Nisei Veterans Memorial Center

BECAUSE OF YOU I AM . . .
Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2014
Expression of Gratitude
“GOKUROSAMA: Hawaii Nikkei Nisei”
Photographer
Brian Y. Sato (left)
talks to some
of the visitors
at his exhibition
at the NVMC’s
Education Center.
Hundreds from
Maui and beyond
see faces from
the generation
whose sacrifices
were great . . .
and appreciated
P
hotographer Brian Y. Sato’s
“GOKUROSAMA: Hawaii
Nikkei Nisei” was the first exhibit
at our Education Center that was
not produced by the Nisei Veterans
Memorial Center staff and volunteers, and it was “successful beyond
our initial expectations.”
“Gokurosama” is an expression
of gratitude, and Sato dedicated his
Retired educator Wallace Fujii
poses with a portrait of his
mother, Matsue, who was 100
when she passed away in
September. Mrs. Fujii was born
into the family that owned Ichiki
Store in Olowalu, and she ran the
store for 44 years. Photographer
Brian Y. Sato has ties to West
Maui, and he initiated his project
on Maui a little over 10 years ago.
Photos by Melanie Agrabante
work to the Nisei who made immense sacrifices on behalf of their
offspring and society at large.
He undertook the project in
2002 upon realizing that the aging
Nisei could easily become a “faceless” group to future generations
unless photographic documentation was undertaken immediately.
Thus, the exhibition focuses on the
Nisei as individuals rather than as
a group.
There are 51 black and white
portraits of Hawaii Nisei in their
everyday environment and attire.
Adjacent to the photos are short
stories of the people.
The exhibit has been to the Big
Island, Kauai, Oahu, California and
Please turn to page 9
INSIDE:
n NVMC staff and volunteers
have created an exhibit
about the Military Intelligence
Service. See page 8
n Four high school students
write an essay that earns a
trip to Japan. Their contribution to a planned exhibit on
internment at the NVMC is a
factor. See page 15
a message from the president of our board | Hiroshi Arisumi
Okage Sama de ...
The Okage Sama de… newsletter is a free
publication issued by the Nisei Veterans
Memorial Center.
Articles, questions and comments may be sent
to Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, P.O. Box 216,
Kahului, HI 96733-6716.
We encourage family and friends to submit
information and photos to our Lest We Forget
column.
The NVMC Vision:
Nisei values that resulted in heroic concern and
sacrifice for community and nation, loyalty to family,
friends and country, and patriotic valor in World
War II will be embraced by all generations and
demonstrated in civil society at all levels.
The NVMC Mission:
Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, guided by the
values of Japanese-American veterans of World
War II and inspired by their valor, will perpetuate
the legacy of these Nisei veterans by nurturing the
community’s youth, supporting care and respect
for the community’s elderly and promoting an
understanding about the history, values and culture
of Japanese-American soldiers which contributed
to their heroic military accomplishments as well as
their continued contributions to the community
and nation.
Board of Directors
Hiroshi Arisumi, President
Roy Katsuda, Vice President
Leonard Oka, Secretary
Wayne Maeda, Treasurer
Beryl Bal
David Fukuda
Glenn Goya
Stanley Izumigawa
Hideo Kawahara
Paul Mizoguchi
Mark Mizuno
Brian Moto
Dwight Muraoka
Yuki Lei Sugimura
Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
Address: 1 Go For Broke Place, Wailuku
Hours: Noon to 4 p.m. weekdays
Phone: (808) 244-NVMC (6862)
Center grateful for support
that allows focus on mission
I hope that all of you had a great
Christmas and New Year’s. You have
all helped to make last year an exciting
and successful one at the NVMC.
As I mentioned in my letter to you
in the last issue of Okage Sama de, our
25-year dream of completing the Nisei
Veterans Memorial Center campus
finally came to fruition with the opening of our Education Center.
That would not
have been possible without the
tremendous support we received
throughout the
community.
With the
dedication of the Education Center in
April, our organization began to face
its new challenge.
Now our focus turns from bricks
and mortar to educational programs.
In keeping with our NMVC Mission, we strive to “perpetuate the
legacy of the Nisei veterans” and we
are “promoting an understanding
about the history, values and culture
of Japanese-American soldiers which
contributed to their heroic military
accomplishments as well as their
continued contributions to the community and nation.”
Exhibits at the center
If you haven’t already visited our
Education Center, please come and
see us. We are open from noon to 4
p.m. Monday through Friday.
We offer a permanent exhibit about
the Nisei soldiers’ military history,
and we augment it with displays that
feature various units, battles and individual stories.
This is just a hint of what happened
in 1943, when most of you weren’t
born yet. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
was president at that time. He asked
the AJA – Americans of Japanese
ancestry – for 1,500 volunteers from
Hawaii, but more than 10,000 men
rushed to the recruiting stations.
Eventually, the Army took about 3,000
men from Hawaii. Come and see
pictures of those men in training and
combat.
We also brought in a visiting exhibition, “Gokurosama,” which drew
more than 550 visitors to our center in
five weeks.
In total, we welcomed more than
800 visitors to our Education Center during the eight months since it
opened.
We plan to have more visiting
exhibits this year.
All this would not be possible
without the guidance and leadership
provided by our Board of Directors;
the hard work of our staff members,
Melanie Agrabante and Kyle Watanabe; and all our generous supporters.
Your support of our operations has
been and will be critical to our ability
to present these programs to the community, and we will work diligently
to earn your continued support in the
future.
Mahalo nui loa,
Hiroshi Arisumi
President
Board of Directors
Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
All this would not be possible without the guidance
and leadership provided by our Board of Directors;
the hard work of our staff members, Melanie Agrabante and
Kyle Watanabe; and all our generous supporters.
Website: www.nvmc.org
2 – February 2014
Legacies acknowledged at annual dinner
Sen. Inouye, veterans’ oral histories,
gratitude to Niseis program topics
“Heart and Soul of a Living Memorial”
was the theme of the 10th Annual Nisei
Veterans Memorial Center fundraiser, held
during a year that saw the completion of
our campus.
Completion was achieved with the
opening of the Education Center, the
culmination of 30 years of work by many
toward the vision and dream of honoring the veterans. Through the NVMC
structures and the work to be done by the
Education Center, we ensure the veterans’
legacy will live on.
The fundraising dinner was held November 9 in the Maui Beach Hotel’s elleair
Ballroom.
Senator Inouye remembered
The keynote speaker was Jennifer Goto
Sabas, director of the Daniel K. Inouye
Institute, who shared special stories about
the late senator’s work for veterans rights
and for civil rights for all races.
Attendees were privileged to hear these
stories through the voice of a loyal, trusted
aide to the senator, someone who stood by
Our guest speaker was Jennifer Goto Sabas, director of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute.
Photo by Melanie Agrabante
and assisted one of the greatest Japanese
American veterans and citizens in U.S.
history.
Sabas recounted how the senator
learned from Vietnam veterans on Maui
as they shared heart-rending stories about
the mistreatment they received when they
returned home from war. Inouye absorbed
the testimony they gave at a meeting on
Please turn to page 5
Veterans, loved ones receive
oral history transcripts
Receiving oral history transcripts were (from left) Lloyd Ishikawa, son
of the late Akira “Jockey” Ishikawa, 100th Infantry Battalion; Valerie
Matsunaga, daughter of the late Toshio Kubota, 442nd Regimental
Combat Team; Hiroshi Arisumi, veteran of the 232nd Combat Engineer
Company; Corazon Matsumoto, widow of 442nd RCT veteran Clarence
“Mutt” Matsumoto; Edward Nishihara, 100th Battalion; Arthur Kurahara,
442nd RCT; Takeo “Ike” Ikeda, 442nd RCT; and Warren Ohta, son of
442nd RCT veteran Francis Ohta. Transcripts for 442nd RCT veterans
Suguru Takahashi and Hideo Mizuki were delivered to their survivors.
