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Contact: Diane Tanaka
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GO FOR BROKE MONUMENT 6TH ANNIVERSARY ON JUNE 11 TO HIGHLIGHT LOST BATTALION CAMPAIGN
Free Event To Feature Lt. Marty Higgins, Acting Commander of Lost Battalion & Dr. Kenneth Inada, 442nd RCT Survivor - Also Celebrating Grand Opening of Go For Broke Monument Visitor's Center
(TORRANCE, Calif. - May 23, 2005) - Each year, American World War II veterans of Japanese ancestry gather at the Go For Broke Monument to commemorate its inception. On Saturday, June 11 the Go For Broke Educational Foundation will host "Honoring our Heroes" 6th Anniversary Go For Broke Monument Tribute and highly encourage veterans, family members, friends and the general public to attend. The tribute will mark the heroism of the Nisei WWII veterans, and bring to light one of the 10 most significant events in U.S. military history - the Rescue of the Lost Battalion. "Honoring our Heroes" will run from 10 - 11 a.m. and be held at the Go For Broke Monument, located at Temple and Alameda streets in downtown Los Angeles' Little Tokyo district. A reception will follow to celebrate the grand opening of the Go For Broke Monument Visitor's Center.
"The Go For Broke Educational Foundation is committed to perpetuate the story of the American WWII veterans of Japanese ancestry through educational initiatives and public events such as 'Honoring our Heroes' where their story can be shared," said Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director and president, Go For Broke Educational Foundation. "Most Nisei WWII veterans are in their early- to mid-80s and all of us should take the time that we have with them to appreciate their sacrifices of yesterday that afford us the lives we live today."
The Go For Broke Monument is a 40-feet-wide, nine-feet-high gleaming granite sphere engraved with the names of more than 16,130 Japanese American soldiers from the segregated units: the 100th Infantry Division, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, and 232nd Combat Engineer Company, their officers and Nisei women who served in the U.S. Military during World War II.
The 6th Anniversary will feature keynote speaker Lt. Martin Higgins, acting commander of the 1st battalion of the 141st "Alamo Regiment" of the 36th "Texas" Division, who on October 25, 1944 found themselves surrounded by German troops in France’s Vosges forest. It took the 100th/442nd RCT, just days after liberating the town of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, six grueling days of combat to rescue the Lost Battalion. Lt. Higgins, will talk about his experience and tremendous respect for the little "giants" who rescued them. Additionally, Kenneth Inaba, Ph.D., will talk about his experiences as a soldier of K Company, who with I Company, 442nd RCT, were the first to reach the Lost Battalion. K Company suffered many casualties during the two weeks of fighting in France, losing all its officers with only 17 riflemen surviving.
Moreover, the Educational Foundation will award its 2005 Go For Broke Award to Mary Graybill, public relations consultant, and Bruce Kato, construction engineer. Graybill was instrumental in providing guidance to coordinate the monument design competition, working with the City of Los Angeles to ensure it was built, and managing public relations and marketing efforts. Kato was the Go For Broke Monument's project/construction manager, supervising the entire construction of the monument to ensure it was built and had the veterans' approval.
Following the tribute, the Educational Foundation will also host the grand opening of its Go For Broke Monument Visitor's Center located at 361 E. First Street, in the historic area of Little Tokyo. The Visitor's Center will feature interactive computer displays and small exhibit, limited resource library, and a retrospective mural painted by WWII Nisei veterans, volunteers and staff of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation. The Visitor’s Center will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. For more information regarding the Visitor’s Center please call 310-328-0907 or 213-625-0780, or email VisitorCenter@goforbroke.org
For more information on "Honoring our Heroes" tribute, please call the Go For Broke Educational Foundation at 310-328-0907 or email at esoldier@goforbroke.org.
The Go For Broke Educational Foundation institutes educational programs focused on the heroism and history of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II, as well as the forced evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans and civil liberties issues raised by those events. Currently the Educational Foundation's programs include An American Story Teacher Training Program, Hanashi Oral History Program, www.GoForBroke.org educational Web site, and Resource Center.
In 1989 Japanese American World War II veterans built the Go For Broke Monument, which would become an eternal tribute to the heroics of the segregated Japanese American units: 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, MIS (Military Intelligence Service) and the many other men and women who served overseas during World War II. The Monument is located in downtown Los Angeles at Temple and Alameda streets. Today, under a new generation, the Go For Broke Educational Foundation continues to carry the torch through educational initiatives to perpetuate this important American story.
