[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 59 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H3042-H3047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 1999, the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega)
is recognized for 60 minutes.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, a few years back I was privileged,
along with my Asian Pacific colleagues on Capitol Hill, to attend a
special White House ceremony where President Clinton signed an official
proclamation declaring May, this month, as it is true each year, as
National Asia Pacific Heritage Month.
Tomorrow, my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Guam (Mr.
Underwood), who is currently the chairman of our Congressional Asian
Pacific Caucus, along with our other colleagues, will hold a special
order commemorating the month of May which honors Asian Pacific
Americans.
I commend and thank the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood) for his
strong leadership of the Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus, which he
has brought to the forefront and addressed many of the critical issues
facing our Nation.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I will not be able to participate in the
special order tomorrow, as I have a prior commitment to give an Asian
Pacific American Heritage Month speech at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and then
at Fort Hood, Texas, this coming weekend.
On that note, Mr. Speaker, I have just returned from Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where last week I
delivered addresses to our service men and women at their Asia Pacific
Heritage Month programs.
I certainly want to extend my deepest appreciation to Major General
William Boykin of the U.S. Army Special Forces headquarters and
Brigadier General Thomas Turner of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne, both
groups at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and also my good friend Major
General James Peake, the commanding general at Fort Sam Houston, for
their warm and gracious hospitality and the courtesies that were
extended to me when I visited them earlier this month.
Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to be here tonight to share with our
great Nation a legacy of those Americans whose roots extend from the
soils of nations in the Asia and Pacific region. Mr. Speaker, the Asian
Pacific region is a dynamic area of the world where two-thirds of the
world's population reside. Our Nation's trade with the Asian Pacific
region is almost twice of any other region, including Europe.
I recall Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii once elaborated or
illustrated our trade with the Asian Pacific region and Europe in this
fashion, he once made the comment that for every one or single 747 that
flies between the Atlantic and the East Coast of our Nation four 747s
fly between the Asian and Pacific region to our country.
Asians, or Americans of Asian Pacific descent, over 10.5 million
strong, are among the fastest growing demographic groups in the United
States today. Over the last decade, the Asian Pacific American
community has more than doubled and this rapid growth is expected to
continue in the 21st century. By 2050 the Asian Pacific American
population is projected to exceed 40 million people.
As many of my colleagues are aware, the immigrants of the Asian
Pacific countries are amongst the newest wave to arrive in the United
States in recent years. However, they are merely the latest chapter in
a long history of Asian Pacific Americans in our Nation.
During this time of celebration, Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that
we honor our fellow citizens of Asian Pacific descent both from the
past and the present that have blessed and enriched our Nation. I
submit that Asian Pacific Americans have certainly been an asset to our
country's development and it is most appropriate that our President and
the Congress recognize these achievements by establishing a National
Asian Pacific Heritage Month.
The peoples of the Asian Pacific have contributed much to America's
development. For example, in the fields of sciences and in medicine
nothing exemplifies this more than Time Magazine's selection a few
years ago of a Chinese American as its Man of the Year, Dr. David Ho,
head of the prestigious Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at New York
University Medical School.
Dr. Ho's journey, starting as a 12-year-old immigrant from Taiwan to
gracing the cover of Time Magazine, has given hope to millions of
people around the world afflicted by the HIV virus. His story is a
stirring testament to the significant contributions that Asian Pacific
American immigrants have made to our Nation. As one of the foremost
AIDS scientists in the world, Dr. Ho pioneered a treatment for the HIV
infection with the usage of an anti-viral drug. This has fundamentally
changed the approach of combatting AIDS, stated Time Magazine in
honoring Dr. Ho. Dr. Ho's work is greatly responsible for containing
the AIDS epidemic in America and today less than 1 percent of our
citizens are infected.
The rest of the world is not so fortunate, Mr. Speaker. Just
recently, the Clinton administration announced that global spread of
AIDS has reached catastrophic dimensions that threaten to overwhelm
foreign governments, ignite wars and destabilize entire regions of the
world. With 16 million dead from AIDS and over 33 million infected
worldwide, the AIDS crisis has spread from Africa to South Asia to the
former Soviet Union and even Eastern Europe.
The global AIDS pandemic is now so serious that the National Security
Council of the United Nations has declared it a national security
threat even to our own nation.
Against this backdrop, Dr. Ho's medical research is increasingly
front and center stage in the worldwide battle to contain this
destructive disease. By restoring hope to millions of patients around
the world suffering from this deadly virus, Dr. Ho is a credit to our
Nation and the Asian Pacific American community.