Photo by Faye Otsuka
The editing, binding and
printing of 10 oral history transcripts was completed this fall,
and copies were presented to
veterans who had participated
in the project or to their loved
ones during the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center annual
dinner.
The oral history project of
Maui’s Sons and Daughters of
the Nisei Veterans began in the
mid-1990s, but it remains a
work in progress.
“Yes, you heard me right,”
MSDNV President Leonard Oka said as he began his
presentation at the fundraiser.
“The recordings were done
3 – February 2014
about 20 years ago and we are
still working to complete the
processing of them.”
He continued, “We apologize that it has taken so long,
and regret that many of those
who were interviewed are no
longer with us to receive their
due recognition for sharing the
story of their lives for all of us
to hear.”
Still, Oka said, there is some
satisfaction that what has been
accomplished to date has made
for some valuable memories
for the veterans and/or their
families.
Receiving bound copies of
Please turn to the next page
Oral histories
Continued from page 3
transcribed interviews were:
• 442nd Regimental Combat Team veterans Arthur Kurahara and Takeo Ikeda,
Edward Nishihara of the 100th Infantry
Battalion and Hiroshi Arisumi, 232nd
Combat Engineer Company of the 442nd
RCT.
• Warren Ohta, who represented his
father, 442nd RCT veteran Francis Ohta.
• Surviving relatives Lloyd Ishikawa, son
of Akira Ishikawa, 100th Battalion; Valerie
Matsunaga, daughter of 442nd RCT veteran Toshio Kubota; and Cora Matsumoto,
widow of Clarence Matsumoto of the
442nd RCT.
Family members of deceased 442nd
RCT veterans Suguru Takahashi and
Hideo Mizuki were unable to attend the
presentation, so the transcripts were delivered to them.
The 10 oral histories are part of the
NVMC Education Center archives, along
with those for nine Mauians who served
in the Military Intelligence Service and
522nd Field Artillery Battalion veteran
Earl Tanaka.
The project has about 25 more oral
histories to process; most are for Maui
veterans of the 100th Battalion and 442nd
RCT.
The project is not related to the Go
For Broke National Education Center’s
Hanashi Oral History Program, though
MSDNV assisted with those interviews on
Maui.
Project background
Dawn Duensing, a contracted historian
for the MSDNV, created the oral history
project, secured a major grant and established the format used for the process.
A majority of the interviews were done
by Dawn, and several Sons and Daughters helped during various phases of the
project.
Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and a hardcover book was
published, “Americanism: A Matter of
Mind and Heart, Volume I, The Military
Intelligence Service.”
This book includes the oral histories
done with the MIS veterans from Maui,
along with an introduction and other supporting material by Dawn.
The nine interviewees were James
Hozaki, Yoichi Kawano, Sam T. Kikumoto,
Stanley Izumigawa (right) reads the transcript of the oral history done by Arthur Kurahara (left) at
the annual fundraiser. Photo by Melanie Agrabante
Noboru Koito, Robert Matsushita, James
Sadami Okada, Tadashi Sato, Meyer Ueoka
and Tom Yamada.
Copies of the book can be found
throughout the Hawaii State Public Library
System and in the NVMC’s collection.
Stories shared
Leonard and Kyle Watanabe, who was
hired this year to be the NVMC historical
preservation and education program coordinator, had the honor of presenting the
transcripts in front of 200-plus veterans,
wives, widows, children and grandchildren, and community supporters of our
veterans attending the annual dinner.
As the recipients made their way to the
front of the room, Leonard read quotes
from several of the men being recognized.
Leonard read from Toshio Kubota’s
interview last:
“I know my philosophy of life was this:
Even if I lost a limb, I still have my life. So
I should be thankful. That’s how I felt, even
when I came home. I told my minister, too.
. . . even if I lost one leg, I still have my life
to live. So should be happy. Because there
are lot of people that I know who didn’t
make it. So at least I’m home.”
4 – February 2014
Through the MSDNV oral history project, families, friends and the community
can share in these stories by visiting the
NVMC’s Education Center.
Special thanks
Along with many volunteers who have
helped in this project for many years,
Leonard gave special recognition to two
people.
Dawn Duensing. “Dawn initiated our
oral history project while on contract with
the Sons and Daughters over 20 years ago,”
Leonard recounted. “Her expertise and
knowledge put us in the right direction to
properly and professionally organize our
oral history program. She moved away to
Australia but has continued to assist us
with her expertise!”
Leonard read from a portion of a recent
email from Dawn: “It was an honor to
meet these veterans and work with them.
I learned a lot, not necessarily about the
war, but about their values and what they
believed in. I appreciate that!”
Roy Tanaka. “When Roy and (his wife)
Mary Tanaka moved to Washington state
to help take care of Mary’s mother, we
Please turn to the next page
Brian Y. Sato, whose
“Gokurosama” photo
exhibition was held
at the Education
Center, talks to Murial
Kashiwa while her
husband, Genro
stands by.
Mr. Kashiwa served
with L Company of
the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team, earning two Silver Stars,
a Bronze Star and a
Purple Heart.
The Kashiwas live
in Honolulu.
Annual fundraiser
Continued from page 3
Maui, and he pledged to ensure that those
who serve our country would not be mistreated like that again.
Sabas also shared a story about how
Inouye worked hard to secure the votes
needed for reparation to the thousands of
Japanese Americans who were interned
during World War II – thus keeping his
word to fellow Nisei veteran and U.S. Senator Sparky Matsunaga.
Another highlight of the annual event
was the presenting of eight oral history transcripts to Nisei veterans or their
loved ones. The presentations were made
by Leonard Oka of the Maui’s Sons and
Daughters of the Nisei Veterans and Kyle
Watanabe of the NVMC.
In another segment of the program,
photographer Brian Y. Sato discussed the
background of his exhibit that honors the
Nisei generation in Hawaii. The exhibit
Photo by Faye Otsuka
was at the Education Center from November 4 to December 6.
Bernice Hirai and student Mika Inaba
played koto during dinner, and contemporary jazz saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa performed during the no-host cocktail hour.
Providing assistance at the dinner were
2013 Chrysanthemum Festival court
members Reagan Diana, Kaitlin Kim,
Chaelynn April Misay-Serrano and Erin
Murashige. (See page 16 for a story about
the festival.)
The 11th annual dinner is scheduled
for November 8, 2014, at the Maui Beach
Hotel.
Oral histories
Continued from page 4
thought about how big of a loss the Sons
and Daughters and the NVMC would
suffer. But with technology the way it is
and the love and dedication that Roy has
for his dad and for all of you veterans, he
continues to help the Sons and Daughters
and the NVMC,” Leonard said.
“Earl Tanaka had his oral history
transcribed and bound many years ago,
before he passed away. Roy knew how
much having the finished transcript meant
to his dad and to his family. After moving
to Washington, Roy . . . (wanted) to make
sure that all of the veterans who gave their
time and their stories to our oral history
project should also receive this gift.”
