Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Medal for My Neighbors


"Our Local Colors!"



A l o h a

&

Welcome to My Honolulu Town !


We are more than hotels








We have sweet little neighborhoods,
some with Diamond Head presiding.
(See it peeping up at the end of the street?)









We have great neighbors like these guys:



442nd Veterans at Rue de 442 sign, Bruyeres: (left to right) Art Iwasaki, George Kanatani, Sam Sakamoto, Nelson Akagi,
Fumio “Steve” Shimizu, Lawson Sakai. Photo: Ellen Sawamura, PhD





Last weekend, my (blog)invisible husband and I were having lunch at a nearby ZIPPY's (Hawaii's local chain restaurant) when a quartet of local men in their 80's & 90's were seated nearby. Their weathered skin, white hair, and white shirts caught my attention. Were they?



Yes,

having come from a memorial event they were all wearing polo shirts displaying the familiar patch of the 442. (Honored at top above)




Those old guys were true heroes,
and my eyes
filled with tears. . .





Today, Honolulu born President Obama signed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor to these men: the Japanese-American heroes of World War II, a dwindling number
of whom still live
among us here in our Honolulu Town
.



The medal is being collectively awarded to the legendary "Go For Broke" regiment, made up of the 100th infantry battalion and the 442nd regimental combat team who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War II even as their loyalty to the country was questioned..

Two-thirds were from Hawaii, including our U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye.

“These men served the nation at a pivotal moment in our history, displaying their heroism and courage on two fronts: abroad in the fight against an absolutist fascism and at home in the face of the intolerance of racial injustice,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the bill’s chief sponsor in the House.



These fellows served even though they were branded “enemy aliens” and rendered ineligible for the draft. Some enlisted while their families were detained in internment camps.



They saw some of the most brutal fighting in WWII, suffering some 800 casualties in France rescuing the “Lost Battalion” of the 36th Division.


Senator Inouye left his arm
on the battlefields of Italy.



By the end of the war, they had become the most highly decorated military unit in U.S. history for size and length of service.


And they were some of the first Allied troops to enter the Nazi death camps.




“Their perseverance, humility and strength enabled them to triumph over life’s adversities. We must never forget the Japanese-American men and women ... who nobly served to defend their country at a time when their patriotism was in doubt,” said Rep. Hirono, D-Hawaii.



Her (interim, and soon to be electorally defeated) colleague from Hawaii, Rep. Charles Djou (in a rare example of Republican agreeability) said the medal was a sign of well-deserved respect from Congress. Their willingness to volunteer and to serve, despite facing discrimination, earned them the honor he said.



Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., said the experience of the Nisei, or second-generation Japanese-Americans, should be remembered so the U.S. doesn’t treat another group of Americans the same way.






The medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institution, which will make it available for research, and for display in places associated with the units. (The legislation authorizes the Treasury to make bronze duplicates.) This highest civilian honor awarded by Congress has been given selectively since 1776, when George Washington was awarded the first.


Other honorees include the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, Rosa Parks and the Dalai Lama.


The Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of black fighter pilots that I posted about HERE, received the medal in 2007.




Today, Hawaii-based troops continue to display the "torch" patch in conflict zones globally.


War sucks,
But heroes must be honored.

I'm just so moved!






















31 comments:

  1. Very cool information, Cloudia. Thanks for sharing. The pictures and quoted tributes are great.

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  2. BRAVO!!

    namaste /\ from mumbai
    aloha!!

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  3. Oh excellent. I'm so glad that they are being recognized. Wonderful post.

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  4. D' Day From Australia, The ordinary Japanese person was against declaring war on America or starting any war. The bombing of Pearl Harbour was a big mistake and as a result as we know Japan was blown apart by two atomic bombs. Yes, "WAR DOES SUCK BIG TIME".

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  5. Cloudia...
    You are such a sweet soul...
    Thanks for your lovely vacation.
    Galen

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  6. Congratulations to the 100th infantry battalion and the 442nd regimental combat team...!

    And I love the sweet little neighborhoods of Hawaii. :-)

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  7. High grade, for information, for their effort, the images are well established scenario, directed by your soul, excellent. word, excellent post. and as Jo says, "Congratulations to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team ...!

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  8. Congratulations to the Japanese-Americans who fought so hard for America!

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  9. Thank you so much for this post! I understand that the Americans of Japanese origine suffered as much as the Dutch and other allied people in the Japanese concentration camp. They were also humiliated and discriminated against and they were innocent citizens. Hopefully they got proper food and their girls were not raped like in our camps. All the same War is Hell.

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  10. Thanks for this post, Cloudia. I have two uncles who were in the 442nd. One got a purple heart. We had another friend in Chicago who was in the 100th. I'm so proud for them. They really do deserve every medal this country could bestow upon them.

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  11. Mahalo for the videos. A co-worker told me when he was a youngster he saw trainloads of Japanese-Americans disembarking into a New Mexico detention camp. The movie "Snow Falling on Cedars" really showed the effect of Japanese families being forced from their homes. "The Pearl Harbor Child" author writes about suddenly losing her childhood friend into the camp. It was wrong. DrumMajor

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  12. Great pictures and tribute to those men. Thanks for sharing.

    Just also wanted to thank you for viisting my blog and your gracious comments; To God be the Glory!

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  13. smiles. a wonderful tribute. that they would be recognized more often...

    aloha

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  14. Great post Cloudia and I salute those men!

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  15. I have to visit this beautiful city one day. I have two good friends living there!

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  16. wonderful to learn more about your town~

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  17. Beautiful tribute to the heroes ! You are a beautiful heart Cloudia !Aloha !

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  18. Thank you Cloudia for this trubute to these heroes.

    I agree with you - war sucks, but these men deserve our respect for their committments to this country.

    Great post!

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  19. What a great tribute to these heroes. It's a good thing we had them.

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  20. Lovely men in the group photo Cloudia - what a lot of wisdom in those faces.

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  21. I love your portrait of the war heroes. They deserve recognition and then some! Great post.

    We are rainy here for days now. I enjoyed your sunny shots.

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  22. I agree - war sucks - but warriors need to be remembered.

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  23. I'm sorry.


    Please have a good Thursday.

    daily athens

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  24. I'm touched, I agree, and thank you, Mr. Obama, for recognizing these men.

    I was just thinking the folks I know who know better than anybody that war sucks are the men who fought in wars.

    Thanks for this post.

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  25. Great post, Cloudia !
    A beautiful medal for good people.
    Your post is very moving, ma Friend.
    I have heard at the beginning of war betweeen USA and Japan that some japanese people, living in America, were in some camps.
    Now they are recognized very late but we say Better late than never.
    ALOHA !

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  26. Yeah saw the peeping diamond head..Salute!!!!to the Veterans!

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