. He condemned racists who appeal to fear and hatred.

Incarceration & Redress

• Los Angeles Federal Court Denies Dr. Ochikubo’s Petition for Injunction Against Military, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Federal Judge Pierson Hall denied Dr. George Ochikubo’s petition to restrain military authorities from blocking his return to Oakland. The U.S. Attorney argued the matter had already been decided by an Army board.
• Ochikubo Case Effect Clarified by WRA Official, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A WRA official clarified that the Ochikubo case concerns only Dr. Ochikubo, since the Army revoked the mass exclusion order as to him and issued an individual exclusion order. The ruling will not decide the return of other evacuees.
• Supreme Court to Hear Endo, Korematsu Tests on Validity of Evacuation, Detention of Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear the Korematsu and Endo cases on evacuation and detention on Oct. 11 and 12. The National JACL filed a friend of the court brief in both cases, with Saburo Kido attending the hearings.
• LaViolette Describes Canadian Evacuation, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Forrest LaViolette, a community analyst, reported on Canadian evacuation centers after visiting Heart Mountain. He said Canadian centers were less expensive and that Canadian-born evacuees were allowed to maintain citizenship.
• Girl Succumbs to Knife Wounds in Attempt to Save Life, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A young woman at Poston died after being stabbed with a butcher knife by a fellow resident, identified as Isamu Takahashi. Doctors had operated but could not save her life.
• Gustavson Will Head Colorado Fair Play Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dean G. Gustavson was named honorary chairman of the Colorado Fair Play Committee, formed to oppose a November ballot measure that would bar aliens ineligible for citizenship from owning land. The committee was announced by its secretary-treasurer.
• Kelley, Pasadena’s One-Man Crusade, Repudiates Racists, Asks to Join Fair Play Group, by P.C. Staff, page 3. George L. Kelley, leader of the Ban the Japs Committee in Pasadena, resigned from his committee and applied to join the Fair Play group after hearing Dillon Myer speak. He said Myer had convinced him he was wrong.
• Public School Heads Commended for Stand by Church Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Assembly of the Southern California Council of Protestant Churches commended Pasadena school officials for upholding the constitutional rights of Japanese American students. The resolution urged other officials to take the same stance.
• Nine Minidoka Nisei to Serve Prison Terms for Violation of Selective Service Law, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Federal Judge Clark sentenced 25 men, including 19 evacuees from Minidoka, to prison terms after they refused preinduction physicals on the grounds that their civil rights had been violated by evacuation. The article lists the sentences and names of those convicted.
• Initial Evacuee Group Will Begin Work at Ordnance Depot, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Fifteen families of Japanese Americans from Gila River and Poston were approved by the War Department to work as munitions handlers at the Army Ordnance Depot in Tooele, Utah. The families will be housed in a Federal housing project nearby.

Community

• U of Washington Will Accept Nisei Students, by P.C. Staff, page 2. University of Washington president L. P. Sieg announced that Japanese Americans returning to the coast would not be discriminated against in admissions. He noted former students had completed degrees by extension after removal.
• Mississippi School Offers Scholarships for Two Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Wood Junior College in Mathewson, Mississippi, offered scholarships to two American-born Japanese girls. Tuition and living expenses would be covered, and the school wanted them to participate in extracurricular activities.
• Milwaukee Nisei Inducted into WAC, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Miss Suzue Yagi became the first Nisei woman inducted in Milwaukee into the Women’s Army Corps on September 30, 1944. She had come to Milwaukee from the Gila River project and would report for basic training at Fort Des Moines.
• Yatabe Opens National JACL Lecture Series, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Dr. T. T. Yatabe, JACL midwest representative, opened a lecture tour of the eastern seaboard in Rochester, New York, on Oct. 2. He spoke on the experiences of Japanese Americans with singer Ruby Yoshino.
• Plan Chicago Area Chapter of National JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fifty-two JACL associate members met in Chicago on Sept. 27 and elected an organizing committee to form a Chicago chapter. JACL president Saburo Kido addressed the meeting on the organization’s work.
• Soldier Tells of Coast Experiences, by Sgt. Arthur Ito, page 6. Sgt. Arthur Ito, a Nisei soldier stationed at Camp Pinedale, describes working in California farm harvests and finding little discrimination. He says the outlook for an early return to the coast is good.
• Salt Lake YW Solicits New Nisei Members, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Salt Lake City YWCA sponsoring committee invited Nisei women to join its membership drive, aiming to grow to 300 members by year end. A Friendship and Service club for young Nisei women also meets there twice monthly.
• WFA Farm Camp Schedules Dance for Hallowe’en, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The WFA Farm Labor Camp at Caldwell, Idaho, will hold a Hallowe’en dance on October 28 to raise funds for its grammar school. The school was established with WRA help and serves mostly second and third generation students.

Commentary

• Rohwer Crusaders Make Plea for Financial Aid, by The Rohwer Crusaders, page 2. The Rohwer Crusaders, who send holiday letters to Nisei servicemen, appealed to readers for donations to cover postage costs. They explained that their goal is to reach every Nisei in uniform.
• The Alien Land Laws, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial argues that the Alien Land Laws, passed in the wake of the Yellow Peril scares, were driven by greed and racial hatred and are not consistent with democratic principles. It notes that the laws are now being enforced against Japanese Americans after they were largely ignored for years.
• Congressional Views, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial notes that although Congress has considered discriminatory legislation against Japanese Americans, none has passed and many bills were blocked. It praises Rep. Walter Judd and Delegate Anthony Dimond for recognizing Nisei combat achievements.
• Political Race-Baiting, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. The editorial criticizes California officials Fred Howser and Fred F. Houser for fanning racial fear against the return of evacuees. It contrasts Howser’s later statements of fair enforcement with Houser’s campaign rhetoric.
• Without Authority, by Daily Palo Alto Times, page 4. The Palo Alto Times criticized an Arizona governor’s agreement with the WRA barring evacuee resettlement, arguing it ignores the citizenship status of those involved. The editorial also recalls similar overreach by local officials elsewhere.
• No Explanation for 4-C Draft Classifications, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa criticizes the continued 4-C draft classification given to some native-born Nisei, which is designated for aliens. He argues this is unjustified, harms job prospects, and that Nisei loyalty is well established.
• Nisei in Uniform: Letters From Servicemen, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A collection of letters from Nisei servicemen describes life in slit trenches, a German machine gunner encounter, the morale value of mail from home, and popular music among Italian civilians. Several soldiers reflect on relations between Hawaii and mainland Nisei.

In-Depth

• From Camp to College: 3000 Japanese Americans Have Enrolled in 550 U.S. Schools Since Evacuation, by Thomas R. Bodine, page 5. About 3000 Japanese American students have enrolled in more than 550 colleges in 46 states since evacuation, through the Student Relocation Council. The article describes the approval process, the military restrictions that were gradually lifted, and the financial aid needed.

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