Leonard concluded by saying, “We look
forward to future presentations recognizing the many other veterans who have
shared their lives with us, all to make this a
better world to live in!
“Thank you to the veterans, to the volunteers and to the families who will be the
ultimate beneficiaries of all this effort. And
thanks to the Nisei Veterans Memorial
Center for allowing us this time on their
program to tell our story.”
Takeo “Ike” Ikeda, a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, receives his oral history
transcript from Kyle Watanabe, historical preservation and education program coordinator for the
NVMC. Looking on is Warren Ohta, who accepted a transcript on behalf of his father, Francis, a
442nd RCT veteran. Photo by Melanie Agrabante
5 – February 2014
Members of Cub Scout Pack 68 lean in as they listen to Hiroshi Arisumi, president of the NVMC Board of Directors. Fourteen Cub Scouts and
their parents and siblings visited the Education Center the evening of Oct. 10. The pack is sponsored by Wailuku Elementary School. Hosting the
program for the NVMC were Hiroshi, Irvin Yamada, Melanie Agrabante and Kyle Watanabe
Center tells Nisei
story to visitors
Photos by Melanie Agrabante
U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard (right)
was among the visitors to “GOKUROSAMA: Hawaii
Nikkei Nisei” at the Education Center. With her
in this picture is Nora Takeuchi, one of the photo
exhibition’s 14 volunteer docents.
About 125 people gathered for the Central Pacific Bank Maui island family holiday party at
the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center pavilion December 7. Some of the guests also toured
the Education Center, including the archive room. In this picture, their guide is Kyle
Watanabe, NVMC historical preservation and education program coordinator, who is
pointing at the library shelf. Among the guests in this picture is John Dean (black aloha
shirt), CPB’s president and chief executive officer. Also hosting for NVMC were office
manager Melanie Agrabante and Leonard Oka, secretary of the Board of Directors. The
“Gokurosama” photo exhibition had ended it’s month-plus-long stay the day before the
CPB party, Leonard said, and Kyle and Melanie “worked overtime” to re-create the
previous NVMC exhibit so the CPB guests could see what their years of financial support
have accomplished on Maui.
6 – February 2014
Education Center
visited by donor
of one of most
popular displays
An Education Center display that draws
a lot of attention is about Lieutenant Saburo Maehara and the letters and drawings
he sent from the battlefields of Europe to
his wife, Louise, and their daughter, Miki,
then 2½ years old.
Maehara, who was from Maui, served
with C Company of the 100th Infantry
Battalion. He died in battle on his 30th
birthday.
The NVMC display has copies of his
letters and drawings, which were part of
an exhibit at the 100th Battalion veterans’
clubhouse in Honolulu.
The exhibit “was very modest, but
nonetheless, it touched a lot of hearts with
its message,” Joy (Takeshita) Teraoka wrote
when she presented copies of the items to
the NVMC in 2004.
Teraoka, who lives on Oahu, and her
daughter, Denise of San Francisco, visited
the Education Center on December 18.
Teraoka wrote “The Legacy of Lt. Saburo
Maehara,” which is the introductory text
on the display board.
She was co-editor with Ray and Aki
Nosaka of the Puka Puka Parade newsletter for 100th Battalion veterans and supporters. Later, she was its sole editor. Her
husband, Denis, served in D Company of
the 100th Battalion.
Originally from California, Teraoka
spent her teen years with her family at the
Heart Mountain, Wyo., internment center.
Joy Teraoka and her daughter, Denise, stand by the Lieutenant Saburo Maehara display.
Photos by Melanie Agrabante
lest we forget
Clarence Masashi “Mutt”
Matsumoto, 93, of Paia, passed
away October 24, 2013.
Mr. Matsumoto was a
member of K Company, 442nd
Regimental Combat Team. He
was inducted March 24, 1943,
and was honorably discharged
Cubmaster
Brad Breitbach and
members of Pack 68
look at the display for
Saburo Maehara and
the letters he wrote
to his wife and young
daughter. The soldier
from Maui was killed
in action in Europe
while serving with
the 100th Infantry
Battalion.
| our departed comrades
August 23, 1945, with the rank
of private first class.
Mr. Matsumoto earned a
Purple Heart, Good Conduct
Medal and Combat Infantry
Badge, among other awards.
He served as both ammunition bearer and gunner for a
mortar squad.
After the war, Mr. Matsumoto joined the Maui Fire Department in Paia. He remained
there for 30 years, rising to the
rank of captain before retiring.
He is survived by his
wife, Corazon Matsumoto;
7 – February 2014
sons, Dwight (Rosemary)
Matsumoto and Leslie (Valerie) Matsumoto; daughters,
Stephanie (Ino) Medrano and
Yvonne (Clayton) Lee; sister,
Chizue “Sue” Smith; and four
grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.
Kyle Watanabe and David Fukuda (on ladder) mount one of the panels from the National History Day champion display by Mika (Izutsu) Yamazaki.
Kyle is the NVMC’s historical preservation and education program coordinator, David is a member of the Center’s board and Mika was a sixthgrader when she won the national contest in 1993. Also helping to present the MIS exhibit was Debra Lumpkins, who contributes design, preparation and building skills to the Education Center displays. Photo by Melanie Agrabante
MIS exhibit staged at Education Center
The heroic and often unsung work
of the men of the Military Intelligence
Service during World War II is the focus of
the current exhibit at the Education Center
of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center.
Selected for their Japanese linguistic
skills, Nisei soldiers were sent to language
schools in Minnesota and California to
be trained as interpreters, translators and
interrogators for our country. More than
6,000 Nisei graduated from the MIS Language School.
Wartime secrecy dictated that their
work remain clandestine, and therefore it
went largely unrecognized. The soldiers
have since been publicly credited with
saving hundreds of thousands of lives and
shortening the war significantly.
In April 2000, the MIS was awarded
the Presidential Unit Citation, the highest
honor bestowed on a U.S. military unit.
On October 5, 2010, the Congressional
Gold Medal was awarded to the MIS as
well as the 442nd Regimental Combat
Team and the 100th Infantry Battalion.
Congress commissions gold medals as its
highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and
contributions.
Part of the MIS exhibit includes display
panels created by Mika Izutsu, who while
attending Iao Intermediate School researched and presented a history project
titled “The Best Kept Secret of World War
II.” The project was a National History
Day champion in 1993. Mika is now Mika
Yamazaki, a medical doctor who practices
dermatology on Oahu.
8 – February 2014
Keeping to the contest theme of “Communication in History – The Key to
Understanding,” she captured the wartime
memories of MIS veterans of World War
II. Among her interview subjects were her
granduncle Mineo Yamagata and Tom
Yamada.
Yamada was a kibei, a Japanese American who had been schooled in Japan during his youth, and his language skills were
valuable to the U.S. military.
The MIS’s role continued in the postwar
occupation of Japan. The soldiers’ language
skills and knowledge of local customs
made for a smoother transition between
occupation forces and the Japanese people
following the war.
Yamada’s assignment during this time
included being a translator for Hideki Tojo
Please turn to the next page
Gokurosama
Continued from page 1
cities in Japan, and Sato had wanted to
show it on Maui in 2007.
“Perhaps, in retrospect, it was good fortune that we were not able to find a venue
for the exhibition in 2007 because now
that the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
Education Building has been built, it has
become the most appropriate venue for
this exhibition of Hawaii Nisei to debut on
Maui,” Brian stated.
The Education Center opened in April.
“I would like to express my sincere
mahalo to the residents of Maui who participated in this exhibition through their
attendance and support.”
