[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3915-S3917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 50TH ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL SERVICE OF THE 442ND REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, on March 25, 2001, I returned to my home 
State of Hawaii to attend the 50th Anniversary Memorial Service of the 
442nd Regimental Combat Team at the National Memorial Cemetery of the 
Pacific. The memorial address was presented by Mr. H. David Burge, 
Director of the Spark M. Matsunaga Veterans Affairs Medical & Regional 
Office Center in Honolulu.
  I was moved and impressed by his remarks, and I wish to share them 
with the American people. I ask that Mr. Burge's address be part of the 
Record.
  The remarks follow:

       I am very honored to be the first speaker in the 21st 
     century at the 442nd Veterans Club's 58th Anniversary 
     Memorial Service here at the National Memorial Cemetery of 
     the Pacific.
       This morning is time to remember and pay special tribute to 
     boyhood friends and classmates lost in battle, dear friends 
     and loved ones no longer with us, and cherished members of 
     the 442nd who continue to serve as good family and community 
     elders and leaders. As we enter the new millennium, this is a 
     time for members, families, and friends of the 442nd to 
     reflect on the past, to celebrate the present, and to 
     contemplate the future.
       Our men of the 442nd are testament to the joys, heartache, 
     and major accomplishments of the 20th century both here in 
     Hawaii and the Nation. To reflect on the past, let's roll the 
     clock back to the 1940s and see that period through snapshots 
     familiar to many of you.
       In 1940, the U.S. Government felt that war with Japan was 
     imminent. As such, Japanese Americans were released and 
     banned from employment at Pearl Harbor and other military 
     bases in Hawaii without explanation or justification. Despite 
     these early warning signs, Japanese Americans in Hawaii did 
     not feel an acute sense of crisis. While Japanese American 
     bashing was increasing on the mainland, most people in Hawaii 
     where all groups were minorities had no animosity towards 
     their Japanese neighbors.
       My mother's 1941 McKinley High School Black and Gold 
     Yearbook, published six months before the attack on Pearl 
     Harbor, provides a glimpse into the daily activities, 
     beliefs, and values of young Nisei in Hawaii prior to the 
     outbreak of World War II. In this regard, let me share with 
     you the introduction section of the yearbook:
       In 1941, we find our sports-minded typical McKinley boy 
     standing five feet, six inches in height weighing 124 pounds 
     with naturally straight hair and brown eyes. The typical 
     McKinley girl is a petite lassie, five ft., one inch in 
     height, weighing a dainty 97 pounds, has black hair and is 
     brown-eyed. Both are Americans of Japanese ancestry.
       Their trim figures and fresh complexions are accounted for 
     by their nine hours of sleep each night and their daily glass 
     of milk. Typical boy usually buys his lunch outside the 
     school. Not so typical girl. She knows the importance of a 
     healthy meal and depends on the school cafeteria for it.
       The typical boy looks forward to weekend social activities. 
     He considers school dances tops and goes to as many of the 
     class, student body, and club dances as he possibly can, but 
     give jitter-bugging and waltzing only slight nod. He usually 
     goes stag to dances because of the small size of his 
     pocketbook. His favorite recreations are football, listening 
     to the radio, and going to movies with his friends.''
       In general, the description of the typical Nisei student at 
     McKinley could have been a description of a typical student 
     at any American high school at that time. This is not 
     surprising since these high school students truly believed 
     that they were Americans and acted accordingly.
       The Nisei students were heavily influenced by the McKinley 
     faculty almost entirely from the mainland with a heavy 
     concentration from the midwest. Their principal, Dr. Miles 
     Carey, indicated that his primary objective was in his words, 
     ``helping our young people to develop those attitudes, 
     dispositions, and abilities which we call the democratic way 
     of living together.''

[[Page S3916]]

       The results of a student survey included in the yearbook 
     reflected how strongly these young students embraced these 
     democratic beliefs. Moved by the growing crisis in Europe, 
     the Nisei students believed that the honor of the United 
     States should always be defended, even if it meant going to 
     war. They believed that common people should have more say in 
     the government. They also believed that all races were 
     mentally equal. It was also noteworthy that the Nisei 
     students firmly believed that the Hawaiian Islands would 
     be more efficiently run when they attained voting age.
       My final observation in reviewing the yearbook was the 
     dedication page. It underscored the foundation for the Nisei 
     student's core values. It read, ``Respectfully dedicated to 
     our parents and the excellent home influence given us.''