Dr. Ho's scientific advances continue a long record of service by
other Asian Pacific Americans. For example, in 1899 a Japanese
immigrant arrived on the shores of this Nation. After years of study
and work, this man, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, isolated a syphilis
[[Page H3043]]
germ leading to a cure for this deadly widespread disease.
For decades, Dr. Makio Murayama conducted vital research in the
United States that laid groundwork for combat in sickle-cell anemia.
In 1973, Dr. Leo Esaki, a Japanese American, was awarded the Nobel
Prize in physics for his electron tunneling theories, and in
engineering few have matched the architectural masterpieces created by
the genius of Chinese American I.M. Pey.
In the fields of business and commerce, the names of prominent Asian
Pacific American and corporate leaders and legal scholars are too
numerous to mention. One need only read our Nation's top periodicals
and newspapers to document that Asian Pacific students, both in
secondary schools and universities, are among the brightest minds that
our Nation has produced.
For example, a recent Stanford graduate, Jerry Yang, a Taiwanese
American who cofounded Yahoo, the Internet directory, Yang's Internet
company recorded $588 million in sales last year and is valued at over
$11 billion today.
Just last week, Mr. Speaker, USA Today announced its top 20 high
school students around the Nation, and among the 20 top students that
was announced by USA Today, Mr. Speaker, 13 were Asian Pacific
Americans.
In the entertainment fields in sports, American martial arts expert
Bruce Lee captivated the movie audiences of this Nation destroying the
stereotype of that passive, quiet Asian American male.
Worldclass conductor Seiji Ozawa has led the San Francisco and Boston
Symphony Orchestras through brilliant performances over the years.
Mr. Speaker, a native Hawaiian by the name of Duke Kahanamoku shocked
the world by winning the Olympic Gold Medal for our Nation in swimming
7 decades ago; followed by Dr. Sammy Lee, a Korean American who won the
Olympic Gold Medal in high diving.
Then there was Tommy Kono, a Japanese American from the State of
Hawaii, also a Gold Olympic Medalist in weightlifting and, yes, perhaps
the greatest Olympic high diver ever known to the world, a Samoan Greek
American by the name of Greg Louganis, whose record in gold medals and
national championships and international tournaments will be in the
books for a long, long time to come.
{time} 2045
There is Japanese American Kristi Yamaguichi, and Chinese-American
Michelle Kwan's enthralling ice skating performances at the Winter
Olympics continued the milestone achievements by Asian Pacific
Americans.
In professional sports, we have Michael Chang blazing new paths in
tennis, and Pacific Islanders Brian Williams and Michael Jones in world
rugby, and many others.
Of course, we cannot forget the tens of dozens of Polynesian
Americans, like Samoan All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau of the San Diego
Chargers, and former All-Pro guard Jesse Sapolu of the San Francisco
Forty-Niners, former All-Pro tackle Dan Saleaumua of the Kansas City
Chiefs, and All-Pro tackle Luther Ellis of the Detroit Lions, who have
made their mark as stars in the National Football League.
Yes, I am also impressed with dot you end, a Vietnamese American who
won numerous college awards as a top linebacker, and will expect to
play first string this year with the Dallas Cowboys.
In professional boxing, which a fast rising Samoan challenger in
heavyweight professional boxer Dat Nguyen, a Vietnamese American, who
is now ranked number one in the world heavy-weight division by the
International Boxing Federation.
USA Today just 2 days ago gave David Tua as ranking number 3 overall
in the world, just ahead of Evander Holyfield and Lewis Lennox. It is
expected that David Tua will be fighting for the heavyweight title
sometime in November of this year.
Mr. Speaker, one of the brightest stars to emerge recently from our
community is, yes, none other than Tiger Woods, a professional golfer
who has identified himself not only as an African-American but as an
Asian American, too, due to his mother being of Thai ancestry.
In routing the field in the Masters Tournament a few years ago, Tiger
made history. He continued making history this year by winning 6 PGA
golf tournaments in a row, matching the second longest winning streak
in history. Before Tiger Woods' career is finished, Mr. Speaker, this
American will reinvent the game of golf.
I recall when someone asked Tiger who he was or who he is in an
article, he said he is part African-American, he is Native American, he
is white, he is Asian American, and that makes him a pure golfer.
Another professional golfer, Mr. Speaker, we must honor is Vijay
Singh, originally from the island of Fiji and is now an American
resident. This Pacific Islander showed great discipline and tremendous
heart in winning this year's Masters Tournament despite grueling
weather conditions and competition from the world's best golfers. The
win was Vijay's second major victory establishing his place certainly
among golf's elite.