West Maui roots
Among them were a number of West
Maui residents who visited the exhibit
to view 13 portraits of Nisei from their
region.
Sato’s familiarity with their community
led to initiating this project on Maui a little
over 10 years ago: His great-grandfather
emigrated from Fukushima in 1899, and
his father grew up in Lahaina, graduating
from Lahainaluna High School in 1941.
While Brian was raised in Wahiawa,
Oahu, he spent his summers in Lahaina.
The West Mauians shared stories about
the west side Nisei among themselves and
with the exhibit’s volunteer docents. They
expressed gratitude that Brian’s exhibit
preserves the faces and memories of their
relatives and friends.
The exhibit opened November 4, and
by the time it closed December 6, it had
attracted about 550 viewers from Maui,
Oahu, the Mainland and international
areas.
Included were groups from the Kaunoa Senior Center, Lahaina Hongwanji
Mission, Roselani Place, Maui Adult Day
Yvonne Petro stands in front of the portrait of her mother, Yukiko Hirashima. Originally from
Lahaina, Mrs. Hirashima and her husband, Paul, were carnation farmers in Kula. She was proud
of the protea dolls she made, and she is holding one in the photograph taken by Brian Y. Sato.
Mrs. Hirashima passed away in December 2012 at the age of 96. Her husband predeceased
her. Photo by Melanie Agrabante
Care Centers, the Baldwin High and Iao
Intermediate School Japanese clubs, and
the Hale Mahaolu Elua lunch program.
NVMC board member David Fukuda
headed the committee to bring Sato’s exhibition to Maui.
“This was our first attempt at using the
Education Center as a showcase for outside
exhibits and it was successful beyond our
initial expectations,” David remarked. “We
are particularly pleased with the number of
first-time visitors we had to the center and
hope that they will visit us in the future.”
Assisting Fukuda was fellow board
member Yuki Lei Sugimura, who coordinated the promotion of the exhibit.
Sato’s friend Anne Miura and her grandson Jimmy helped to set up the exhibition,
as did members of the NVMC Board of
Directors and Maui’s Sons and Daughters
MIS exhibit
Continued from page 8
following the Japanese general’s arrest as a war criminal. This
experience is a highlight of the MIS exhibit.
Visitors also can see artifacts, memorabilia, printed material
and other items related to the MIS.
Also included is a copy of “Americanism: A Matter of Mind
and Heart, Volume I, The Military Intelligence Service.” This
of Nisei Veterans.
Visitors were greeted and escorted by 14
volunteer docents.
The docents were Aileen Arakawa,
Yvonne Endo, Judy Fukuda, Karen Fukushima, Faith Ito, Marion Muller, Iris Nitta,
Charlotte Nomura, Helen Orikasa, Diane
Sueno, Nora Takeuchi, Ruth Tokumaru,
Kitty Yee and Diane Orikasa, who recruited, organized and scheduled the docents.
Exhibit sponsors were the Japanese
Cultural Society of Maui, Hiroshi Arisumi,
David and Judy Fukuda, Glenn Goya,
Gordon Fujimoto/Aloha Air Cargo and
the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center.
Sato also made a presentation during
the NVMC annual dinner in November.
To learn more of Sato’s photos and
stories, you can view his website at
http://www.briansato.com/.
compilation of the oral histories of nine Maui men who served
in the MIS was published in 2001 as part of the Maui’s Sons
and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans’ historical preservation
program.
The exhibit will last until late March.
It can be seen during the Education Center’s office hours,
from noon to 4 p.m. weekdays, and appointments for visits at
other times can be made.
For information, call 244-NVMC (244-6862).
9 – February 2014
Leonard Oka (at lectern), president of Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans, narrates the presentation of the unit colors and guidons. In this picture, the guidons and presenters are (from left) 100th Infantry Battalion Headquarters Company, Andy Nagata; 442nd Regimental
Combat Team Headquarters Company, Floyd Nagoshi; 522nd Field Artillery Battalion Service Company, Alan Maeda; 232nd Combat Engineer
Company, David Ross; 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, Irvin Yamada; and Military Intelligence Service, Kyle Watanabe. The presenters
are sons or grandsons of Nisei veterans, except Watanabe, who is the NVMC historical preservation and education program coordinator. Visible
behind Watanabe is Brian Moto, an NVMC board member. The colors of the 100th and 442nd had been posted before this picture was taken, by
Unit flags, heroes’ journey highlight service
The annual Joint Memorial
Service of the 100th Infantry
Battalion/442nd Regimental
Combat Team was highlighted
this year by several special
presentations, including the
unfurling of unit colors and
guidons and an address by
Stacey T. Hayashi, author of
“Journey of Heroes.”
Sponsored by Maui’s Sons
and Daughters of the Nisei
Veterans, this memorial service
is held on the Sunday closest to
September 29, the day in 1943
when Sergeant Shigeo “Joe”
Takata of the l00th Battalion
became the first soldier from
this famed Nisei unit to be
killed in action.
The gathering also honors
the soldiers of the 442nd RCT,
Military Intelligence Service
and the 1399th Engineer Con-
struction Battalion.
This year’s event was held
September 29 at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center.
A special presentation of
unit colors and guidons was
featured during the program.
The Maui’s Sons and Daughters
of the Nisei Veterans honored
their fathers by acquiring and
then presenting the unit colors
of the 100th Battalion and the
442nd RCT. Also purchased
were guidons for the MIS,
1399th engineering battalion,
522nd Field Artillery Battalion
and the 232nd Combat Engineer Company.
The veterans of these units
finally have their own unit flags
on Maui.
The guest speaker for this
year’s memorial service was
Hayashi, author of “Journey of
About 90 veterans, wives, widows, children, grandchildren and many
from the general public attended the Joint Memorial Service at the Nisei
Veterans Memorial Center.
Heroes,” a manga, or Japanese
comic book.
Hayashi’s manga is illustrated by Damon Wong, and it tells
the story of the Nisei soldiers
10 – February 2014
before, during and after the
Second World War. Many of
the characters and their stories
Please turn to the next page
Teachers view
the pages
of “Journey
of Heroes”
as author
Stacey T.
Hayashi talks
from the front
of the room.
Photo by Melanie
Agrabante
Teachers who will use ‘Journey’ meet author Hayashi
Sons and Daughters set up session
after her talk at memorial service
Maui teachers who will be using the
manga “Journey of Heroes” in their curriculum were able to meet author Stacey T.
Hayashi through the efforts of Maui’s Sons
and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans.
As a follow-up to her presentation at this
year’s Joint Memorial Service of the 100th
Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental
Combat Team, Hayashi was invited by the
Sons and Daughters to meet with teachers and other school personnel who had
ordered copies of her manga (a Japanese
Service
Continued from page 10
in the comic books were inspired by
personal relationships with veterans of the
units.
The manga provided Hayashi with a way
to reach out to a younger generation that
might otherwise not be introduced to this
important part of Hawaii and U.S. history.
In her speech, Hayashi touched on
another soldier’s story that moved her. A
Maui soldier, Saburo Maehara, wrote letters to his wife and daughter while serving
comic book or graphic novel).
Through a sponsorship campaign,
Hayashi was able to donate more than
5,000 copies of the manga to more than 80
schools in Hawaii. About 200 copies were
placed in seven Maui schools.
The MSDNV wanted to introduce
Hayashi and her book to the Maui educators who would be using it in their classrooms. Sixteen educators and MSDNV
members met with Hayashi to receive an
insider’s understanding of the book and to
share ideas of how it might best be used as a
resource in the classroom.
