The 442nd in Italy, and night-riders in California, May 1945

Vol. 20, No. 19, May 12, 1945. 8 pages. View this issue

Two stories ran side by side in this eight-page issue. Japanese American soldiers of the 442nd fought in northern Italy, and the paper carried the Office of War Information casualty report, a longer account of the drive up the Italian coast, and word that Captain Pershing Nakada was injured. At home, returned families faced shootings and vandalism in California and Seattle, which Larry Tajiri’s editorial “Law in California” and a reprinted Washington Post editorial condemned.

Other pages carried Bill Hosokawa’s column “From the Frying Pan” on a chaplain’s sermon at Iwo Jima, and a new California group that called for confiscating Nisei land. Awards for Staff Sgt. George K. Sato and Pfc. Frank Y. Asari appeared on page 6. Smaller community items ran through page 8, among them a spelling bee winner, a Rochester woman leaving for WAC training and a Salt Lake JACL bowling victory. The issue also noted Victory in Europe.

What’s in this issue

Military & Veterans

• OWI Reports 10 Nisei Killed, 107 Hurt in Action in Italy, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of War Information reported ten Japanese American soldiers killed and others wounded in the battle for Northern Italy. Next of kin had been previously notified of the casualties.
• Capt. Nakada Injured in Italy Fight, page 1. Captain Pershing Nakada, commanding officer of the 232nd Engineer company attached to the 442nd Combat Team, was injured in recent Italian fighting. He was the only company commander during the 442nd’s training period at Camp Shelby.
• Sgt. Ben Kuroki Participates in B-29 Raids Against Tokyo, page 1. Tech. Sgt. Ben Kuroki, the first Japanese American soldier to serve in active combat with the Army Air Forces in the Pacific, flew as a turret gunner on B-29 raids over Tokyo. He is believed to be the only Japanese American classified as a combat soldier in the Pacific.
• Wounded Soldier Returns to Coast, page 1. Sgt. Tom I. Miyadi, a 442nd Combat Team veteran wounded in the rescue of the Lost Battalion in France, has returned to California to resume farming celery. He is a native of Inglewood.
• Killed in Action Casualty Lists, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pacific Citizen reported next-of-kin notices of soldiers killed, wounded and missing in action, mainly in Italy during April 1945. The list includes names, ranks, families and camp residences of the casualties.
• Future of the 442nd, page 4. An editorial notes the War Department’s praise for the 442nd’s role in destroying German forces in northern Italy and questions the unit’s future. It observes that Army policy has generally kept Japanese American troops out of Pacific combat.
• Front-Line Photos from Italy, page 5. Photographs show members of the 442nd Combat Team on the Italian front, including soldiers listening to a story and carrying supplies. Captions identify the men by name and hometown.
• Japanese American Gained 76 Miles in Five Days During Drive Up Italy Coast, page 6. The War Department reported that the 442nd Infantry Regiment took part in capturing Genoa and entered Turin during the Fifth Army’s final offensive. The article also recounts the regiment’s combat record, decorations and the history of the 100th Battalion.
• Staff Sgt. Sato Receives Silver Star for Action in France, page 6. Staff Sgt. George K. Sato of Seattle was awarded the Silver Star for silencing German machine guns that had pinned down a patrol. His fire allowed the patrol to withdraw safely to the woods.
• Nisei Cited for Aid to Wounded Men, page 6. Pfc. Frank Y. Asari of Philadelphia received the Bronze Star for treating and evacuating wounded comrades under heavy German artillery fire. He was later reported killed in action in Italy.
• DSC Winner to Return on Furlough, page 6. Pfc. Kaoru Moto of Maui, a holder of the Distinguished Service Cross, is returning home on furlough after more than 18 months of fighting in Italy and France. The citation describes his actions capturing and killing German gunners near Castellina.