We also have Asian Americans who are making their mark, Mr. Speaker,
in history, not in our country but even in the Far East. We have Samoan
American Salevaa Atisanoe, who only weighs 578 pounds as a former sumo
wrestler in Japan for 15 years; a wrestler by the name of Konishiki. He
was the first foreigner in Japanese centuries-old sport to break
through to the rarefied area of sumo's second-highest rank. Another
Samoan/Tongan American, Leitani Peitani, known in Japan as Musashimaru,
has now attained the last position in sumo wrestling known as Yokozuna,
or grand champion.
Along with him is a native Hawaiian by the name of Chad Rowen, or
Akebono as he is known in Japan. He has scaled even greater heights in
sumo by attaining the exalted status of grand champion.
Until this Polynesian American arrived on the scene no foreigner had
ever been permitted to assume this sacred position, as the Japanese
associated the Yokozuna with the essence of Shinto's guardian spirits.
The ascendancy to grand champion sumo status goes to the heart of the
Japanese religion and culture, and it is a tremendous achievement by
this native Hawaiian and certainly a credit, a tribute to the Asian
American community.
Mr. Speaker, in honoring the Asian American Americans that have
served to enrich our Nation, I would be remiss as a Vietnam veteran if
I do not honor the contributions of the Japanese Americans who served
in the U.S. Army's 100th Batallion and 442nd Infantry Combat Group.
History speaks for itself in documenting that none have shed their
blood more valiantly for America than the Japanese Americans who served
in these units while fighting enemy forces in Europe during World War
II.
The records of the 100th Batallion and 442nd Infantry, Mr. Speaker,
are without equal. These Japanese American units suffered an
unprecedented casualty rate of 314 percent and received over 18,000
individual decorations, many awarded posthumously for bravery and
courage in the field of battle.
Mr. Speaker, a total of 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver
Stars, and 9,480 Purple Hearts were awarded to the Japanese American
soldiers who fought in the 100th Batallion and 442nd Infantry.
Given the tremendous sacrifice of life, however, it was highly
unusual that only one Medal of Honor was given. Nonetheless, the 442nd
Combat Group emerged as the most decorated group unit of its size ever
in the history of the United States Army.
President Truman was so moved by their bravery in the field of
battle, as well as that of the African-American soldiers and sailors
who fought during World War II, that President Truman then issued an
executive order to desegregate the Armed Forces.
I am proud to say that we can count Senator Daniel K. Inouye, a
highly respected Senator, and the late Senator Spark Matsunaga of
Hawaii as soldiers who distinguished themselves in battle with the
100th Batallion and 442nd Infantry.
It was while fighting in Italy that Senator Inouye, then a young
lieutenant, was shot in the abdomen and leg and had his arm shattered
by a grenade
[[Page H3044]]
while advancing alone and personally eliminating three German machine
gun nests that had pinned down his platoon. The Senator lost his arm
and spent 20 months recovering in Army hospitals before receiving the
Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest medal for bravery
awarded by our Nation.
Last week, Mr. Speaker, Secretary of the Army Lewis Caldera and the
Department of Defense announced they have completed a reevaluation of
the exceptional heroism displayed by the soldiers of the 100th
Batallion and 442nd Infantry. As a result, I am very proud to say that
next month, on June 21, in a special White House ceremony, Senator
Daniel Inouye from Hawaii and 18 of his fellow Japanese American
soldiers shall be awarded this Nation's last military decoration, the
Medal of Honor.
Additionally, two other soldiers, a Filipino American and a Chinese-
Hawaiian American, shall also receive Medals of Honor at the White
House ceremony.
For the past 12 years, Mr. Speaker, I have been complaining about
this injustice, where anti-Japanese and anti-Asian prejudice prevented
these American heroes from being properly recognized. On that point,
Mr. Speaker, Senator Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii deserves tremendous
credit and our Nation's gratitude for introducing legislation that
passed in 1996 which mandated that the Pentagon review and re-evaluate
the courageous exploits of the soldiers of the 100th Battalion and
442nd Infantry.
Finally, the records are being changed to reflect the legendary
bravery of these Asian American warriors, and finally justice is being
done. It took 50 years, Mr. Speaker, and today there are only seven
survivors out of the 21 Medal of Honor recipients, but this is what
makes America a great Nation, Mr. Speaker, I submit. I am pleased to
see that this injustice has been corrected.
Mr. Speaker, despite this change where we will now honor 21 Asian
Pacific Americans to become recipients of our Nation's highest award in
the field of battle, that of the Medal of Honor, there are complaints
from some so-called experts that the only reason why we made these
changes is because of political pressures, and that it is done because
it was politically expedient.