The workshop was held in the Education
Center of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center on Oct. 23.
Also making a presentation at the workshop was Kyle Watanabe, NVMC historical
preservation and education coordinator. He
talked about and offered the audience the
NVMC’s variety of educational resources
to supplement their use of “Journey of
Heroes.”
In a special announcement, MSDNV
President Leonard Oka presented Hayashi
with a check for $1,000, so 100 copies of the
manga can be added to the NVMC library.
These additional books will be available to
Maui teachers for their classroom use.
with the 100th Battalion in Europe. He
never made it home, dying in battle on his
30th birthday.
Copies of some of these letters are
displayed at the new NVMC Education
Center.
These letters are evidence of how the
reality of war can shatter the hopes and
dreams of a father for his child.
“Some of you may worry that your
legacy will die when you do, but I want
to assure you that it will not,” Hayashi
told the Nisei veterans present at the memorial service.
The annual memorial service was once
again chaired by Jill Ross, daughter of
100th/442nd veteran Stanley Izumigawa.
This year’s service was attended by
about 90 veterans, wives, widows, children,
grandchildren and many from the general
public.
It is good to know that many will continue to remember the deeds of these great
men, many of whom made the ultimate
sacrifice for their country and for their
families back home.
We shall never forget!
11 – February 2014
Plaques at Center recognize supporters
Former NVMC board member among those
honorees who choose to salute others instead
When Sam Hironaka, a major supporter of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center capital
campaign, was asked how he
would like his name written
on the plaque that recognizes
his contributions, he choose
instead to insert “Mike Nobuo
Tokunaga, Company C, 100th
Infantry Battalion.”
Mike was a classmate of
Sam’s at Lahainaluna High
School, and he later married
Sam’s sister Betty.
As a member of the 100th,
Mike earned a Bronze Star and
a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf
Cluster.
After the war, he settled in
Honolulu, where he worked
for the Territory and State of
Hawaii in the departments of
Labor and of Accounting and
General Services.
He also became a key player
in the rise of the Democratic
Party under Governor John
Burns.
He passed away at age 85 in
2005.
The plaque for Sam is one of
14 that have been mounted on
the NVMC campus to recognize donations of $50,000 or
more made to the capital campaign, which ended in 2012.
In addition to Sam, two
other donors elected to have
their plaques made in honor of
someone else:
• David and Judy Fukuda;
their children, Kimberly and
Jason; and other relatives. Their
plaque honors David’s father,
Major Mitsuyoshi Fukuda.
• The cumulative donations
of Island Insurance Company
and Colbert and Gail Matsumoto. This plaque honors
Sergeant Yukio “Shoemaker”
Matsumoto, 442nd Regimental
Combat Team, who is Colbert’s
late father. Colbert Matsumoto
is chairman and chief executive
officer of Island Insurance.
The plaques were installed
during the summer, and they
range in size from about 8 by
12 inches to 18 by 24 inches,
depending on the level of giving being recognized.
In addition to these plaques,
the center has a “Wall of
Honor” in the Intergenerational Meeting Room on which all
donors who contributed $1,000
or more during the capital
campaign are recognized.
A book listing the names of
all donors who have contributed over the years to the
NVMC’s capital campaign
through 2012 is displayed in
the lobby of the Education
Center.
Sam Hironaka stands below the plaque for his brother-in-law, high
school classmate and 100th Infantry Battalion veteran Mike Tokunaga
(in uniform at left). In addition to the monetary contributions that earned
Sam recognition through a plaque, he served on the NVMC Board of
Diirectors from 2002 to 2009. Photo above by David Fukuda
THE DONORS or HONOREES
(and the location of their plaques)
• Alexander & Baldwin Inc. (Adult Care Building)
• Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans
(Education Building)
• Stanley Y. Izumigawa (NVMC Pavilion)
• Hiroshi and Edna Arisumi (Preschool Building)
• Mike Nobuo Tokunaga (Intergenerational Meeting Room)
• Arisumi Brothers Inc. (Education Workroom)
• Maui AJA Veterans Inc. (Archival Room)
• Major Mitsuyoshi Fukuda (Education Lobby)
• VIP Foodservice and the Okumura Family
(Adult Care Walkway)
• Maui Varieties Ltd./HouseMart (Entry Plaza)
• McInerny Foundation (Rock Garden)
• Central Pacific Bank (Preschool Walkway)
• Service Rentals & Supplies Inc.
(Intergenerational Garden)
• Sergeant Yukio “Shoemaker” Matsumoto, 442nd RCT
(Adult Care Office)
12 – February 2014
Maui soldier’s resting place is in France
Ultimate sacrifices come into
play in diplomatic dispute
David Fukuda joined the board of the
Nisei Veterans Memorial Center in 2009
as it was in the final phases of planning for
the Education Center. He offered to provide
nuggets of history about some of the things
the Center preserves, and he now spends
about five minutes before each board meeting sharing these stories. Articles by David
based on these presentations are published
in Okage Sama de. A veteran of the Vietnam War, David is the son of the late Major
Mitsuyoshi Fukuda. A businessman for
most of his adult life, David is retired; his
last career was as a history teacher at King
Kekaulike High School.
§
When the French Club of Maui met
at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center’s
Education Center in August, many members expressed surprise that people in the
Vosges region would continue to remember and pay homage to the veterans who
liberated them from German occupation
70 years ago.
“This is something one would not see
occurring in the major cities,” stated Se-
must leave. Rusk met with de Gaulle, and
the French president briefed him on how
he expected the U.S. to honor the French
demand.
According to the records of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, Rusk then asked,
“Does this include the 60,000 U.S. soldiers
buried in France from World War I and
World War II?”
Embarrassed, de Gaulle got up and left
– and never answered.
Yoshio Tengwan, the only soldier from Maui
who is buried at the cemetery in Epinal, France.
golene Wilson, herself a native of France.
Many in France have forgotten or aren’t
aware of this part of their history.
The situation brings to mind that
famous confrontation in 1966 between
French President Charles de Gaulle and
U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk.
De Gaulle had declared that France
was pulling out of NATO and announced
that all American troops on French soil
Maui soldier’s grave
One of those American soldiers buried
in France is Yoshio Tengwan, the only
Nisei from Maui who was killed in action and not brought back to Hawaii for
reburial.
Tengwan rests in the American military
cemetery in Epinal, France, a secluded
48-acre parcel in the Lorraine region,
which encompasses Bruyeres and the
Vosges Mountains. The cemetery serves as
the final resting place for more than 5,300
American soldiers.
Tengwan was born in Lahaina on May
5, 1922, to Matsusuke and Kana Tengwan.
The couple raised Yoshio and his sister in
Please turn to the next page
Graves decorated
on Memorial Day
French Club’s meeting was first
of non-NVMC group at new center
This past Memorial Day, for the eighth year
in a row, floral tributes were laid at the graves of
Nisei soldiers in Europe and the Philippines.
Tributes were paid to 100th Infantry Battalion/
442nd Regimental Combat Team soldiers at the
Sicily-Rome and Florence cemeteries in Italy and
the Lorraine and Epinal cemeteries in France; at
the “Tablets of the Missing” in honor of a 442nd
soldier at the Netherlands American Cemetery;
and to a Military Intelligence Service soldier at
the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Ron Yamada, son of 442nd veteran Eiro
Yamada, initiated this remembrance. His work
led to the establishment of the Floral Tribute
Endowment, which is now administered by Go
For Broke National Education Center.
