Japanese American Veterans Association

e-Advocate

Vol. 1, No. 19, April 1, 2020

President's Message

JAVA President Gerald Yamada

I hope that this message finds all of you well.  We are in the midst of uncertain times, having to adjust our daily lives to new work habits, reduced social interaction, and mobility restrictions.  During this time, I'm inspired by the generation who came before us - our Nisei - who experienced hardship, but persevered with gaman, kept their faith, and got through it together.  That is the model that all Americans need to follow.  As Americans, we will win the war against this silent enemy – COVID-19.  If you can, you can help by answering the call to donate blood.  By following government recommendations, and with perseverance and faith, we will get through this together.    

Let me turn to a new matter that I am asking for your help.  At the January 2020 general membership meeting, the extensive proposed revisions to the JAVA By-Laws were adopted.  These revisions bring more clarity to how JAVA is to be governed.  The revised By-Laws can be found on the new JAVA Website address – www.java-us.org/Contact.

One of the new amendments to the By-Laws authorizes the designation of regional directors by the JAVA President, with the concurrence of the JAVA Executive Council, to represent JAVA within their regions and to advise the Executive Council on issues within their regions.  The purpose of this amendment is to use regional directors or representatives to promote interest in JAVA’s mission and to increase JAVA membership. 

As a first step towards implementing this new amendment, the Executive Council decided at its February 2020 meeting to ask the membership for their suggestions.  Here are questions that we ask for your thoughts: 

• Are you interested in serving on a JAVA regional committee as a volunteer?
• What would be the boundaries of the region that you would serve?
• Are there existing regional events at which you could represent JAVA?
• Do you have other suggestions as to how a regional representative could promote interest in JAVA membership?
• What support from JAVA would you need?  

We ask that you submit your suggestions to these questions to javapotomac@gmail.com.  At the next JAVA Executive Council meeting, we can use your suggestions to decide whether to select regional representatives, define boundaries of the regions, identify the duties of the regional representatives, and approve whatever support that may be needed.

Take care and stay healthy.

Gerald Yamada

President, JAVA 

www.java-us.org

JAVA has recently switched to a new domain name for our website - www.java-us.org! While our old web address www.java.wildapricot.org will still function and land you in the exact same spot, we wanted to better focus attention on the acronym for the Japanese American Veterans Association and add emphasis with US.

Postponed: 22nd Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk

The annual Cherry Blossom Freedom Walk that has been held for 21 years rain or shine and scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2020 has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. JAVA is a cosponsor of the event which is organized by the National Japanse American Memorial Foundation. We will let you know when a new date is selected.  

JAVA Scholarship Deadline: April 19, 2020

In light of the academic disruptions students have experienced due to the COVID-19 outbreak, JAVA has extended the 2020 JAVA Scholarship Program deadline to Sunday, April 19.

Help us spread the word and be sure to tell family and friends to apply! For more information, visit the JAVA website www.java-us.org!

Sakamoto and Sasaki Dog Tags Repatriated 

Pfc Hiroshi Sakamoto’s World War II recovered dog tag.

World War II dog tag of T/Sgt Harry Tadashi Sasaki.

Jeff Morita

Southern France. Echoing the recent recovery and repatriation of the late Rudy Tokiwa's (K.Co/442nd) World War II-era dog tag (e-Advocate, October 26, 2019 issue), two additional 100th Infantry Battalion, and 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) veteran dog tags made their 75 year-long journeys back from the battlefields of the Rhineland-Maritime Alps Allied Offensive Campaign. The dog tag of Private First Class (PFC) Hiroshi Sakamoto (Hq.Co/100th) was repatriated to his direct descendants in Hilo, Hawaii, and the dog tag of Technical Sergeant (T/Sgt) Harry Tadashi Sasaki (G.Co/442nd) was repatriated to his direct descendants in Southern California. The outreach of many caring JAVA members who volunteered their time and "sleuthing skills" to locate direct descendants enabled the two veterans' World War II service to come full circle and keep their "Go for Broke" legacy alive for generations to come.