I say to such criticism, they are full of baloney. What I would say
is also the word Awaha, in the Hawaiian language, a bunch of hot air.
Let me share with my colleagues and with the American people, Mr.
Speaker, why the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense has properly
upgraded these Distinguished Service Cross recipients to the Medal of
Honor.
For example, Staff Sergeant Rudolph DaVila, of Vista, California, in
the Army's breakthrough from a beachhead in Anzaio, Italy, in 1943, he
singlehandedly saved 130 riflemen from German machine gun fire by
silencing several gun positions.
Private Barney Hajiro of Waipahu, Hawaii, charged uphill in eastern
France in 1944, where he destroyed two German machine gun nests and
killed two snipers, a member of the 442nd Infantry.
Private Mikio Hasemoto, Hawaii-born, killed in action December 1,
1943, in Italy, a member of the 100th Batallion.
Private Joe Hayashi of Pasadena, California, killed in action. He led
attacks that took strategic hills near Tendola, Italy, a member of the
442nd.
Private Shizuya Hayashi of Pearl City, Hawaii, charged with his
automatic rifle near Cerasuolo, Italy. He killed nearly 20 Germans and
took four prisoners, a member of the 100th Batallion.
Second Lieutenant Daniel Inouye, now a United States Senator, April,
1945, he destroyed three German machine gun positions, staying on the
field to direct his troops, after his right arm was shattered by an
enemy grenade, a member of the 442nd Infantry.
Tech. Sergeant Yeiki Kobashigawa of Waianae, near Lanuvio, Italy,
where he had a companion, destroyed two German machine gun defense
emplacements, a member of the 100th Battalion.
Staff Sergeant Robert Kuroda, a medal awarded posthumously, killed in
action in October, 1944, a member of the 442nd Infantry.
Private First Class Kaoru Moto of Makawao, Maui, who died in 1992.
Alone, he wiped out a machine gun nest and later crawled 100 yards
under fire to capture prisoners, a member of the 100th.
Private First Class Kiyoshi Muranaga, killed in action. His mortar
fire forced the Germans to withdraw an 88 millimeter Howitzer
threatening his platoon. A shell from a German gun killed him, a member
of the 442nd Infantry.
Private Masato Nakae, Hawaii. He died in 1998. When his submachine
gun was damaged, he picked up a wounded comrade's rifle to hold off the
advancing enemy with rifle grenades. Also throwing hand grenades, he
forced an enemy retreat; a member of the 100th Batallion.
Private Shinyei Nakamine of Hawaii, killed in action, age 24, while
attacking machine gun nests, a member of the 100th.
Private First Class William Nakamura, killed by a sniper in 1944 in
Italy during a bitter firefight in which he pinned down German gunmen
to allow his platoon to withdraw, member of the 442nd Infantry.
Private First Class Joe Nishimoto of Fresno, California, killed in
action 8 days after the heroism in France for which he is honored.
Fiercely attacking alone he forced enemy withdrawal and broke a 3-day
stalemate; member of the 442nd Infantry.
Sergeant Alan Ohata of Hawaii, died in 1977. Eight days off the ship,
he and a companion advanced through fire and killed at least 51
attacking Germans; a member of the 100th Battalion;.
Tech Sergeant Yukio Okutsu from Hilo, Hawaii, destroyed two machine
gun nests, captured a third at Mount Belvedere in Italy; a bullet
bounced off his helmet; member of the 442nd Infantry.
Private First Class Frank Ono who died in 1980. In 1944 in Italy he
silenced a machine gun, killed a sniper, defended a position with hand
grenades, and helped rescue his wounded platoon leader; a member of the
442nd Infantry.
Sergeant Kazuo Otani of Rivers, Arizona, killed in action, multiple
acts of bravery while his platoon was pinned down in an open field; a
member of the 442nd.
Private George Sakato of Denver, Colorado. His squad was pinned down
in France. He led a charge that destroyed a stronghold; a member of the
442nd Infantry.
Tech Sergeant Ted Tanouye, killed in action 2 months after his
arrival in Italy. He led men to capture a hill, refused aid for a
wound, then led a long-odds night attack to break a 2-day German
resistance, member of the 442nd.
And there was Captain Francis Wai, posthumously awarded for his
actions of bravery in the fight for freedom in the Philippines.
Mr. Speaker, I do not consider these acts of heroism as politically
expedient.
Mr. Speaker, I include these two articles as part of the Record,
these newspaper articles.
