[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 17, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H10000-H10002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WILLIAM KENZO NAKAMURA UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5302) to designate the United States courthouse located at
1010 Fifth Avenue in Seattle, Washington, as the ``William Kenzo
Nakamura United States Courthouse''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 5302
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The United States courthouse located at 1010 Fifth Avenue
in Seattle, Washington, shall be known and designated as the
``William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the building referred
to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the
``William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.
Shows) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation to name the
courthouse in Seattle, Washington, the William Kenzo Nakamura United
States Courthouse.
Private Nakamura volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
during World War II. On July 4th, 1944, in Italy, Private First Class
Nakamura's actions of heroism freed his platoon's position from gunfire
twice. He first advanced an enemy's machine gun nest and allowed his
platoon to move forward with minimal casualties. Later that day,
Private Nakamura provided cover against machine gun fire to slow the
enemy, which allowed his platoon to retreat to safety. Private First
Class Nakamura suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head while the
platoon was able to return to safety. More than 100 Members of the
442nd, including Nakamura, received the Distinguished Service Cross,
and 55 years later Private First Class Nakamura rightfully received the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
This Courthouse naming him is supported by the entire Washington
State delegation, I am told, and many, many other prominent patriotic
groups; and I strongly urge support for this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5302, a bill to designate the
courthouse located at 1010 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, Washington, as the
William Kenzo Nakamura Courthouse. The bill has the support of the
entire Washington delegation, and I congratulate the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. McDermott) for his tireless efforts on behalf of this
bill.
The story of William Nakamura is a story of an American hero. He was
born and raised in Seattle. As a young man, in 1942, he and his family
were forcibly relocated to a Federal internment camp. While at Minidoka
Relocation Center in Iowa, William and his brothers then enlisted in
the U.S. Army. In their minds, their loyalty to the United States was
unquestionable.
He was assigned to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. It is now well
documented that this unit was one of World War II's bravest fighting
units and was one of the most decorated units in the history of our
Nation's military.
On the 4th of July, 1944, William Nakamura distinguished himself with
astonishing bravery and remarkable heroism in a raging battle outside
of Castellina, Italy. While his entire platoon was pinned down by enemy
machine gun fire, he crawled within 15 feet of the enemy bunker and
destroyed the machine gun nest with four hand grenades. Later in the
battle he provided extraordinary cover for his platoon as they returned
to safety. Tragically, Private Nakamura lost his life to sniper fire in
the process.
Although he was nominated for the Medal of Honor, the racial
environment at the time prevented him and many other soldiers of color
from receiving the honors to which they were due and entitled. In the
spring of 2000, over 50 years after Private Nakamura made the ultimate
sacrifice for his country, he was posthumously awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor.
[[Page H10001]]
Mr. Speaker, it is truly fitting and proper that William Kenzo
Nakamura be honored with this designation in his hometown of Seattle,
Washington. I support this legislation, and urge my colleagues to join
me in honoring a true American hero.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the ranking member on the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure might also have a subtitle, the Committee on
Commendation of Great Americans. There are few opportunities for us in
this body to memorialize Americans who have made great contributions to
their country, sacrifice in many ways including, as in this case,
sacrifice of their very lives.
It is our good fortune to have jurisdiction over Federal buildings to
the extent even of naming those Federal buildings; and we have on this
committee, on a bipartisan basis, reserved that responsibility for very
special cases. We carefully review the many bills introduced to name
structures for figures important locally or statewide or nationally;
and in the end, our judgment on a bipartisan basis has been to reserve
the naming of a building for someone who has truly made an
extraordinary contribution.
This afternoon we have had at least one example of that with the
naming of the George Brown building. Here, with the naming of the
William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse in Seattle, we have an
opportunity to acknowledge, pay tribute to and memorialize for time
everlasting, or at least as long as this structure will last, a true
American hero, William Kenzo Nakamura.