Private First Class Hiroshi Sakamoto (Hq.Co/100th) formerly of Hilo, Hawaii, was an "original" 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate) veteran inducted into the U.S. Army on June 28, 1941, almost six months before the December 7, 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor. Sakamoto was initially assigned to the Ammunition and Pioneer Platoon. The World War II terminology "Pioneer" was used to identify a current day combat engineer or sapper. Sakamoto's dog tag was a 'first type' (December 1940 - November 1941). Mr. Alfred Simoncini recovered the dog tag near the French/Italian border in the small town of Monti. From November 1944 through March 1945, the 100th/442nd was heavily involved in the Rhineland-Maritime Alps Campaign before personally requested by General Mark W. Clark, Commander of the 15th Army Group and ordered back to Italy to specifically breakthrough the German Gothic Line.

For his honorable service, PFC Hiroshi Sakamoto was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (BOLC) (signifies the 2nd award), Purple Heart Medal, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Silver and one Bronze Campaign Star (Naples-Foggia — Rome-Arno — Northern Apennines — [France] Rhineland-Vosges and Rhineland-Maritime Alps — Po Valley Allied Offensive Campaigns), World War II Victory Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge (Presidential Unit Citation) with two BOLC (signifies the 3rd award), Combat Infantryman Badge, and Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II. Sakamoto passed away on October 1, 1968, and rests eternally at Hilo Veterans Cemetery, Hawaii.

Mr. Hiroshi Sakamoto’s proud adult (children) left to right — Darlene Fragas, Raylene Agasa, Glenn Sakamoto (seated), Craig Sakamoto, Sheryl Kawamura. Photo: Sakamoto Family.

T/Sgt Sasaki was inducted into the U.S. Army on May 25, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and received infantry combat training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Shortly after the historic and epic combat in the French Vosges Mountains (Rhineland-Vosges), the 100th/442nd was ordered to Southern France to defend a 12-mile stretch of the French-Italian border. There Sasaki and his AJA brothers-in-arms successfully prevented enemy infiltration and breakthrough attempts along the southern coast of France. French historian and artifact collector Mr. Daniel Longobardi recovered Sasaki's World War II dog tag, a 'third type' (issued between July 1943 - March 1944) east of Sospel near the French-Italian border. Interestingly, the dog tag was recovered in the same vicinity as Rudy Tokiwa's dog tag, found by Mr. Alfred Simoncini.

For his honorable service, T/Sgt Sasaki was awarded the Bronze Star Medal (BSM) with one (1) Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (BOLC) (2nd award), Purple Heart Medal (PHM) with one (1) BOLC (2nd award), both Purple Hearts were awarded for combat wounds received in France; Army Good Conduct Medal; American Campaign Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four (4) Bronze Campaign/Battle Stars one each representing the Rome-Arno — North Apennines — (France) Rhineland-Vosges and Rhineland-Maritime Alps — Po Valley Allied Offensive Campaigns; World War II Victory Medal; Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB); Distinguished Unit Badge (now known as the Presidential Unit Citation); and the Honorable Service Lapel Button-World War II. Mr. Harry T. Sasaki passed away on August 2, 1997, and rests eternally at Pomona Cemetery and Mausoleum, Los Angeles, California.

Harry Tadashi Sasaki, World War II period photograph. Photo: Sasaki/Brady Family.

Seated, Mrs. Merle Sasaki Brady (daughter), holding the repatriated dog tag Carrie Gram (granddaughter), and Jim Brady (grandson). Photo:  Sasaki/Brady Family.

Proud four-generations of the Sasaki Brady Family. Photo: Sasaki/Brady Family.

Maritime Alps, France residents, Mr. Jean-Marie Torrelli, Mr. Alfred Simoncini, and Mr. Daniel Longobardi are French World War II historians and artifact collectors who continue to work closely with JAVA to help repatriate World War II 100th/442nd veteran personal items recovered in the Maritime Alps. Their mission is to return found artifacts to their descendants. As Torrelli remarked, "We can now send back what a small part of your family's fantastic history." These personal outreaches even many, many decades later deeply echoes the French People have never forgotten the bravery and sacrifices of the World War II 100th/442nd soldiers to liberate France from oppression in World War II.