The articles referred to are as follows:
[From the USA Today, May 12, 2000]
21 On Medal of Honor List
(By Martin Kasindorf)
President Clinton yesterday upgraded the World War II
decorations of 21 Asian-American heroes to the coveted Medal
of Honor, including at least 10 men from Hawaii.
For ethnic groups whose fighting ability and even
patriotism were once doubted by the nation's leaders, the
action 55 years after the war is the final stamp of
commendation.
Clinton signed documents accepting Pentagon recommendations
of higher honors for men who had received the Army's second-
highest medal, the Distinguished Service Cross. Seven are
still living. Eleven were killed in action.
Nineteen names on the list are those of Japanese Americans
who fought in Europe with the racially segregated 442nd
Regimental Combat Team or 100th Infantry Battalion. Among
those receiving the medal: U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii,
75, who lost his right arm in battle as a platoon leader with
the 442nd in Italy.
Another medal recipient, Francis Wai, an infantry captain,
was of Chinese and Hawaiian ancestry. A UCLA football star
before the war, Wai was killed during Gen. Douglas
MacArthur's 1944 liberation of the Philippine island of
Leyte.
Recipient Rudolph Davila, 84, of Vista, Calif., is of
Filipino and Spanish ancestry.
Presentation of the medals at an outdoor White House
ceremony on June 21 will bring to 462 the number of Medals of
Honor awarded for the highest gallantry in World War II, in
which 15 million Americans served in uniform. Only two
fighting men of Asian or Pacific island ancestry, Army Pvt.
Sadao
[[Page H3045]]
Munemori and Sgt. Jose Calugas of the Philippine Scouts,
previously had received the blue-ribboned medal for that
conflict.
Asian-American veterans say the additional Medals of Honor
validate a long drive for justice. Suspecting that wartime
prejudice had limited their recognition, veterans of the
442nd and 100th persuaded U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii,
to sponsor 1996 legislation that ordered a Pentagon search
for Medal of Honor candidates among Asian Americans and
Pacific islanders.
The law was patterned on an Army study that led to the 1997
award of Medals of Honor to seven black World War II
soldiers. No blacks had won the medal during the war because
of a biased ``racial climate,'' the Army admitted.
At least four of the Asian Americans named yesterday to
receive the Medal of Honor were originally recommended for it
by their commanders. They got the Distinguished Service Cross
instead.
The Asian-American medal study provoked controversy. When
Army historian James McNaughton described the project in 1998
to the Legion of Valor, a group whose members earned the
Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and
Air Force Cross, he was beset with protests about race-based
``political correctness.''
Former Legion of Valor President Mike Gilroy now says: ``I
think there probably would be a concern about it being a
politically motivated thing, but it needs to be done.''
The citations of those being upgraded speak of astonishing
acts of courage: enemy machine guns and tanks silenced by men
who charged at point-blank range; wounded comrades carried to
safety through galling fire.
hard to believe
The living recipients, making no claims of past
discrimination, were quietly delighted when aides to Army
Secretary Louis Caldera phoned them with the news.
``It was hard to believe it,'' Shizuya Hayashi, 82, of
Pearl City said. ``During the war, we didn't think about
medals. We just wanted to do our job. I was surprised they
gave us medals.''
Under Akaka's bill, the Army reconsidered 104 Asian
Americans and Pacific islanders who had won the Distinguished
Service Cross. The Navy reopened the files of the single
Asian American who had won its equivalent medal, the Navy
Cross. A Navy decorations board ruled that Cmdr. Gordon
Chung-hoon didn't merit higher commendation.
Historians at the Army's Presidio of Monterey in California
unearthed the old citations of 47 Japanese Americans, one
Korean American, one Hawaiian-Chinese America, 54 Filipinos
and one Filipino American. Davila, who served in the Third
Army in Europe, is the lone Filipino American.
Army lawyers determined that 23 Filipinos who got the
Distinguished Service Cross from MacArthur were ineligible by
law for the Medal of Honor. They had served in the Philippine
Army or constabulary, not the U.S. Army.
But 25 Philippine Scouts, attached to the U.S. Army, were
considered for the top-ranking medal. None were recommended
for it by the Army's three reviewing boards of senior
generals, headed by Gen. Eric Shinseki before he became Army
chief of staff in June.
heavily decorated units
Their dominant share of the new Medals of Honor won't
surprise wartime admirers of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
and the 100th Infantry Battalion.
After months of initial suspicion by military leaders,
political lobbing by Japanese Americans in Hawaii won the
community's young men the right to serve in 1942. The 1,300-
member 100th and later the 4,500-member 442nd were organized
in Hawaii and fought in France and Italy.