Incarceration & Redress

• Night-Riders Attack Home Near Fresno, page 1. Shots were fired at the home of a returned Fresno family, the 17th such incident against Japanese Americans in California since restrictions were lifted. Police are investigating the shooting, which appears to have come from a moving automobile.
• New Law to Ban Fishing by Citizens at Heart Mountain, page 1. A Wyoming law prohibits persons brought to the state by the WRA from purchasing hunting and fishing licenses, though permits remain available until May 15. The law reportedly does not affect Japanese Americans who are permanent Wyoming residents.
• Truman Signs Bill to Aid Evacuee Group, page 1. President Truman signed a deficiency bill transferring $175,000 in WRA funds to the Social Security Board’s Resettlement Assistance Program. The funds will provide minimum assistance to relocating evacuees in greatest need through June 30, 1945.
• Military Authorities Investigate Threats Against Employer, page 1. Federal, county and Camp Beale military authorities investigated threats against a Placer County rancher who employs Japanese Americans. Two men in military uniforms reportedly threatened him in Wheatland.
• Oregon Land Law Validity Doubted by WRA Solicitor, page 3. A WRA solicitor’s opinion found two sections of Oregon’s new anti-alien land law of very doubtful constitutionality. The law would effectively bar ineligible aliens from farm labor as a means of livelihood.
• Neighbors Express Regret Over Vandalism Which Defaced Home of Returned Nisei in Seattle, page 3. A Nisei-owned home in Seattle’s Beacon Hill district was vandalized with signs and broken windows on May 4. Several neighbors publicly condemned the violence.
• Carey McWilliams Protests Green Hornet Radio Program Describing Nisei as Saboteurs, page 5. Carey McWilliams protested a Green Hornet radio program that portrayed a Japanese American character as a saboteur. He argued the portrayal implied Nisei citizens were potential saboteurs with questionable loyalty.
• Terror on the West Coast, page 6. An editorial reprinted from the Washington Post condemns the shootings and bombings against returned Japanese American citizens in California. It argues these attacks mirror the racial persecution the nation fought against abroad.
• San Asks for Law to Deny Citizenship Rights to Nisei, page 7. Former Placer County legislator Ivan H. Bearn and ex-Senator J.M. Inman spoke at a meeting of the California Preservation Association. They called for a constitutional amendment to deny citizenship to persons of Japanese ancestry.
• New Statewide Anti-Evacuee Group Asks Confiscation of Property of California Nisei, page 8. The California State Preservation Association was formed by anti-Japanese leagues and adopted bylaws calling for refusal to sell or lease land to returning evacuees. The bylaws also urge confiscation of land owned by Americans of Japanese ancestry.
• Treasury Department Unblocks Frozen Funds to Aid Evacuees, page 8. The Treasury Department agreed to unblock most frozen evacuee accounts to aid WRA relocation and liquidation efforts. Certain categories of evacuees remain ineligible and must apply through other channels.

National

• Seek to Repeal California Code Permitting Segregated Schools, page 1. The Rosenthal bill, AB 1257, would repeal a 1943 California Education Code section allowing segregated schools for children of Japanese, Chinese and Indian ancestry. The provision mainly affected Mexican children in Southern California, and the last segregated Japanese and Chinese school closed in 1940.

Community

• Nisei Student Wins Midwest Oratory Title, page 3. Mary Fujii, a junior at Manchester College, won first place in the women’s division of the Inter-State Collegiate Oratorial Association contest. Her oration, Home Without a Fence, addressed the future of Nisei citizens.
• Open House Held for Evacuees in San Francisco, page 5. The International Institute and JACL held a joint open house for evacuees, servicemen and friends in San Francisco. More than 80 people attended the informal program.
• Nisei in Rochester WRA Office Leaves for WAC Training, page 6. Miwako Yanamoto, a former Los Angeles and Poston evacuee employed by the Rochester WRA office, left for WAC basic training at Fort Des Moines. She expressed pride in taking a more active role in the war effort.
• San Mateo Leaders Form Unity Group, page 6. San Mateo leaders met to form a Council for Civic Unity to promote racial harmony as evacuees of Japanese ancestry return to the area. Mrs. Josephine Duveneck described the work of the San Francisco council.
• Chicago JACL Group Hears Horace Cayton, page 7. Negro leader Horace R. Cayton was the main speaker at a Chicago JACL meeting held at the YWCA. His talk addressed interracial concerns of the time.
• Evacuee Girl Wins School Spelling Bee, page 8. Carolyn Ando, daughter of a Pontiac, Michigan family, won the Oakland County District No. 2 spelling bee. She defeated 25 opponents by spelling the winning word after a rival misspelled it.
• WRA Official Raps Groups Opposing Nisei, page 8. Florence West of the WRA criticized the Japanese Exclusion League and other groups fighting the return of Nisei to the Seattle area. She pledged the WRA would protect the constitutional rights of Japanese Americans.
• Ann Arbor Nisei Plan Rites for Men in Service, page 8. Japanese Americans in Ann Arbor planned a combined memorial and recognition candlelight service honoring Nisei servicemen and war dead. The service was to be held at a local church on May 20.
• Salt Lake JACL Beats Denver Stars in Bowling Match, page 8. The Salt Lake JACL bowling team defeated a Denver Nisei all-star squad in a team match held during a Salt Lake City tournament. Denver bowlers took several individual honors.
• Evacuee Wives Sew for Russian Relief, page 8. Members of the Madison Friendship Circle met to sew garments for the Russian Relief Committee. Participants included several evacuee wives from various relocation centers.
• New Yorkers Plan Services for Japanese American GIs, page 8. The New York Hospitality Group held a box lunch social and fundraiser to serve visiting servicemen. The group also planned a community calendar and entertainment guide for soldiers.

Commentary

• Law in California, by Larry Tajiri, page 4. An editorial condemns the wave of shooting and arson incidents against returned Japanese American families in California, noting no arrests have been made. It calls on state and local officials to enforce the law or ask for federal intervention.
• Victory in Europe, page 4. An editorial reflects on the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of the war in Europe. It notes that the war in the Pacific continues.
• Vagaries, page 5. A column of brief items on news and gossip, including a Saturday Evening Post story by a Nisei author and an attempted anti-Japanese rally in Idaho that officials blocked. It also mentions the Hood River American Legion controversy.
• From the Frying Pan, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa quotes a Jewish chaplain’s sermon at a Marine cemetery on Iwo Jima about equality in death. He argues that returning servicemen will influence national attitudes toward minorities and that intolerance must be rejected.

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