WHEN THE AKIMOTOS WENT TO WAR: AN UNTOLD STORY OF FAMILY, PATRIOTISM, AND SACRIFICE DURING WORLD WAR IIBy Matthew Elms (Arlington, Va.: American Battle Monuments Commission, 2015, 146 pp., $15, paperback) This book by Matthew Elms is a heart-rending Japanese American family-themed inquiry into the dismaying “wages of war.†It is published by the American […]
A visual depiction of the 100th and 442nd’s sacrifice
July 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
JOURNEY OF HEROES: The Story of the 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team By Stacey T. Hayashi, Illustrated by Damon Wong (Self published, 2012, 45 pp., $10, paperback) It is difficult to understand the horrors of war, much less the experience of Japanese American veterans who fought for a nation that imprisoned their […]
War vet Kuwayama, who saved Daniel Inouye’s life, dies
July 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
WASHINGTON — Yeiichi “Kelly†Kuwayama, a 442nd Regimental Combat Team combat medic, passed away June 29, the Japanese American Veterans Association said in a statement. He was 96. Kuwayama was born in 1918 in Manhattan in New York.  He entered the U.S. Army in 1941. Initially, he was assigned to a Coast Artillery National Guard unit […]
An inclusive tribute to the Nisei WWII veterans
January 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
PROUD TO SERVE: JAPANESE AMERICAN WORLD WAR II VETERANS Edited by Chris Komai (Los Angeles: Rafu Shimpo and Japanese American Living Legacy 2012, 390 pp., $29.95, paperback) This is a wonderful compilation and recognition of Nisei men and women who served in all the units besides Military Intelligence Service, 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Shinkichi George Tajiri’s artistic legacy depicts a diverse lifetime of hardships
September 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Amid the innumerable topics that make up the tapestry of Japanese American history, one little-noticed theme is that of Nisei in Europe. While the exploits of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Italy and France during World War II have been thoroughly studied and commemorated, the large presence of Nisei students, soldiers and expatriates in […]
SERVICE, SACRIFICE AND SELFLESSNESS: Sacramento honors WWII veterans
May 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Soaring six stories high in the courtyard, the California State Museum’s Constitution Wall proclaimed in huge words “rights,†“redress,†“without discrimination†and “liberty†to the some 300 well-wishers of the Japanese American World War II veterans honored on May 26. This was the striking backdrop as Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) presented almost […]
Nisei war veteran donates Congressional Gold Medal to UC Berkeley
May 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
BERKELEY, Calif. — Dr. Kenji Sayama is one of University of California, Berkeley’s staunchest supporters. He is forever grateful to the university for taking the extra step in sending his diploma in 1942 to the Santa Anita Assembly Center — despite being a few weeks shy of graduating as a senior. That action, under the […]
‘Secret Weapon’ divulges the feelings and stories behind the MIS’ experience
May 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The courage and sacrifice of Nisei servicemen in World War II is well-known among Japanese Americans. Along with the mass incarceration of West Coast Nikkei during that same period, it’s probably the most famous and defining part of our history. Their story, though, has largely been told in broad strokes. It goes something like this: At a time when America questioned […]
San Francisco Nisei veterans honored
May 4, 2012 by 1 Comment
In a brief, emotion-filled ceremony highlighted by words of praise from House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Japanese American veterans who served in World War II were honored at the Congressional Gold Medal Northern California Regional Tribute on April 22 in San Francisco’s Japantown. In all, more than 350 people, some of whom traveled as […]
LETTERS: CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL: NorCal Regional Tribute on April 22
March 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dear Friends, On Nov. 2, 2011, the United States Congress presented the Congressional Gold Medal to the Nikkei veterans of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service of World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) is the highest civilian award presented by Congress. Some 35 veterans from Northern California were […]
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