[Ed Note: Following the dog tag repatriation, Jeff Morita continues to assist the Sasaki/Brady Family with the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) one-time U.S. military awards and decorations replacement program. Of particular importance is the fact that if a World War II veteran was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), or the Combat Medical Badge (CMB), the veteran is eligible for a BSM for World War II service. The potential exists that a World War II veteran may qualify for a BSM he or his family never knew about, or perhaps multiple awards of the BSM like Mr. Harry T. Sasaki. The NPRC program is 'fee free,' and Jeff offers his pro bono public service to all interested. Contact Jeff Morita at jeff_kine_57@icloud.com.]

JAVA Member Tak Furumoto addresses the Rotary Club of Morris Plains, NJ

Pictured with wife of 48 years, Carolyn Nami Furumoto is JAVA member Tak Furumoto in his Vietnam fatigues at the he Rotary Club of Morris Plains, New Jersey. 

The Early Riser, Rotary Club of Morris Plains, NJ (edited)

Speaker Tak Furumoto recently spoke at the Rotary Club of Morris Plains New Jersey and shared his experience as a Japanese American in United States during WWII, his life in Japan after the War, and his return to the States as a student, soldier and business owner.

Tak’s grandparents and family emigrated to the U.S. in 1911, but returned to Japan to be with aging parents before the outbreak of the Second World War. Tak’s father, however, decided to stay in the States. He worked as a migrant farm worker, and in time created and built a successful business wholesaling produce. After Pearl Harbor and the signing of Executive Order 9066, Mr. Furumoto was forced to give up the business and he, along with his family, was sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Tule Lake, CA. Like other West Coast families of Japanese ancestry, the Furumotos were given a ten-day notice to move and only allowed one suitcase. Tak was born at Tule Lake in 1944 where his parents and four sisters were incarcerated for four years. Tak explained that the camp had approximately 18,000 internees who were all housed in barracks that slept eight. Tak commented that other Axis power nationalities were not put into internment camps like the Japanese. Tak stated the of the shock of the Pearl Harbor attack was one of the reasons that the U.S. reacted so drastically and uncharacteristically.

Tak’s family moved from the internment camp back to his father’s native Hiroshima, where his grandparents remained following the bombing. His parents were told they could not emigrate again to the United States. In Hiroshima, Tak and his sisters found it hard to make friends. In the eyes of many Japanese, they were seen as Americans and the cause of the suffering in the area.  Tak fondly recalled the care packages from relatives in the U.S. that arrived. One was filled with candy and marbles. His sisters confiscated all the candy but he got to keep the marbles. Tak enjoyed the popularity the marbles brought. The Japanese children would play with him when he had marbles but not otherwise. Tak also recalled a cowboy outfit that he received which he happily paraded in around the neighborhood. Sadly, his mother had to sell the costume to help pay for food. Tak shared that when his beloved outfit was sold, he cried all day but eventually understood why his Mother had sold it.

The Furumoto's impressed on Tak and his sisters the importance of studying and doing well in school. Both he and his sisters studied very hard. In 1952, one of his sisters emigrated back to the USA. In 1956, the rest of the family relocated back to Los Angeles The immigration law allowed children with American citizenship to bring siblings and parents to the U.S. which allowed his parents to also return. While there was still a stigma attached those of Japanese ancestry in California, the family felt that living with discrimination in the United States provided more opportunity than living in Japan.