       Six months after publication of that yearbook, on the 
     morning of December 7, 1941, the lives of these young Nisei 
     were forever changed as they became part of one of America's 
     most dramatic stories--a story of shameful treatment by our 
     government, a story of heroic feats on the battlefield, a 
     story of major accomplishments in business and government 
     after the war, and finally a story of full vindication and 
     pride for all Americans of Japanese ancestry.
       Just prior to the enemy attack on Hawaii, Washington 
     emphasized the danger of sabotage by the local Japanese 
     population to local military commanders. Follow on actions to 
     cluster aircraft in the middle of airfield to guard against 
     such local sabotage resulted in easy targets for attacking 
     enemy aircraft and needless destruction of most American 
     aircraft on the ground at Hickam, Wheeler, Bellows and Ford 
     Island.
       After the attack, Hawaii Territorial Governor Poindexter 
     told President Roosevelt that what he feared most was 
     sabotage by the large Japanese community. Subsequently, 1,000 
     innocent Japanese Americans--Buddhist priests, language 
     school teachers, civic and business leaders, fishermen, and 
     judo instructors--were arrested and detained in tents on Sand 
     Island. A number of these individuals and their families, 
     without any proof and without any due process, were 
     subsequently transported to prisoner of war camps on the 
     mainland.
       Secretary of Navy Frank Knox who visited Hawaii the week 
     following the attack reported to the President and Congress 
     that the devastation at Pearl Harbor was the most effective 
     fifth column work that had come out of any war in history. 
     His sensational and totally unfounded assessment that 
     Japanese Americans in Hawaii had aided the enemy attack hit 
     the headlines in newspapers across America, and significantly 
     fueled anti-Japanese American sentiment. The follow on rumors 
     of sabotage and espionage emanating from Hawaii, although 
     untrue, were used by West Coast groups to demand and justify 
     the wholesale internment of Japanese American families living 
     in California, Oregon, and Washington into concentration 
     camps in remote areas far from their homes.
       Immediately after the attack, at a time that Hawaii was 
     still very vulnerable to another raid and possible occupation 
     by enemy forces, 317 Japanese American members of the Hawaii 
     Territorial Guard were involuntarily discharged without any 
     explanation. In addition, 2,000 Japanese American soldiers 
     already on active duty were recalled to Schofield Army 
     Barracks, stripped of their weapons, and separated from their 
     non-Japanese buddies and under orders from Washington, they 
     were shipped to the interior of the mainland for security 
     reasons. Finally, Japanese Americans were declared ineligible 
     for military service and classified as enemy aliens. All of 
     these unthinkable actions occurred at a time that every able-
     bodied man was needed to defend Hawaii.
       The ultimate act of wartime hysteria in Hawaii occurred in 
     February 1942 when President Roosevelt ordered the evacuation 
     and internment of all Japanese Americans in Hawaii in 
     concentration camps on the mainland. Fortunately, the 
     military was unable to carry out the President's order since 
     there were not enough ships to conduct such a massive 
     evacuation and the evacuation of such a large number of 
     workers would have crippled the islands. As such, the 
     evacuation orders were delayed several times and finally 
     abandoned in 1943.
       Could any of us today who did not experience this war time 
     hysteria truly understand and appreciate the impact of these 
     outrageous actions on Japanese American families, especially 
     young Nisei family members? Hawaii's Nisei truly believed 
     they were Americans. They were equally offended by the 
     vicious attack on their homeland and equally ready to serve 
     their country. As just teenagers the rejection and hostility 
     vented towards them and their families by their own 
     government were beyond comprehension.
       But perhaps unconsciously they responded in a very Japanese 
     way by doing the only thing they could under such extreme 
     circumstances that is stepping forward. Stepping forward with 
     loyalty and courage in order to honor their families and to 
     demonstrate to their fellow countrymen that they were worthy 
     Americans. While there was more than sufficient justification 
     for turning inward and refusing to support the government 
     that had treated them so brutally and unfairly, Nisei young 
     men demanded the right to fight.
       As we know today, the Nisei achieved their objective but at 
     a very high price. The 100th Infantry Battalion led the way 
     and after nine long months of bitter fighting from Salerno to 
     Anzio was joined in Rome by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. 
     Thereafter the two Japanese American units remained as one 
     through the bloody fighting in northern Italy and France to 
     the end of the war.