The French Club of Maui’s meeting in August was the Education
Center’s first planned event with an outside group.
The staff ’s goal was to introduce the guests to the center and the Nisei
story, and to explain the reason for the strong ties that remain today
between Hawaii’s Nisei veterans and the people of Bruyeres. Bruyeres was
the town in the Vosges Mountains that was liberated by the 100th Infantry
Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team.
The club is composed of French-speaking Mauians who are from
France or individuals who want to improve their proficiency in the language.
This event was coordinated with Segolene Wilson, who also was instrumental in recruiting club members to assist the NVMC with translators
when citizens of Bruyeres visited Maui in October 2011.
Reaction from the club members was positive as they showed a real
interest in the exhibits at the Education Center and engaged in a lively
question and answer session after the short presentation with their
NVMC hosts.
13 – February 2014
Cemetery
Continued from page 13
the old Kahana camp. Tengwan attended Honokowai
School and Lahainaluna
High School.
While Tengwan was
at the latter, his parents
returned to Okinawa, and
upon graduation, he moved
to Honolulu, where he was
employed as a mechanic at
Jimmie’s Safety Garage.
He enlisted in March
1943 with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Later,
he joined the 100th Infantry
Battalion, Company C, as a
replacement in Italy before
moving on with the unit to
France and the Rhineland
Campaign.
On October 15, 1944,
the 100th Battalion was
gathered at a staging area on
Hill 555 preparing with the
rest of the 442nd regiment
for an attack on the town
of Bruyeres in the Vosges
department of the Lorraine
region.
Unfortunately, the German artillery had zeroed in
on the hill, which resulted
in a ferocious barrage that
killed several Nisei, including Yoshio Tengwan.
Today, one can visit
Tengwan’s grave at Plot A,
Row 9, Grave 65, in the
tranquil, well-manicured
but infrequently visited site
just south of Epinal.
There are more than a
dozen other members of the
442nd buried here.
Tengwan was one of
approximately two dozen
soldiers from Maui who lost
their lives in the region.
He is the only one from
the Valley Island who is buried at the Epinal American
Cemetery and Monument.
Part of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center’s mission
is to nurture the community’s youth and support care and respect
for its elders. The NVMC Intergenerational Center’s Kansha
Preschool and the Maui Adult Day Care Centers’ Ocean View site
provide activities toward these goals. The preschoolers and their
“grandpas and grandmas” maintain a loving connection
as they share the courtyard and other facilities.
Hiroshi and Hiromi Niizumi pose with a group of preschoolers who wrote “Hawaii” in katakana. The children
are (from left) Nene Takasaki, Jacob Poouahi, Trinity Christophersen and Roza Woodson.
Photo by Charlene Doi
Calligraphy master at Center
Preschool’s friends from Japan visit students and day care elders
Kansha Preschool children
are fortunate to have friends
from as far away as Japan!
In May, we began a sister relationship with the Yaguramon
Adult Day Care programs of
Fukuoka, Japan. Our children
and the clients there have
exchanged handmade gifts, and
we have corresponded with the
Yaguramon staff since then.
In September, the president of Yaguramon, Hitoshi
Niizumi, and his wife, Hiromi,
spent the morning with our
preschoolers and joined us for
lunch afterward.
n Kansha Preschool has another
link to Japan: Documentary
producer Hiroyuki Matsumoto
has donated DVDs of his “Go For
Broke: Memories of Hawai‘i
Japanese Nisei” to the preschool
to sell as a fundraiser.
See the story on the next page.
Along with the Maui Adult
Day Care Centers clients, we
were treated to a demonstration of shoudou (calligraphy),
done by Mrs. Niizumi, who is
a master teacher of the art. She
invited the children to do their
own calligraphy.
14 – February 2014
This was quite special to the
children because they have
been learning to read and write
hiragana (Japanese characters) with Megan Matsuoka, a
Baldwin High School student
who is with us doing her senior
project on preschoolers learning a foreign language.
Mrs. Niizumi also gifted the
preschool with a set of calligraphy brushes and ink so that
we can continue to practice
shoudou.
The Niizumis plan a return
visit to Kansha Preschool next
July.
KKHS students earn trip to Japan
Top essay touches on ways they
are helping with NVMC exhibit
Four students from King Kekaulike High
School earned a trip to Japan this month,
and their contributions to a planned exhibit
on internment at the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center played a part in the accomplishment.
Shelby Akuna, Alyson HernandezIgnacio, Tiara Nishijo and Joleen Paul
submitted the winning essay to JTB Hawaii’s
Goodwill Foundation, which paid for the
Feb. 13-18 trip to learn about Japan’s history
and culture.
The Kekaulike essay was judged best
among 10 submitted from public high
schools in Hawaii. Contestants wrote about
how they would use their experiences in
Japan in their communities.
The Upcountry students’ essay discussed
internment camps, peace and their own
values. The essay included their plans to
contribute to an exhibit at the NVMC.
After winning the essay contest, the
students met with NVMC board member
David Fukuda to discuss research for the
exhibit and presentations they are making
on a Maui-focused display.
The Maui material would complement an
exhibit about internment in Hawaii during
World War II.
Teacher/adviser Jan Matsushita (center) is flanked by students (from left) Joleen Paul, Alyson
Hernandez-Ignacio, Tiara Nishijo and Shelby Akuna. Photo by David Fukuda
The students are helping to prepare
displays on the estimated 100 known Maui
internees, and they will serve as docents on
weekends during the exhibit.
They were selected to compete in the
JTB program by their AVID teacher and
Japanese Club adviser, Jan Matsushita.
AVID stands for Advancement Via
Individual Determination, which is a college-readiness, elective program for selected
students. Classes focus on writing, reading, inquiry, collaboration and organization skills to prepare them for college and
beyond.
Many AVID alumni are the first in their
families to attend college.
Over the years, Kekaulike’s AVID and
Japanese Club students have helped the
NVMC with cleanup projects and mailings,
and they assist at the annual Chrysanthemum Festival that is sponsored by Maui’s
Sons and Daughters of the Nisei Veterans.
For 20 years, the nonprofit JTB Hawaii
Goodwill Foundation sent Hawaii educators to Japan so they could learn about the
educational system there.
Last year, it sent students from the private
Iolani School on Oahu to experience the
country. This year, the board decided to
focus on public high schools.
Nisei documentary DVDs sold for preschool fundraiser
DVDs of the documentary “Go For
Broke: Memories of Hawai‘i Japanese Nisei”
are being sold as a fundraiser by Kansha
Preschool.
The 98-minute documentary uses oral
histories with Nisei veterans, film clips and
other techniques to cover topics such as
growing up in Hawaii and the difficulties
and discrimination that soldiers faced in
serving their country during World War II.
Some of the veterans in the film are from
Maui.
Each DVD costs $15. It can be delivered
through the mail or arrangements can be
made for a buyer to pick up a copy at the
preschool.
For information on placing an order,
mailing cost, arranging for a pickup and
more, email preschool director
Charlene Doi at
kanshapreschool@
gmail.com or send
mail to Charlene
Doi, Kansha Preschool, P.O. Box 969,
Wailuku, HI 96793.
The preschool
asks that orders be prepaid by check or
money order payable to Kansha Preschool.
The fundraiser is possible through the
continuing generosity of producer Hiroyuki
Matsumoto of Japan, who donated the copies that the preschool is selling.