Tak graduated from UCLA and then volunteered for military service in Vietnam.  He went to Officer Candidate School in 1968 and was assigned to an intelligence unit. He also met his future wife Carolyn at this time. Tak was stationed in Vietnam from 1970-71 and received a Bronze Star.  When he returned from Vietnam in 1971 he moved to Fort Lee, NJ. The early 1970's were challenging politically and economically, especially for Vietnam veterans. Finding few opportunities for work, Tak decided to open the first Japanese-American real estate firm in Bergen County. The first few years were extremely difficult as Tak launched the new enterprise and dealt with the effects of PTSD and agent orange exposure.  He is eternally grateful for his wife Carolyn who is his 'rock" and credits her unwavering support during the start-up years for the success of the business today. Tak's particular niche is helping Japanese companies and families with relocation services in the NY and NJ area.  He now is in his 46th year and has offices in White Plains, Manhattan, and Fort Lee and over 50 licensed staff. Like Tak, his sisters also heeded their parents advice to study and work hard. Of the four sisters, one became a Dermatologist, one a teacher, one a medical secretary and one a beautician. 

[Ed Note: The Early Riser is published weekly by The Rotary Club of Morris Plains, New Jersey, USA. Tak Furumoto was selected to lead the Japanese American Veterans Group in NYC's Japan Day Parade originally scheduled for May and now postponed to the fall.]

AT JAPAN’S DOORSTEP

Above: IWO JIMA, February 23, 1945: Marines from 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, raise the flag atop Mount Suribachi, in a photograph that became a lasting symbol of the war in the Pacific. The marines from Easy Company, 2/28, raised a small flag when they took Suribachi earlier that day, but the battalion commander ordered a larger flag erected. When AP photographer Joe Rosenthal photographed the second flag-raising, at least two MIS Nisei were among the other U.S. troops near the summit. More than 50 MIS Nisei served with the marines on Iwo Jima. Many deployed from the Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Area (JICPOA) in Hawaii. Until late in the war, MIS Nisei assigned to JICPOA worked at an annex in a former furniture store on Kapiolani Boulevard. The Navy and Marine Corps needed their services, but didn’t want Japanese Americans in Pearl Harbor. (National Archives photo).

Reprinted with permission from MIS Veterans Hawaii

As 1945 dawned, the Allies were on offense everywhere against Imperial Japan. MacArthur’s forces were mopping up in the Philippines. Long-range U.S. bombers were pounding Japan from bases in the Marianas.

In February 1945, U.S. marines landed on Iwo Jima, a small volcanic island that would provide a haven for damaged B-29s and a base for their fighter escorts. MIS teams were with each of the three marine divisions. In the war’s bloodiest fighting to that point, the United States suffered 26,000 casualties, including 6,800 killed; the 20,000 Japanese defenders were wiped out, with the exception of 1,000 who were captured or surrendered, many thanks to the MIS Nisei.

IWO JIMA, 1945: Nisei language team. From left, Tad Ogawa, Ben Kawamura, George Kawamoto and Tamotsu Koyanagi. (U.S. Army photo).

IWO JIMA, 1945: One of the MIS teams assigned to the Marine Corps in the fight for Iwo Jima. Front row, from left: Goro Igarashi, Ben Hirano, Lieutenant Manny Goldberg, Frank Kami, Ritsuo Tanaka. Standing, from left: Yutaka Masuda, Pat Honda, Raymond Sakata, Hideto Kono, Takamori Oishi, Kunio Takai. (MIS Veterans collection) IWO JIMA, March 9, 1945: Tom Miyagi, MIS linguist with the 5th Marine Division, holds a captured Japanese soldier while marines treat the prisoner’s wounds. (U.S. Marine Corps photo).

IWO JIMA, March 9, 1945: Tom Miyagi, MIS linguist with the 5th Marine Division, holds a captured Japanese soldier while marines treat the prisoner’s wounds. (U.S. Marine Corps photo).

Okinawa

Okinawa came next. The battle there began on April 1, 1945, with what some authorities say was the largest amphibious landing of the war. Months of vicious fighting killed almost a quarter million people, including 12,500 Americans and more than 100,000 Okinawan civilians. Hundreds of MIS language specialists were deployed for this climactic battle. So great was the demand that 200 Nisei were pulled out of basic training in Hawaii and sent directly into the battle.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the MIS Language School had outgrown Camp Savage and moved to Fort Snelling.