One-third of the units' enlistees volunteered from Mainland
relocation camps where 110,000 Japanese Americans had been
interned by presidential order. At least four of those named
yesterday for the Medal of Honor left the camps to go to war.
The Asian-American units, which were commanded by whites,
were thrown into the thickest fighting. Casualties were
heavy. Their loss of 650 men killed and 8,836 wounded marked
the highest casualty percentage among Army formations.
At the same time, the 442nd and 100th were the most
decorated units of their sizes in Army history. A partial
medal count, updated yesterday: 20 Medals of honor, 48
distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze
Stars, 9,468 Purple Hearts.
____
[From the Honolulu Advertiser, May 12, 2000]
Personal Glory Was Never Goal of Japanese-American Soldiers
(By Mike Gordon)
They fought for their country. They fought for the honor of
Americans of Japanese ancestry. And they fought to win World
War II and come home alive.
They never fought for medals.
But now the bravery of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and
the 100th Infantry Battalion will be rewarded with the Medal
of Honor, decades after their battles became the stuff of
Army legend.
Now 19 more will forever be tied to the nation's highest
honor.
Shizuya Hayashi is 82, and the words and the memories of
that long-ago war come in fits and spurts. But in 1943, in
Italy, the young private charged a German position and killed
20 enemy soldiers. He also took four prisoners.
Next month the Pearl City resident will be at the White
House for the special ceremony. He'll meet a president who
wasn't born until after the war.
``It's kind of surprising,'' he said. ``A lot of other boys
deserve it, but they're not here. Those days, we didn't think
about medals. You were there to do a job. It was something
you had to do.
Barney Hajiro fought, too. He helped to rescue the Lost
Battalion, a Texas unit trapped behind enemy lines. He was
wounded three times.
On Tuesday, he got a telephone call from Washington,
informing him of the medal.
``I was thinking a long time ago about this,'' Hajiro said
yesterday. ``They turned me down, so I didn't care. Then it
came up again, and I said I would accept it for my buddies
who died in the war, not for myself.''
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye also is one of the recipients.
Inouye lost an arm during the war.
``I am deeply grateful to my nation for this extraordinary
award,'' he said. ``The making of a man involves many
mentors. If I did well, much of the credit should go to my
parents and the gallant men of my platoon. This is their
medal. I will receive it on their behalf.''
Ed Ichiyama, a veteran of the 442nd and one of those who
researched old military documents to support the awards, said
yesterday that he feels like a new father. He is 76.
``The AJAs left a legacy of valor, loyalty and self-
sacrifice,'' he said. ``We like to think we opened the door
of opportunity slightly for succeeding generations.''
He, too, plans to be in Washington for the ceremony, proud
to honor his comrades living and dead.
``To think these guys, in spite of their fear, did what
they did, is simply awesome,'' Ichiyama said, ``I don't know
how they generated the courage to do what they did.''
____
[From the Honolulu Advertiser, May 12, 2000]
Medal of Honor's Roster of Wartime Valor
These are the World War II winners of the Distinguished
Service Cross who were upgraded to the Medal of Honor by
President Clinton. In some instances, a more detailed summary
of actions was not available. Members of the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team or 100th Infantry Battalion are noted.
Staff Sgt. Rudolph Davila, 84, of Vista, Calif. In the
Army's breakout from a beachhead on Anzio, Italy, in 1943, he
single-handedly saved 130 rifleman from German machine-gun
fire by silencing several gun positions.
Pvt. Barney Hajiro, 82, of Waipahu. Charging uphill in
eastern France in 1944, he destroyed two German machine-gun
nests and killed two snipers. 442nd.
Pvt. Mikio Hasemoto, Hawaii-born, killed in action Dec. 1,
1943, at Cerasuolo, Italy. 100th
Pvt. Joe Hayashi, of Pasadena, Calif., killed in action
April 22, 1945. He led attacks that took strategic hills near
Tendola, Italy. 442nd.
Pvt. Shizuya Hayaski, 82, of Pearl City. In a charge with
his automatic rifle near Cerasuolo, Italy, in 1943, he killed
nearly 20 Germans and took four prisoners. 100th.
2nd Lt. Daniel Inouye, 75, now a U.S. senator. In April
1945 he destroyed three German machine-gun positions, staying
on the field to direct his troops after his right arm was
shattered by an enemy grenade. 442nd.
Tech. Sgt. Yieki Kobashigawa, 82, of Waianae. Near Lanuvio,
Italy, on June 2, 1944, he and a companion destroyed two
German machine-gun defense emplacements. 100th.
