[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 135 (Wednesday, October 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            WILLIAM KENZO NAKAMURA UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2000

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of HR 5302, 
to designate the United States Courthouse in Seattle, Washington, as 
the ``William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse''.
  This designation is a fitting tribute to a great American who 
overcame great obstacles to uphold the honor and love he had for 
America.
  Mr. Nakamura displayed immense courage and bravery on the 
battlefield.
  On July 4, 1944, Mr. Nakamura crawled within range of an enemy 
machine-gun nest and destroyed it with four grenades. Later that 
afternoon Mr. Nakamura was killed near Castellina, Italy by a sniper as 
he provided cover fire for his retreating platoon. For his bravery and 
sacrifice his commanding officer nominated him for the Army's highest 
honor, the Medal of Honor.
  Mr. Nakamura was a Japanese-American. After the bombing of Pearl 
Harbor on December 7, Japanese-Americans were immediately targeted as 
the enemy. It did not matter that we were citizens, or had worked hard 
alongside other Americans for a better future for ourselves and our 
children. Up and down the West coast more than 100,000 Japanese-
Americans, 70,000 of whom were native-born U.S. citizens, were removed 
from their homes and communities and placed in internment camps.
  On February 1, 1943, President Roosevelt reversed his stance on 
Japanese-Americans and declared ``Americanism is not, and never was, a 
matter of race or ancestry.'' With this announcement he established the 
442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a regiment composed solely of 
second generation Japanese-Americans, or Nisei. Mr. Nakamura was one of 
the nearly 12,000 Nisei who volunteered, 3,400 were inducted into the 
Army.
  After nine months of training the 442nd RCT joined the 100th Infantry 
Battalion consisting of 1,300 Nisei from Hawaii. During seven major 
European campaigns the 442nd and 100th received 9,486 Purple Hearts, 
18,143 individual decorations, and 21 Congressional Medals of Honor. 
The 442nd became the most highly decorated military unit in U.S. 
history.
  The Medal of Honor that Mr. Nakamura and other soldiers of the 442nd 
RCT were nominated for were not officially awarded. It took fifty-six 
years for the government to award Mr. Nakamura his Medal of Honor. Only 
seven honorees were alive to receive their award in June 2000.
  By designating the United States Courthouse in Seattle, Washington, 
as the ``William Kenzo Nakamura United States Courthouse'' we 
acknowledge the courage and the sacrifice made by Mr. Nakamura.
  I thank this House for the recognition you have bestowed on this 
great American who never once doubted his country or his love for it, 
even from behind the barbed wire of a concentration camp.

                          ____________________