[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 69 (Tuesday, June 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S5529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S5529]]
  HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE 27TH 
 INFANTRY REGIMENT ``WOLFHOUNDS'' AND HOLY FAMILY HOME OF OSAKA, JAPAN

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to the 27th Infantry 
Regiment ``Wolfhounds'' for their 50 year relationship with the 
children of Holy Family Home of Osaka, Japan. This relationship is a 
symbol of the friendship and cooperation we have with the Japanese 
people. It has played an integral part in our lasting relationship with 
Japan and is a story that deserves to be told.
  Fifty years ago, Catholic nuns from the Sisters of Charity of St. 
Vincent de Paul stood hopeless in the streets of a battered, war-torn 
Osaka, Japan, selling buttons and trinkets to the incoming occupation 
force soldiers in exchange for food. They were trying to keep orphaned 
children, who were living in abandoned, shabby, cold barracks, alive 
during most difficult conditions. Several Wolfhound regiment soldiers, 
including my friend Sergeant Hugh O'Reilly, saw the sisters' dedication 
and dilemma and took the news back to their headquarters. The men 
quickly organized to provide relief for the children.
  Over the next few months, the soldiers used materials from the 
occupation forces to build facilities, collected money to feed the 
children, and began to cement this lasting relationship. Interested in 
doing more for the orphanage, Sgt. O'Reilly coordinated support from 
his unit for the Christmas holiday of 1949. This marked the beginning 
of the current relationship. Later, Sgt. O'Reilly began collecting 
money on a regular basis to improve living conditions for the children. 
Every week the collection grew, eventually averaging $3,000 a month. 
When the 27th Infantry deployed to Korea in 1950 the collections 
continued, to the surprise of the Sisters of Charity. The funds 
received during the years of occupation duty and the Korean conflict 
helped build the orphanage complex that greatly improved the lives of 
the children.
  The 27th Infantry's generosity to the orphanage brought much public 
attention to the unique relationship the regiment had with the 
orphanage. In 1955, Hollywood produced the film ``Three Stripes in the 
Sun,'' which detailed Sgt. O'Reilly's efforts to assist the orphanage. 
In 1957, the Wolfhounds invited two children from the orphanage to come 
to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, thus beginning the tradition that 
continues to this day. This month, on June 8, two more orphans will be 
making their first trip to Hawaii.
  Another tradition began the following year, when the Wolfhounds sent 
two ``Soldiers of the Year'' to the orphanage during Christmas to act 
as ``Father Christmas.'' They visited the orphanage in Osaka, bringing 
gifts and companionship during the holidays.
  These visits have been made possible largely by the generosity of a 
special individual, Mr. Akio Aoyama, an industrial leader in Japan. He 
recognized the benefits of improved United States-Japan relations that 
the orphans' relationship with the American regiment would foster. He 
has donated $10,000 each year to help offset the costs of travel, 
lodging, and other functions during the orphans' annual pilgrimage to 
the Wolfhounds in Hawaii.
  Sgt. O'Reilly is the Wolfhounds honorary sergeant major and lives in 
Hawaii with his wife, whom he met at the orphanage. I would like to 
thank and commend him and the Wolfhounds for their untiring dedication 
and love for the children of Holy Family Home. Whether it be defending 
our country during times of war or promoting goodwill in peace, I know 
the soldiers of the 27th Infantry Regiment will endure. We all say 
thank you for a job well done and wish you continued success in the 
future.

                          ____________________