One of our colleagues on the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure who came to Congress with me in the same class, the 94th
Congress, and later was chairman of the Committee on Public Works and
Transportation, as it was known then, Mr. Minetta, was, like Private
Nakamura, with his family, taken off to an internment camp in the
American desert, simply because he was Japanese and because of the very
powerful outpouring of feeling after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
But Mr. Nakamura and his brothers, and while, of course, I cannot
speak for their sentiments, but I know from Mr. Minetta, they were
bewildered, they were resentful, they could not understand why their
loyalty was being questioned. Americans of German ancestry were not
hustled off to camps and sequestered from the rest of the country.
Mr. Nakamura and his brothers felt that they were unquestionably
loyal to the United States, and they enlisted in the United States
Army. The story of Mr. Nakamura's service in World War II with the
442nd Regimental Combat Team has already been told by the chairman and
by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Shows).
What an extraordinary account. What an extraordinary life. To not
hold it against your country or your fellow countrymen for
discriminating against you or your family, but, indeed, to offer your
service, including your very life, for your country, one of the
greatest acts of patriotism, meriting the Congressional Medal of Honor,
along with other honors.
But today we take an opportunity to stop, reflect and make things
right in the long run for Private Nakamura, for his family, and for all
Americans of Japanese ancestry who were so unfairly treated in World
War II, but, in this case, who rose above discrimination to become a
true American patriot.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment my good friend, and while I do not
want to withdraw my compliment, I certainly want to let that stand, I
will withdraw anything else I might say because I see the gentleman who
we have been waiting for with bated breath has now arrived, so this
filibuster, at least on this side, now can end.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Seattle, Washington (Mr. McDermott).
Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I should start first by thanking the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) and the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for delaying this process, or extending it.
Whatever you want to say, the delaying action was in.
Mr. Speaker, it is a particularly important moment for Seattle,
because in 1941, at the time of the height of the Second World War, the
United States chose to send to concentration camps all over the West
Japanese Americans. One of them was Private First Class Nakamura.
His story is largely unknown, really was unknown in Seattle, and
designating this courthouse in his name is really a fitting way to
acknowledge not only his memory as a true American hero, but also to
acknowledge a blot on our political situation that many of us have
tried hard to remove over the years. Naming this courthouse after him
will certainly begin or continue that process.
Bill Nakamura was born and raised in an area of Seattle called Japan
Town. In 1942, while attending the University of Washington, he and his
family and 110,000 other Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated to
Federal internment camps. While living at the Minidoko Relocation Camp
in Idaho, Nakamura and his brothers enlisted in the United States Army.
{time} 1645
They were assigned to what was to become the most decorated unit in
the United States military, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The
courageous service of this unit is matched by no other unit in our
history. Mr. Nakamura distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism
and action on the 4th of July, 1944 near Castellina, Italy.
His platoon approached the city; and as it did, it came under heavy
fire. Acting on his own initiative, PFC Nakamura crawled within 15
yards of an enemy machine gun nest, used four hand grenades to
neutralize the enemy fire which allowed his platoon to continue its
advance. Nakamura's company was later ordered to withdraw from the
crest of the hill, but rather than retreat with his platoon, PFC
Nakamura took a position to cover the platoon's withdrawal. As the
platoon moved towards safety, they suddenly became pinned down once
again by machine gun fire.
PFC Nakamura crawled toward the enemy position and accurately fired
upon the machine gunners, allowing his platoon to return to safety. It
was during this heroic stand that PFC Nakamura lost his life, an enemy
sniper got him. He was immediately nominated by his commanding officer
for a Medal of Honor, but the racial climate in 1944, 1945 prevented
him and other soldiers of color from receiving the Nation's highest
honor. This year, 56 years later, after he made the ultimate sacrifice
for his country, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor as the
part of the process by which a number of soldiers records were
reviewed. Naming the courthouse in his honor will put really an
exclamation point on how we treated him and other Japanese Americans
and how they repaid us, how they fought to protect the country that had
done them not so well.
