So Glad YOU Came Today
Honolulu at Peace
"Gratitude is the memory of the heart."
Jean Baptiste Massieu,
translated from French
Honolulu in Wartime, WWII
This evening
in site of the iconic Aloha Tower,
on the deck of French naval ship
PS Prairial during port call here,
A local man, retired attorney
Genro Kashiwa, 87,
will be awarded France's highest civilian honor:
the Legion of Honor
and rank of chevalier (knight).
He will be
the second member
of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team
to be so honored by a grateful French nation.
Nisei World War II veteran
Genro Kashiwa
courtesy Honolulu Star Advertiser
"Why me?"
He asked a reporter.
"There were lot of other people
doing more heroic things."
Courtesy Midweek.com
Kashiwa said
he'll accept the award
for "his old gang."
While serving with the "Go For Broke"
442nd Regimental Combat Team
in France and Italy,
Kashiwa earned two Silver Stars,
a Bronze Star
and a Purple Heart.
The Army unit was made up mainly of
Japanese-Americans
who volunteered to prove their loyalty.
Kashiwa's own father,
Ryuten Kashiwa, a minister at Oahu's
Waialua Hongwanji
was sent to an internment camp
in Crystal City, Texas, as an enemy alien.
Mr. Kashiwa told a reporter,
that he remembers the details of battles
that happened so long ago,
and that
"receiving the Chevalier Legion of Honor
is almost a surreal experience -
that events of over 65 years ago
are being remembered today
by the French government."
In his personal history of the French campaign,
Kashiwa said following the famous "Banzai Charge"
by fellow soldiers of the 442nd,
his company ran into a German machine gun nest
on the ridge line of a mountain in November 1944.
Kashiwa assumed command of his platoon
when its sergeant was wounded
and had to be evacuated.
According to his Silver Star citation,
Kashiwa took his platoon through a minefield,
surprised the Germans and killed three enemy soldiers, silencing the machine gun.
Two of his soldiers were wounded in the firefight. Kashiwa is credited with treating their wounds under fire and directing their evacuations.
He received his Silver Star Oak Leaf Cluster, signifying a second award of the nation's highest medal for valor, during the Italian campaign in Mount Fologorito.
In Italy in April 1945,
Kashiwa was in charge of a platoon
assigned to clear the summit of a mountain
to prevent a German counterattack.
After a personal reconnaissance,
he directed one squad to attempt to move around
the base of the summit
and take the enemy from the rear
while he led the other squad
in a frontal assault.
His squad was able to almost reach the top
before it was detected.
Catching the enemy soldiers
10 yards away from their machine guns,
Kashiwa rushed forward and cut off the Germans
from their weapons.
Kashiwa's tommy gun jammed
after firing one shot,
but the German soldiers,
apparently confused, fled.
Kashiwa grabbed a German machine gun
and fired it on the fleeing soldiers,
forcing them to seek shelter in a reinforced bunker.
Then he crawled alone to within grenade range
and threw two grenades
which forced the remaining six Germans
to surrender, the Silver Star citation said.
After the war,
Kashiwa attended University of Michigan law school
and practiced law in Honolulu
from 1951 to 2005.
Cpl. Jonathan Faircloth was 22 years old.
"Gratitude is the least of the virtues,
but ingratitude is the worst of vices."
Thomas Fuller
This young man,
a U.S. Marine
was killed Tuesday night
when his CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter
performed an emergency landing
and crashed
in the middle of Kaneohe Bay here on Oahu.
He hailed from Mechanicsburg ,Pennsylvania
are our people.
His three fellow Marines
remain hospitalized in stable condition
at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu .
Cpl. Faircloth was married last January to the sister of a fellow marine.
He and his wife Alicia lived in Kailua and enjoyed spending time outdoors
hiking and at the beach.
Jon's father recalled his last trip from Pennsylvania to Hawaii in October.
"We were very blessed in that the last time we were with Jon
we had three weeks uninterrupted with him,"
said Dean Faircloth.
He says the last time he spoke with his son by phone
was the day the helicopter went down.
"His last words were ‘I love you, dad,'"
said an emotional Faircloth.
"It was nice.
He was only 22, but he didn't waste his life.
He built something with it.
We're proud of him.
We are immensely proud."
"On a windswept hill
by a billowing sea,
my destiny sits
and waits for me."
by a billowing sea,
my destiny sits
and waits for me."
Robert Brault
30 comments:
It's nice to hear about good things happening in the world. Happy Friday!
What a worthy gentleman Genro Kashiwa is! Very brave during wartime!
I am sorry to read that the young pilot Cpl. Jonathan Faircloth died in a plane crash.Terrible! I hope that you go on taking such beautiful photos like the sunset on the first photo.
Touching post, Cloudia!
Thanks for visiting
A moving post, both parts of it, demonstrating the evils of war in their separate ways.
War brings nothing but pain, there are no winners.
Amazing stories...I sure wish there weren't so many military plane accidents. Had one patient whose injury was from a jeep accident on a dark road. DrumMajor
Wonderful story!
Cruise Picture
A silent bow in respect.
daily athens
I'd say gratitude is the memory of the heart as long as the heart is warm and not cold!
amazing people. heores, yes!
jj
Well that is very nice about the award. Excellent.
This brought uncontrolled tears.
Two amazing heroes from two completely different eras :-).
wonderful post. gulp!
Dear Cloudia
A nice post! Very interessting!
Thanks for visting my blog.
Have a nice weekend and all the best from Switzerland. Yvonne
A significant and moving post, Cloudia.
Happy weekend!
Thanks for sharing these stories, Cloudia.
This is such a beautiful tribute to both heroes. It was so sad to hear the anguish in Cpl Faircloth's family's voices.
Both nice tributes, Cloudia !
I read a lot about WWII in Europe and Pacific.
I am very glad to read Mr Kashiwa got the Legionof Hnor because he participtated tothe freedow in Europe and in my country.
Thay is very sas and terrible to die during a war but when your country is in peace it very awful.
I thin about the youg Caporal's wife.
Thank you Cloudia for this beautiful and moving post? and thank you your your invitation to read it.
Sorry for my bad english.
Really touching post, Cloudia.
Wonderful story.
Aloha!
Betty xx
P.S. I'm on a blog break...just wanted to pop over to your blog and say hi.
Lovely post Cloudia :)
Thanks for these uplifting stories today.
I am pleased that the French government recognized Mr Kashiwa, even if it is late. I just found something out reading your post. I had read the quotation you posted “Gratitude is the memory of the heart” which in French is “La reconnaissance est la mémoire du coeur” but Hans Christian Andersen was supposed to be the author. So I researched it and found out that indeed Jean Baptiste Massieu (1742-1818), a French ecclesiastic, said it first – I guess Andersen repeated it. Massieu was an interesting fellow – he gave up his religious job/work to get married then finished his life in Belgium.
ATEN-HUT!
HAND SALUTE...
READY!
TO!
so sad to hear about the young marine.
Fate and fortune are fickle mates e'er present with a soldier.
Aloha Genro Kashiwa
Mahalo Cpl. And Mrs. Faircloth and family.
Usually, you are so uplifting, Cloudia.
THis is sad.
But awesome that we honour those who have gone before.
Many blessings.
Amen Cloudia--Amen to Bravery everywhere!
HFTEC
J
Thank You!
Young life lost - so tragic yet he was living life to the fullest.
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