Matsumoto was introduced to Kansha
Preschool by Hiroshi Arisumi, president of
15 – February 2014
the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center Board
of Directors, several years ago when he
visited the Center as part of his preparation
for the documentary.
Matsumoto was impressed with the preschool program and its goal of honoring the
positive life values of the Nisei. He has since
donated proceeds of Hawaii presentations
of his film to Kansha Preschool.
Matsumoto is showing the film in Japan
in hopes that younger generations will learn
more about the Japanese who immigrated
to Hawaii.
The preschool has received inquiries and
visits from people in Japan who have seen
Matsumoto’s film and want to learn more
about Niseis, the preschool and the NVMC.
The 2013 Chrysanthemum Festival court (from left) Princess Reagan Diana and her escort, Adam Howden; Princess Kaitlin Elizabeth Kim and
Phillip Fontaine; Queen Erin Ellyse Ruri Murashige and Christopher Kawaguchi; and Princess Chaelynn April Love Misay-Serrano and Cory Segi.
Photo by Nagamine Photo Studio
Chrysanthemum Festival queen crowned
Winner also has best essay;
this year’s topic was ganbari
WAILUKU – Erin Ellyse Ruri Murashige, a junior at Baldwin High School,
earned the title of queen of the 61st Chrysanthemum Festival, which is sponsored
by Maui’s Sons and Daughters of the Nisei
Veterans.
The Wailuku resident is the daughter of
Joyce and the late Clyde Murashige.
Erin also won the festival’s third annual
essay contest, in which contestants are
asked to write about Japanese core values.
This year’s topic was ganbari, which means
persistence, steadfastness to a purpose or
course of action.
The contestants were asked how it
relates to the Japanese Americans as they
entered and then fought in World War II,
and how she might adopt ganbari to her
life.
The first prize was a $500 scholarship.
The festival was held Nov. 30 at the
Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku.
Funds for MSDNV
The queen of the event is the candidate
who raises the most funds for the sponsor.
The candidates are students at Maui high
schools.
The total amount raised at the event was
not announced.
The proceeds will help the Sons and
Daughters to provide scholarships in
partnership with the Maui AJA Veterans
Inc. and to conduct historical-preserva16 – February 2014
tion programs associated with the Nisei
Veterans Memorial Center.
The princesses in this year’s court were
Kaitlin Elizabeth Kim of Kahului, a senior
at St. Anthony Junior-Senior High School
and the daughter of John D. and Catherine
Nobriga Kim; Chaelynn April Love MisaySerrano of Lahaina, freshman at Lahainaluna High School and the daughter of
Luis Serrano and Chamille Misay-Serrano;
and Reagan Diana of Pukalani, junior
at King Kekaulike High School and the
daughter of Rupert and Lorene Diana.
The queen, princesses and their escorts
did a ballroom dance performance, which
is a tradition of the coronation. Jeff and
Lydia Dela Cruz continued their longtime
tutoring of the court, leading weekly prac-
Please turn to the next page
Kamehameha Schools Maui seniors
Tiana Guerrero (left) and Sean Segundo pose
with Irene Hirano Inouye, widow of Senator
Daniel K. Inouye, at the Go For Broke National
Education Center annual fundraising dinner.
The students earned trips to the Los Angeles
event with essays they wrote. Tiana’s subject
was Senator Inouye.
Photo by Kye Haina, Language Arts Teacher,
Kamehameha Schools Maui
Kamehameha students earn essay honors
They attend national Nisei veteran
center’s annual event in Los Angeles
Kamehameha Schools Maui seniors Sean
Segundo and Tiana Guerrero were finalists
in the inaugural High School and College
Student Essay Contest of the Go For Broke
National Education Center, and their efforts
earned them trips to the organization’s
annual fundraising dinner in Los Angeles
Oct. 17.
Sean’s entry was among three to be
designated an “exemplary essay.” He wrote
Festival
Continued from page 16
tice sessions before the festival.
The Japanese cultural event also offered
entertainment, including dancing by Ken
Tasaka and Maui Minyo Kai, Akari Ueoka
of Maui Izanai Yosakoi Suga Ren and
the students of Sensei Yaeko Yamamoto,
whose professional name is Matsudai Mitsuyae; karaoke singer Yumi Takedatsu; and
taiko drumming by Zenshin Daiko.
Cultural exhibits, demonstrations and
activities included flower arranging by
Mokichi Okada Association; origami by
about the discrimination faced by the Nisei
soldiers of World War II, their accomplishments during and after the war, and how
today’s generation can learn from the past.
Tiana focused on the late Senator Daniel
K. Inouye and how she drew inspiration
from his performance with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Sean has attended Kamehameha Schools
Maui since kindergarten. He plans to pursue a career in linguistic science beginning
next year at the University of Oregon.
Tiana entered Kamehameha in her
freshman year. She has not decided where
she will study next year, but she hopes to
become a teacher.
They attended the 12th annual Evening
of Aloha Gala Dinner at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites.
The students also were able to meet with
Nisei veterans and to visit the Go For Broke
Monument in Los Angeles.
Our congratulations go out to these Maui
students for their interest, research and
papers on the Nisei soldiers’ experience.
Suzanne Nakata, Ruth Yamamura and
Mildred Okuda; hachimaki making by
the King Kekaulike High School Japanese
Club; and calligraphy by the Rev. Testudo
Takasaki of the Puunene Nichiren Mission.
mostly with the 100th Infantry Battalion,
442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service.
The veterans used event proceeds to
fund scholarships, community activities
and their support of the Nisei Veterans
Memorial Center.
With the core group of veterans becoming older and less able to present events
such as the Chrysanthemum Festival, the
club turned over the event to the Sons and
Daughters in 2008 so the younger group
could use proceeds for its historical preservation work and to support the scholarship
program.
Event history
The ballroom dancing segment reflects
the festival’s roots as the Chrysanthemum
Ball. It began as a project of the Maui AJA
Veterans Inc.
AJA stands for Americans of Japanese
ancestry.
The club’s first members were the AJAs
who returned from World War II service,
17 – February 2014
NVMC Annual Giving Contributors
FOR THE PERIOD AUGUST 15 THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2013
Army
$2,500-plus
Hiroshi Arisumi
Division
$1,000 - $2,499
Alexander & Baldwin LLC
Gene and Beryl Bal
Hale Mahaolu
Stanley Izumigawa
Maui’s Sons and Daughters
of the Nisei Veterans
Paul and Jessie Mizoguchi
Morgan Stanley
Richard and Doris Ouye
United Auto Parts Inc.
Regiment
$500 - $999
Foodland Give Aloha donors
Mary Hamasaki, in memory of
Francis M. Kudo, Company C,
100th Infantry Battalion
John Hirashima
Howard and Pam Ikeda
Mitsugi Kamemoto
Hisako Koga
Maui Adult Day Care Centers
Maui Chemical
& Paper Products Inc.
Maui Oil Company Inc.
Curtis and Faye Otsuka
Tak and Yuki Lei Sugimura
Steven M. and Gladys Y. Uyehara,
for Baldwin High School
Class of 1950 members
Wataru Koki, George Kubota,
George Morioka, James
Nagoshi, Joji Shimanuki,
Shigeo “Shige” Ushiro,
George “Gin” Yamashiro
Battalion
$250 - $499
Arisumi Brothers Inc.
Gene Awakuni
Booklines Hawaii
David T. and Judith Fukuda
Dr. Pete Galpin
Margaret Kono
Jennifer Goto Sabas
John and Leslie Mizoguchi
Brian Moto
Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc.