Staff Sgt. Robert Kuroda, medal awarded posthumously for
actions on Oct. 20, 1944, at Bruyeres, France. 442nd.
Pfc. Kaoru Moto, of Makawao, Maui, who died in 1992. Alone,
we wiped out a machine-gun nest and later crawled 100 yards
under fire to capture prisoners. 100th.
Pfc. Kiyoshi Muranaga, killed in action June 26, 1944. His
mortar fire forced the Germans to withdraw an 88mm howitzer
threatening his platoon. A shell from the German gun killed
him. 442nd.
Pvt. Masato Nakae, Hawaii. He died in 1998. When his
submachine gun was damaged, he picked a wounded comrade's
rifle to hold off the advancing enemy with rifle grenades.
Also throwing hand grenades, he forced an enemy retreat.
100th.
Pvt. Shinyei Nakamine, of Waianae. Killed in action June 2,
1944, at age 24, while attacking machine-gun nests. 100th.
Pfc. William Nakamura, killed by a sniper on July 4, 1944,
at Castellina, Italy, during a bitter firefight in which he
pinned down German gunmen to allow his platoon to withdraw.
442nd.
Pfc. Joe Nishimoto, of Fresno, Calif., killed in action
eight days after the heroism of La Houssiere, France, for
which he is honored. Fiercely attacking alone, he forced
enemy withdrawal and broke a three-day stalemate. 442nd
Sgt. Alan Ohata, of Hawaii. He died in 1977. Eight days off
the ship to Europe, he and a companion advanced through fire
and killed at least 51 attaching Germans. 100th.
Tech. Sgt. Yukio Okutsu, Hilo. He destroyed two machine-gun
nests and captured a third at Mount Belvedere, Italy, in
April 1945, A bullet bounced off his helmet. 442nd.
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Pfc. Frank Ono, who died in 1980. On July 4, 1944, in
Castellina. Italy, he silenced a machine gun, killed a
sniper, defended a position with hand grenades and helped
rescue his wounded platoon leader. 442nd.
Sgt. Kazuo Otani, of Rivers, Ariz, killed in action July
15, 1944, near Pieve di Santa Luce, Italy. For multiple acts
of bravery after his platoon was pinned down in an open
field. 442nd
Pvt. George Sakota, 79, of Denver. When his squad was
pinned down at Biffointaine, France, in October 1944, he led
a charge that destroyed a stronghold. 442nd.
Tech. Sgt. Ted Tanouye, killed in action two months after
July 1944 heroism in Italy. He led men to capture a hill,
refused aid for a wound, then led a long-odds night attack to
break a two-day German resistance. 442nd.
Capt. Francis Wai, posthumously, for actions at Leyte, the
Philippines, Oct. 20, 1944.
Mr. Speaker, these Asian Pacific Americans paid their dues in blood
to protect our Nation from its enemy. It is a shameful black mark on
the history of our country when the patriotic survivors of the 100th
Batallion and 442nd Infantry returned to the United States, many of
these soldiers were reunited with their parents, their brothers and
sisters and loved ones who were locked up behind barbed wire fences,
living in concentration camps.
Members might be interested to know that our colleagues, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Matsui) and former Congressman, Mr.
Mineta, were children of these concentration camps.
The wholesale and arbitrary abolishment of the constitutional rights
of these hypothetical Japanese Americans will forever serve as a
reminder and testament that this must never be allowed to occur again,
Mr. Speaker.
When this miscarriage of justice unfolded in World War II, Americans
of German and Italian ancestry were not similarly jailed en masse. Some
declare the incident as an example of outright racism and bigotry in
its ugliest form.
After viewing the Holocaust Museum recently in Washington, Mr.
Speaker, I understand better why the genocide of some 6 million Jews
has prompted the cry, never again, never again. Likewise, I sincerely
hope that the mass internments on the basis of race will never again
darken the history of this great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, to those that say, well, that occurred decades ago, I
say, we must continue to be vigilant in guarding against such evil
today.
Not long ago we had the case of Bruce Yamashita, a Japanese American
from Hawaii who was discharged from Marine Corps officer training
program in an ugly display of racial rescission. His superiors taunted
him with ethnic slurs and told him, ``We don't want your kind around
here. Go back to your own country.''
{time} 2100
The situation was made worse by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a
four star general, who appeared on television's ``Sixty Minutes'' and
stated, ``Marine officers who are minorities do not shoot, swim or use
compasses as well as white officers.'' The Commandant later apologized
for his remarks, but it was a little too late.
