Go back to PRESS RELEASES
Contact: Ellen Endo
310-328-0907
GENERAL URGES WWII VETS TO "SHARE YOUR STORIES"
Record Crowd Salutes Veteran Groups
ANAHEIM—From the classroom to the Pentagon, the message repeated often during Go For Broke National Education Center gala dinner Saturday (Nov. 10) was clear: "We all must help keep the veterans' legacy alive."
Sixth grader Harold Calubid vividly recalled the impact of World War II veteran Henry Ikemoto's visit to his classroom. Amy Perez, another sixth grader, remembered that her teacher led them on a field trip to Little Tokyo.
College student Robyn Tokufuji, granddaughter of 442nd vet Tets Asato, emphasized the importance of the Go For Broke program that prepares teachers as part of the State of California-mandated Social Studies Curriculum Standard.
But, it was the message expressed by Lieutenant General Joseph F. Peterson, imploring the veterans to record and share their stories, that resonated throughout the evening's program.
"Freedom is not free. You taught us that," said Lt. Gen. Peterson, addressing the Nisei veterans as well as veterans of other wars. The event drew a record 1,400 attendees, including 200 volunteers, to the Anaheim Hilton.
He then called for unity among Japanese American veterans organizations, 16 of which were honored by the Center.
"Your story is remarkable but our ability to capture your experiences is rapidly diminishing. The Veteran's Administration estimates that our WWII vets are dying at a rate of more than 1000 per day.
"I feel especially privileged to enjoy the comradeship of you the heroes and examples of my youth ...men and women who--while being distrusted, suppressed and mistreated--stood up and demanded the right to demonstrate your loyalty, patriotism, rights of citizenship and commitment to our country," he told the veterans.
"We need all of your great units to come together as a team to accurately and fully record your story. It's not the 442nd, or the 100th, or the MIS, or the 1399th. It's not Hawaii versus the Mainland; it's not the East Coast or the West Coast. Unite to tell your stories collectively.
"The values of pride, courage, commitment, dedication to duty and selfless service are those that we stress to our soldiers today. Help us continue to demonstrate to our troops how to embody these values through your stories of service," he concluded.
The crowd cheered their agreement and responded with a standing ovation. Lt. Gen. Peterson, Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Forces Command, is a decorated Iraq veteran. He is one of the nation's highest ranking military leaders of Asian/Pacific ancestry and is the nephew of Major General Arthur Ishimoto, a Military Intelligence Service veteran and the former adjutant general of the State of Hawaii. Peterson is of Japanese, Chinese, and Hawaiian descent.
For the second consecutive year, the WWII veterans regaled the audience with their rendition of "The 442 Fight Song." Kurt Kuniyoshi led the singing.
The occasion was the Center's sixth annual "Evening of Aloha." Sixteen veterans' groups from across the United States were simultaneously recognized with the Go For Broke Spirit Award for their service and commitment on behalf of fellow veterans.
ABC7 News anchor David Ono kept the program moving briskly.
From various parts of the U.S. came Sam Yoshinari, past commander of the Chicago Nisei Post 1183; Robert Nakamoto, president, Japanese American Veterans Association, Washington, D.C.; Dr. Craig Uchida, chair, and Helen Kawagoe, board member, National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, Washington, D.C.; and Mas Fukuhara and Frank Nishimura, Nisei Veterans Committee of Seattle.
From Hawaii, 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club president Robert Arakaki and second vice president Michael Harada accepted the Center's award; Col. Bert Nishimura, founding member, accepted for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team Veterans Club; and Dr. Glenn Masunaga, president, represented Hawaii's MIS Veterans Club. The Oahu-based 1399th Veterans Club and Nisei Veterans Memorial Center of Maui were also saluted.
Representing California veterans' groups were the John Wakamatsu, 100th/442nd Veterans Association of Los Angeles; Lawson Sakai, Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans, San Francisco; Marvin Uratsu, president, and Fred Kitajima, MIS Association of Northern California; Hitoshi Sameshima, MIS Association of Southern California; Rosalyn Tonai and board members of the National Japanese American Historical Society, San Francisco.
Rocky Mountain MIS Veterans Club, Colorado, and the Japanese American Veterans of Minnesota were also recognized.
Attendees were served haute cuisine prepared by award-winning master chefs Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's Restaurants and Alan Wong of Hawaii, while the Keali'i O Nalani dance troupe performed traditional Island hulas. Featured was Leilani Kimiko Rojas, a former Nisei Week princess, who danced solo in honor of her grandfather, Shoichi Shiroma, a 442nd veteran.
Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro brought the evening to a crescendo with a concert of musical selections ranging from jazz to Japanese.
Tammie Kanda served as dinner chair, and Irv Miller served as honorary chair on behalf of title sponsor, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. Michelob/Anheuser-Busch was also a title sponsor.
#