OKINAWA, 1945: Warren Higa, left, of Honolulu, questions a prisoner about Japanese positions. Higa and his brother Takejiro were from Hawaii but went to school on Okinawa. They returned there with the U.S. 96th Infantry Division. (U.S. Army Signal Corps photo).

MABUNI, Okinawa, June 1945: A Japanese POW calls for his comrades to surrender during the mopping up after the Battle of Okinawa. (National Archives photo).

OKINAWA, July 10, 1945: Lieutenant Wally Amioka of Honolulu, front, with helmet, and a Japanese POW lead an American patrol in search of a band of Japanese holdouts led by a renegade colonel. The patrol succeeded. The holdouts were killed trying to escape. (National Archives photo).

Many other Nisei linguists continued to serve in Guam, the Philippines, China, Burma and dozens of Pacific outposts, everywhere they were needed against a stubborn enemy.

Still others were preparing for Operation Olympic, a massive invasion of Kyushu scheduled for November. And planning had begun for Operation Coronet, the invasion of the Kanto Plain the following spring.

On August 13, 1945, a team of 10 MIS Nisei bound for the pre-Olympic invasion staging with the 11th Airborne Division died in a plane crash on Okinawa. The airfield had been obscured by smoke laid down to foil a Japanese air raid. Japan’s surrender was announced two days later.

[Ed Note: David Tsuneishi recommended the above article to the e-Advocate. The original article and additional information about the MIS can be found at: http://www.misveteranshawaii.com/at-japans-doorstep/ ]

BURMA, 1944: In the jungle near Bhamo, Kenny Yasui, of Los Angeles, uses a loudspeaker to call for Japanese troops to surrender. Yasui earned a Silver Star for capturing 16 Japanese troops on a river island. He swam out to the island with some GIs and, posing as a Japanese colonel, ordered the holdouts into formation and had them turn in their arms. To get back across the river, he had the new POWs pull him on a raft. (National Archives photo).

A Debt of Gratitude: A young Italian American boy’s experience with the 100th Bn, 442nd RCT 

Paul Sakamoto

Reprinted from the JAVA Advocate, March 2009

Written by the late JAVA Life Member Americo Bugliani, Ph.D.

The Meeting

My encounter with the Nisei soldiers bivouacked at Valdicastello as a 12-year-old boy remains forever etched in my heart. Although my father was American, I was born in Italy in the small Tuscan village of Strettoia in the municipality of Pietrasanta, which is in an area of the province of Lucca called Versilia. I was 11 years old in July 1944 when the Germans began building up fortifications in our vicinity. They were increasingly desperate and had laid waste to the entire region. The Allies arrived in Pietrasanta on September 19, 1944. We kids intermingled with American soldiers at the front, hoping that they would give us something. We were starving and had nothing. Late in the afternoon of April 3, 1945, a Nisei soldier gave me a few things. The following morning, just as they were preparing to leave to go into combat at the front, the same soldier gave me a few more things. I would learn later he was from Hilo, Hawaii. Then he turned and went inside his pup tent. I was ready to leave when he called me back and gave me a tube of Colgate toothpaste, a toothbrush and his cap. It was his woolen Class A uniform hat with the infantry insignia-- the two crossed rifles. Then he gave me a small photograph of himself sitting on a jeep and said, “My name is Paul Sakamoto,” with a warm smile. Those gestures, those fleeting acts of generosity and kindness had a tremendous impact on my life. I have never forgotten them. They were among the very few happy moments I had during the war. Later I realized that that young American soldier had given me nearly all of his possessions.