After years of perseverance and appeals, Mr. Yamashita was vindicated
after proving that he was the target of vicious racial harassment
during his officer training program. The Secretary of the Navy's
investigation into whether minorities were deliberately discouraged
from becoming officers resulted in Bruce Yamashita receiving his
commission as a captain in the Marine Corps.
I am also greatly disturbed, Mr. Speaker, by events of recent years
involving political campaign funding, where the integrity of the Asian
Pacific American community has been unfairly tarnished in the media for
political contribution transgressions of a few.
I find this racial scapegoating to be repugnant and morally
objectionable. At least I find this quite objectionable, Mr. Speaker.
Playing up fears of the Asian connection serves to alienate the Asian
Pacific Americans from participating in our political process.
Moreover, this negative reporting acts to marginalize Asian Pacific
American political empowerment at a time when we are coming of age in
American politics.
Perhaps these attacks are a convenient way to ostracize a growing
American political force. When mainstream Americans raise money for
political purposes, it is called gaining political power; but when
Asian Pacific Americans begin to participate, we are accused of being
foreigners trying to infiltrate the mainstream of our Nation's
political system. On this note, Mr. Speaker, remember the Oklahoma City
bombing incident? Americans of Arab descent or Arab Americans were
immediately targeted and investigated as terrorists by local and
Federal law enforcement agencies. Mr. Speaker, I submit it is wrong,
and this type of negative stereotyping must not continue.
This is nothing new, Mr. Speaker. One need only look at the history
of this country to see that scapegoating of Asian Pacific Americans as
foreigners has been used as an excuse to burn down Asian Pacific
communities in the 1880s and deny Asian Pacific Americans the right to
own land, marry our own kind, and practice many professions in the
early 1900s.
Today, in a time of heightened tension between the United States and
the People's Republic of China, many Asian Pacific Americans question
whether the same issue of racial scapegoating are being raised again in
the case of Taiwanese American scientists Wen-ho Lee. As my colleagues
may know, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Lee is the target of a heavy-handed Federal
prosecution for the alleged crime of mishandling classified materials
while working in Los Alamos National Lab. After 3 years, Mr. Speaker,
after a 3-year FBI investigation, however, there is no evidence that
Dr. Lee disclosed classified information, and he, in fact, has not been
charged with espionage.
While Dr. Lee is in jail in manacles and held in solitary
confinement, former CIA Director John Deutsch, who similarly mishandled
classified materials by accessing files through an unsecured home
computer connected to the Internet, was left off with a slap of the
wrist.
Mr. Speaker, the double standard and selective prosecution has not
gone unnoticed. Asian Pacific American researchers employed at the U.S.
National Labs report that they work in a climate of fear and paranoia.
As one Taiwanese American scientist stated, ``They want us to be
Americans and work in their defense labs, but they never treat us as
Americans. They always treat us like foreigners, like Chinese.''
Mr. Speaker, incidents like these sadden me. To protect America's
greatness, we should all be sensitive to the fact that full acceptance
of and democratic participation by people of all races and backgrounds,
including Asian Pacific Americans, is crucial to our Nation's health
and vitality.
I think the cases of Dr. Bruce Yamashita and Dr. Wen-ho Lee, and the
hysteria surrounding Asian Pacific American contributions, bear
implications, not just for the military, the government, and the media,
but for our society as a whole. It asks the question, how long do we
have to endure the attitude of those who consider Asian Pacific
Americans and other minorities as lesser Americans?
I applaud Dr. Yamashita and others like him who have spoken out to
ensure that racial discrimination is not tolerated. During this month
as we recognize the diverse experiences and contributions of the Asian
Pacific American community to our great Nation, I hope that we all take
inspiration from them.
When I envision America, Mr. Speaker, I do not see a melting pot
designed to reduce and remove racial differences. The America I see is
a brilliant rainbow, a rainbow of ethnicities and cultures, with each
people proudly contributing in their own distinctive and unique way.
I submit, Mr. Speaker, I did not have to be categorized as a Pacific
Island American or Chinese American or Asian American or black
American. I do not hear anybody calling themselves French Americans or
British Americans or European Americans.
Asian Pacific Americans wish to find a just and equitable place in
our society that will allow them, like all Americans, to grow, to
succeed, to achieve, and to contribute to the advancement of this great
Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to close my remarks this evening by asking,
what is America all about? What is this great Nation all about? I think
it could not have been said better than on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial on that
[[Page H3047]]
summer day in 1963 when a black minister by the name of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., said, ``I have a dream. My dream is that one day my
children will be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the
content of their character.''
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