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to take all the credit here, Steve Finely,
one of the people in my district came up with the idea, the gentlewoman
from Washington (Ms. Dunn) has worked very hard in getting the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) to bring this bill
through. This bill has not been on the docket for more than about 3
weeks. So this is a rather rapid transit through this House, and I want
to thank again the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Chairman Shuster) and
his staffer, Matt Wallen, for their efforts, as well as the gentleman
from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). There are a whole list of organizations
in Washington that participated in making this possible, one person I
think that needs to be recognized is June Oshima, who is Mr. Nakamura's
sister. She was part of the group that asked and persuaded the
Department of Defense to look at these men who had served bravely and
had not been recognized.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important thing, not a big thing in the
history of the world, but it is important that people who are willing
to do the right thing, even when other people have not done the right
thing to them, they need to be recognized. For that reason, I urge the
passage of the bill.
[[Page H10002]]
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5302, legislation which
designates the United States courthouse in Seattle, Washington, as the
``William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse''.
This legislation has the strong support of the entire Washington
State delegation, Robert Matsui, Representative Patsy Mink, and
Representative David Wu and locally elected officials in the Pacific
Northwest. The legislation is broadly supported by veterans groups
including the Nisei Veterans Committee, Northwest Chapter of the
Military Intelligence Service, Mercer Island VFW Post 5760, Lake
Washington VFW Post 2995, Renton VFW Post 1263, The Seattle Chapter of
the Association of the U.S. Army.
Pfc. Nakamura's story is largely unknown; designating the U.S.
Courthouse in his name is a fitting way to acknowledge the memory of a
true American hero, who for so many years was denied the honor he so
justly deserved.
William Kenzo Nakamura was born and raised in an area of Seattle that
used to be known as ``Japantown.'' In 1942, while attending the
University of Washington, William Kenzo Nakamura, his family, and
110,000 other Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated to federal
internment camps. While living at the Minidoka Relocation Center in
Idaho, Nakamura and his brothers enlisted in the United States Army.
William Kenzo Nakamura was assigned to serve with the 442nd Regimental
Combat Team. The courageous service of this unit during World War II
made it one of the most decorated in the history of our nation's
military.
William Kenzo Nakamura distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism
in action on July 4, 1944, near Castellina, Italy. As Pfc. Nakamura's
platoon approached Castellina, it came under heavy enemy fire. Acting
on his own initiative, Pfc. Nakamura crawled within 15 yards of the
enemy's machine gun nest and used four hand grenades to neutralize the
enemy fire which allowed his platoon to continue its advance. Pfc.
Nakamura's company was later ordered to withdraw from the crest of a
hill. Rather than retreat with his platoon, Pfc. Nakamura took a
position to cover the platoon's withdrawal. As his platoon moved toward
safety they suddenly became pinned down by machine gun fire. Pfc.
Nakamura crawled toward the enemy's position and accurately fired upon
the machine gunners, allowing his platoon time to withdraw to safety.
It was during this heroic stand that Pfc. Nakamura lost his life to
enemy sniper fire.
Pfc. Nakamura's commanding officer nominated him for the Medal of
Honor but the racial climate of the time prevented him, and other
soldiers of color, from receiving the nation's highest honor. This
year, fifty-six years after he made the ultimate sacrifice for his
country, William Kenzo Nakamura was awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
I would like to acknowledge June Oshima, Pfc. Nakamura's sister. This
legislation confirms what she and the Nakamura family have long known,
William Kenzo Nakamura is an American hero. William Kenzo Nakamura
embodies the American spirit--an individual who faced enormous inequity
imparted on him by his country, yet nobly volunteered to protect it
paying the ultimate sacrifice. The ``William K. Nakamura Courthouse''
will stand to remind us all of his and other Japanese-American's
contributions and sacrifices for this country. Naming the Courthouse in
his honor of William Kenzo Nakamura would be a fitting honor for him
and other Japanese Americans.
Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5302.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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