The Reunion

In 1954 I moved to the U.S. I arrived in New York City on May 29, and on September 13, I was drafted and taken to Fort Dix, NJ to start my basic training in the U.S. Army. I became an interpreter with clearance for Secret and Confidential assignments and served in Austria, Germany, and Italy. After my discharge, I began my professional life in the international travel industry while taking advantage of the G.I. Bill to go to school at night. I eventually got a Ph.D. at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and embarked on an academic career at the University of Illinois, Chicago campus. In 1981 I left the university to go into business. It wasn’t until 1991 that I discovered and then joined the Chicago Nisei Post. I served as Second Vice-Commander, First Vice-Commander, Commander, and Historian. One of the greatest honors of my life was being made Commander of The American Legion Chicago Nisei Post 1183. The men who liberated me from the German Nazis and the Italian Fascists made me their Commander! Hard to believe, but true. In the meantime, I often wondered about the fate of that young soldier named Paul Sakamoto. The name stuck in my mind because it's a Japanese name, and with all those vowels, it's similar to Italian. I still carried Paul Sakamoto's photograph around after nearly 50 years. Finally, I said to myself that I had to see if I could find him. I began my search on the West Coast, and then I extended it to Hawaii. Eventually, I discovered that he was a member of the Club 100 and lived in Hilo, the Big Island. I telephoned, and after nearly half a century I once again heard the voice of Paul Sakamoto. It did not matter to me that he could not specifically remember meeting me. I could understand why. He was such a wonderful, generous man. No matter where he went, in France or Italy, he was always surrounded by kids. Over the phone that first time, I asked him why he had given me his hat. "I felt that I didn't need anything anymore," he replied. "I thought I was gonna get killed that day." In late 1994, I decided I would go to Hawaii to see Paul Sakamoto on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of our original encounter. We had a beautiful reunion in Hilo in early 1995. It was wonderful seeing him again and meeting his lovely wife, Jane. Once again, Paul’s generosity was moving. He gave us a lot of things—all kinds of Hawaiian goodies and many fruits from his garden. Jane gave my wife two beautiful island necklaces. Thus ended my long quest to find one particular G.I. [Tech/5 Paul T. Sakamoto was drafted into the Army before the Pearl Harbor attack, served with the Hawaii Territorial Guard and later 100th Infantry Battalion, which trained in Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. He survived the battle campaigns in Italy and France. After the war, he was a nursery specialist at Foster Gardens in Honolulu, and following his retirement, settled in his native Hilo].

The Monument

After this meeting, another dream arose within me. I wanted to tell Sakamoto’s story and the story of the 100th and 442nd to the people of my hometown, Pietrasanta. I was sure that once they were made aware of the sacrifice of these gallant men, they would in some way want to acknowledge it. I envisaged a monument to their heroism. Since the area is renowned for its sculptors and artisans, I knew that if the story were made known a splendid monument could be erected in Pietrasanta. And so it came to pass. I wrote a brief biography of Sadao Munemori and submitted it to the leading citizens of Pietrasanta suggesting that he would be an appropriate representative of all the brave Americans who fell in our area.

The late Paolo Tommasi, a childhood friend who was an attorney and President of a local bank, became the point person in Pietrasanta. The town’s resources were marshaled, land was appropriated, and a magnificent statue of Sadao Munemori by the internationally renowned sculptor Marcello Tommasi was erected in a park-like setting. For the likeness, Maestro Tommasi used a picture of Sadao Munemori supplied by his sister, Mrs. Yaeko Yokoyama, and for the uniform he used a field jacket given to me by Martin Tohara of Dog Company during my trip to Hawaii in 1995. The statue (pictured left) has at its base a bronze high relief representing the passing of the war. The inscription in Italian on the marble pedestal reads as follows: SADAO S. MUNEMORI, 22 YEAR OLD FROM LOS ANGELES OF THE 100TH BATTALION - 442ND INFANTRY REGIMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, FALLEN AS A HERO ON THE GOTHIC LINE IN VERSILIA ON APRIL 5, 1945, SYMBOL OF ALL THOSE WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM. ADMONITION FOR PEACE AMONG NATIONS. THE CITY OF PIETRASANTA, APRIL 25, 2000.

Over 130 people came to the inauguration from the US, including Sadao Munemori’s sister and five members of her family. My appeal to General Eric Shinseki resulted in the participation of LTG Paul T. Mikolashek, Commanding General of the United States Army Southern European Task Force. In 2001, my wife and I moved to Rome because she was named Director of the Loyola University of Chicago Rome Center. In 2003, at her retirement, we moved to Pietrasanta. My gratitude to all the gallant Nisei remains. I am thrilled that this gratitude is now cast in bronze and carved in marble and that I am joined by all the people of Pietrasanta, where we still live, in saying “Thank You!”