Dr. Cliff and Ruth Tokumaru
Susan Watanabe
Company
$100 - $249
George and Joyce Akamine
Richard Arine
Rosalyn Baker
Brown-Kobayashi
Robert and Geraldine Carroll
John and Barbara Watanabe Chun
Louise Corpuz
Masao and Adeline Daida
Foodland Give Aloha
Dr. Glenn and Mrs. Lillian Fujihara,
in memory of Sue Arisumi
Violet Fujishige, in memory
of Kazumi Fujishige
Ellen Furukawa, in memory
of Charles Mizoguchi
Hamai Appliance
James and Takane Hashi
Mitsuo and Yoneko Hashimoto
Tom and Miyoko Hiranaga
Sam Hironaka
Meiji and Toshiko Hirose
Roen and Alisa Hirose
Gerald Hiyakumoto
Shoma Hotta, in memory
of Kihachiro Hotta
Ralph Ichikawa, in memory
of Sachi Ichikawa
Jan Ikeda
James and Gladys Itamura,
in memory of Sue Arisumi
Jerry and Sheila Kawahara
George and Pearl Kaya
Yoshio and Grace M. Kijima
Kunio and Tsugiko Kikuta
John D. Kim
Wayne and Joyce Maeda
Harvey and Charlene Makii
Karen Moody
Lauren Markham
Robert S. and Edith I. Matsumoto
George and Reiko Matsunaga
Eric and Elaine Miyajima
James M. Moriyasu
Takashi and Eleanor O. Masuda
Jane Nakama
Floyd and Sharon Nagoshi
Randall Nakama
Torio Nishida
Edward and Marie Nishihara
Toshimasa and Nancy Nitta
Ronald and Michiko Oba
Leonard and Laurel Oka
Jean Okimoto
Nelson Okumura
Gerard and Lorrie Ann Onaga,
in memory of Takeyasu
Thomas Onaga, killed in action
Oct. 29, 1944, in the rescue
of the Lost Battalion
Warren and Helen Orikasa
Neil Oyama
Paul and Yvonne Petro
Anne Ripperger, in memory
of Elaine Kubo Muroki
Aline Rolaff, in memory
of Tamotsu Hamaguchi
and Howard Hamaguchi
Jonathan and Jill Ross
Florence Sakae
Clyde and Gerrianne Sakamoto
Mildred Sakamoto, in memory
of Yoshimi Sakamoto
Hisako Sano, in memory
of Randolph Kiyoshi Ideue
Hisako Sato,
in memory of Rokuro Sato
Joseph M. and Frances J. Souki
Masako Suehiro
David Suzuki
Larry and Barbara Tadakuma
Mike and Myriam Takamatsu,
in memory of brother
Tad Takamatsu
Takamiya Market Inc.
Lance Takamiya
Frances Takumi
Tanikai Inc.
Donald and Gail Terada
Frances Teshima, in memory
of Kazuo Teshima
Tokyo Tei Restaurant
Tokiaki and Patricia Toyama
Ryoko Ushiro
Vietnam Veterans of Maui County
Anita and Todd Yamafuji
Henry and Betty Yamashiro
Alyce Matsumoto Yoshino
Platoon
$25 - $99
Nora Abe
Myrtle Agrabante
Rudolph and Anne Andrade
John Y. Arisumi, on behalf
of brother Butch Arisumi
Thomas and Gwen Arisumi
Mary Louise Barra
Emily Bott
Abel and Barbara Cravalho
Mieko Crowell
Glenn and Linda Hashiro
Paula Fujishiro
Wessen and Lydia Furumoto
Note: The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center has made every
effort to present accurate information in the list of contributors.
Please assist us to maintain our records correctly by calling us
at 244-6862 if you notice an error. Mahalo!
18 – February 2014
Joyce Ige and Family
Fujie Isagawa
Japo I. Yokoyama
Building Contractors Inc.
Harold Kametani
Isamu Kanekuni
Hideo and Joyce Kawahara
Ethel Kawamura
Judith Kitagawa
Dennis Koyanagi
Lahaina Hongwanji
Buddhist Women’s Association
Roy R. Ledesma, in memory
of Yoshio Ralph Yamanuha
Francine Lee
Lillian Maeda
Michael and Lori Munekiyo
Mae F. Murabayashi
Carolyn Nakaki
Shigeru and Joyce Nakamura
Helen Nakashima
Dorothy and Ronald Nakata
Layne Oishi
Fred Ruge
Sueno Saito
Tsugio and Ruby Sakurada
Tommy and Jane Sato
Hiroshi and Carol Shishido
Jeanne Skog
Hideo Takahashi
Hideo and Tomoe Takeuchi
Ellen and Dennis Tamanaha
Allan and Linda Tanaka
Wayne and Helen Tanaka
William and Martha Tavares
James and Shirley Tobita
Alice Uehara
Anna Umehira
Deborah A. von Tempsky
Louis and Jean Wada
Gordon and Lynette Watanabe,
in memory of Jiro Watanabe,
442nd Regimental Combat
Team, Company L
Kyle and Collette Watanabe
Sueko Watanabe
Tom Yamada
Glenn Yamakawa
Fumito Yoshisato
Squad
Up to $24
Linda Cornwell
Catherine Giamenelli
Susan Halas,
in memory of Earl Tanaka
Arlene Shinozuka
Gail K. St. Denis
Esther Yokoyama
Curtis Takamiya
Clarence Zamora
ANNUAL GIVING
Donor Categories
Category and Support Levels for Cumulative Gifts for a Calendar Year
Army
Division
Regiment
Battalion
Company
Platoon
Squad
$2,500 and over
$1,000 - $2,499
$500 - $999
$250 - $499
$100 - $249
$25 - $99
Up to $24
PLEASE SUPPORT THE NISEI VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER
Your tax-deductible contribution will help the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center maintain the NVMC
“Living Memorial” campus and fulfill its mission of promoting understanding about the history, values
and culture of the Nisei veterans among our community’s children, families and visitors.
Name (Mr./Mrs./Ms.)
Address
City
Phone (
State
ZIP
Email
)
Enclosed is a check for $
, payable to NISEI VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER,
to support NVMC in its work to educate the community about the history, values and culture of the Nisei solider.
Please charge my donation of $
Account #:
-
to:
-
o VISA
o MasterCard
-
Signature:
Exp.
/
Date:
Please mail this form to: Nisei Veterans Memorial Center, P.O. Box 216, Kahului, HI 96733
For other donation options, visit our website, www.nvmc.org.
Please call NVMC at (808) 244-6862 with any questions you may have.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
19 – February 2014
The Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
P.O. Box 216, Kahului, HI 96733-6716
Okage Sama de ...
February 2014
Among the many visitors to the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center
were members of Cub Scout Pack 68, who came the evening of Oct.
10. Here, WEBELO Scout Jayden Bartolome talks story with Hiroshi
Arisumi, president of the NVMC Board of Directors. More photos of
our visitors are on pages 6 and 7. Photo by Melanie Agrabante
n “Gokurosama”:
The first exhibit at our Education
Center that was not produced by NVMC staff and
volunteers succeeded beyond our expecations. On Page 1
n Annual
fundraiser: A look back at 2013’s gains
as well as a salute to the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye
highlighted the NVMC annual dinner. Eight oral history
transcripts were presented to veterans or their loved ones
during the event. On Page 3