Honoring Veterans Worldwide - Hawaii Chapter

Aloha SALUTE!

Originally posted: November 2, 2011

Today, proud, elderly, Japanese-American veterans

of World War II,

including 60 honorees from our Hawaii

finally
received
their Congressional Gold Medal.

  More than 400 Nisei veterans took part

  in Congressional Gold Medal events.

Today's ceremony took place

in Emancipation Hall

at  the U.S. Capitol.

The medal was awarded collectively

to the 100th Infantry Battalion,

click on the photos to be awed

the 442nd Regimental Combat Team

and the Military Intelligence Service.

They  served this country with much-noted heroism despite the fact that some had parents and siblings confined to internment camps at a time when Japanese Americans faced distrust unmatched by anything directed towards German Americans.

Jack Nakamura, 88,

who was wounded twice

told a reporter last week: 

"That's one reason why I joined, volunteered, too.

They were calling me 'Jap' and stuff like that.

My mother said, 'No, don't join up.'

But I joined up anyway," recalled Nakamura,

a 100th Infantry Battalion veteran.

"After all that we went through and all that,

and to be recognized for what we did 

and all that, I'm grateful to the government

for awarding us this medal,"

said Takashi Shirakata,

a 442nd Regimental Combat Team veteran.

When these veterans arrived in Washington, D.C. this past Monday morning they received a special honor at the airport as their plane was saluted with jets of water from airport firefighters. 

The medal itself will be archived at the 

Smithsonian Institution.

Each Hawaii veteran will receive their own as well.

Many of these aging heroes aren't able to attend the Washington events, so a celebration is being planned

for them here in Waikiki in December.

 I walk past this memorial on my way

to my Waikiki Post Office

If we 

would put country and family

ahead of self

as these men did,

many losing their lives,

their companions,

then America

would be

America

again.

Amen.

Thank You for sharing in this.

YOUR comment is valued.

                                                 warmly, cloudia