[Ed Note 1: Americo Bugliani passed away on January 17, 2019. His wife, Ann Bugliani has generously funded the Americo Bugliani, PhD JAVA Memorial Scholarship in honor of his liberator, 442nd veteran, Paul Sakamoto.]

[Ed Note 2: Americo Bugliani had American citizenship because his father had emigrated to the U.S. and obtained citizenship before Americo was born. Family commitments necessitated that his father travel between the U.S. and Italy where Americo was born.]

Statue of Sadao Munemori by sculptor Marcello Tommasi.

New JAVA Members

JAVA sends a warm Aloha to our new Veteran and Active Duty members as well as new Friends of JAVA.

Military

Cecelia Brown, War Veteran, U.S. Army

Chanda Choun, Active Duty, U. S. Army Reserves

Dov Kawamoto, War Veteran, U.S, Marine Corps

Michael Rodman, SGT, U.S. Air Force

Brandon Quan, U.S. Army

LTC Scott Wilde, U.S. Army (Ret)

Friends of JAVA

Kim Kubota

John Lubianetsky

Danny Pellei

Steven Pellei

Lisa Pollock

Melvin Yamaki, Jr.

Sato Yoshimitsu

Donations

JAVA offers a heartfelt thanks to our generous members and friends for their gifts, memorials and tributes given in support of our mission, events and scholarships. We are truly grateful.

Lynn and George Bettencourt - Ranger Grant Hyrabayashi Scholarship

Edward and Kathryn Bowman - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Dr. Ann Bugliani - Dr. Americo Bugliani Scholarship

Francis Gale and Stephanie Gale-McKnight - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Kristina and Leland Godfrey - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Kei Hirabayashi - Ranger Grant Hyrabayashi Scholarship

Kei Hirabayashi - Operations

Mrs. David Hutchinson - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Enoch Kanaya - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Jason Kuroiwa - Operations

Julie Kuroki - Sergeant Ben Kuroki Scholarship

Teresa McMahill - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Hollis Molden - COL Ishio / Founder's Scholarship

Amy and Anthony Nakamoto-Brown - Robert Nakamoto Scholarship

Mae Nakamoto and Marty Herbert - Robert Nakamoto Scholarship

Michael Nakamoto - Robert Nakamoto Scholarship

Robert and Sherri Nakamoto - Robert Nakamoto Scholarship

Dr. Mark Okusa and Dr. Diane Rosin Okusa - Major Mike Okusa Scholarship

Michael Rodman - Operations / New Member

Terry Shima - Dr. Americo Bugliani Scholarship

Dale Shirsago - Operations

Mary Stapleton - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

Julie Tsuchiya - COL Ishio / Founder's Scholarship

Grant Ujifusa - Ranger Grant Hyrabayashi Scholarship

Gerald Yamada - Operations

Jay Yoshihara - COL Jimmie Kanaya Scholarship

TAPS

French  Chevaliers 

TERASHIMA, Futao “Gunner” (98) (I.Co/442nd); January 24, 2020.

KURIYAMA, Akiyoshi (103) (Hq.Co/100th); January 20, 2020.

NAKAYAMA, Hideo (97) (L.Co/442nd); December 20, 2019.

NAKASONE, Harold Seisuke (100) (Cannon.Co/442nd); November 24, 2019.

NAKAMURA, Masayoshi “Masa” (98) (I.Co/442nd); October 3, 2019.

[Ed Note: all were original nominees of JAVA member and historian Jeff Morita.]

Questions or Suggestions: Please contact Neet Ford, JAVA e-Advocate Editor, at javapotomac@gmail.com.

Japanese American Veterans Association:  Address: P.O. Box 341198, Bethesda, MD 20827 I www.java-us.org

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