       Bill Mauldin, the Stars and Stripes cartoonist who created 
     the beloved infantry characters Willie and Joe, described the 
     Nisei unit as follows:
       ``No combat unit in the army could exceed the Japanese 
     Americans in loyalty, hard work, courage and sacrifice. 
     Hardly a man of them hadn't been decorated at least twice, 
     and their casualty lists were appalling. When they were in 
     the line, they worked harder than anybody else. As far as the 
     army was concerned, the Nisei could do no wrong. We were 
     proud to be wearing the same uniform.''
       This morning we gather to remember and honor the typical 
     McKinley boy and other young Nisei who fell on the 
     battlefields in Europe. They were good and brave Americans. 
     They brought honor to their families and great pride to all 
     citizens of Hawaii. It is unfortunate that these young men 
     did not live to see the full measure of their ultimate 
     sacrifices.
       The insignia of the 442nd is the Statue of Liberty hand 
     holding the torch of freedom. This symbol is most appropriate 
     because it exemplifies the unit's steadfast belief in not 
     only freedom for all men but also through their actions and 
     sacrifices on the battlefield final freedom for Japanese 
     Americans in the form of real acceptance by their fellow 
     countrymen.
       When President Truman welcomed home the 100th and 442nd, he 
     said to them, ``You are on the way home. You fought not only 
     the enemy, but you fought prejudice and you have won. Keep up 
     that fight and we will continue to win, to make this great 
     Republic stand for just what the Constitution says it stands 
     for: the welfare of all the people all the time.''
       Perhaps President Truman did not fully realize the extent 
     to which the Nisei veterans would take to heart his challenge 
     to keep up the fight to ensure the welfare of all the people 
     all of the time. Although the war abroad was won, Nisei 
     veterans continued to forge ahead on the home front after the 
     war to ensure that their sacrifices in battle were not made 
     in vain. As many can attest today much hard work was needed 
     at the end of the war to accomplish President Truman's goal.
       The enormity of the task at hand was reflected in comments 
     made at that time by the U.S. Speaker of the House, Sam 
     Rayburn. In voicing his opposition to statehood for Hawaii he 
     said, ``If we give them Statehood they'll send a delegation 
     of Japs here.''
       This inflammatory statement was made by the powerful 
     Speaker from Texas whose Texas Lost Battalion was rescued two 
     years earlier in Europe by Nisei soldiers at a cost 800 Nisei 
     casualties to rescue 200 Texans. Unfortunately, much work 
     still remained to be accomplished at home, but the Nisei 
     veterans, as previously demonstrated in battle, were 
     undaunted in their quest and pressed on with unrelenting 
     effort.
       These veterans were firm in the conviction they expressed 
     in that 1941 McKinley High School survey that the Nisei 
     generation would, in fact, make positive improvements in 
     Hawaii and our nation. More than a half-century later, we 
     know that our Nisei veterans were more than up to the task 
     and, as such, we have much to celebrate today.
       Today a Sansei from Kauai, Eric Shinseki, serves as Chief 
     of Staff of the United States Army. This general of all 
     generals often relates stories of personal inspiration based 
     on the experiences of his Nisei family members who served in 
     World War II the same Nisei soldiers from Hawaii who were 
     once designated enemy aliens and denied the opportunity to 
     fight for their country.
       Today 22 Nisei World War II veterans are Congressional 
     Medal of Honor recipients. I was honored to attend the 
     ceremonies last year in Washington and to witness the awards 
     made by President Clinton. At the White House ceremony, the 
     President attributed the lack of proper and timely 
     recognition for these individuals to three factors: war-time 
     hysteria, racial discrimination, and a complete breakdown in 
     national leadership. The President went on the praise all 
     Japanese Americans who served in World War II despite the 
     error of our nation in questioning their loyalty and 
     wrongfully interning their families.
       Today we have the names of our new Nisei Medal of Honor 
     recipients forever etched in stone in the Hall of Heroes at 
     the Pentagon. In viewing the new inscriptions, I was moved to 
     see these names added along side the names of other American 
     heroes from every war in our nation's history. I was also 
     proud to see great sounding American names on the wall--
     Hajiro, Hayashi, Inouye, Kuroda, Muranaga, Nakae, Nakamura, 
     Nishimoto, Okubo, Okutsu, Ono, Otani, Sakato, and Tanouye.
       Today, a Nisei is the first and only Asian American to 
     serve as a Cabinet member. Norman Mineta, who served as 
     Secretary of Commerce for President Clinton and continues to 
     serve today as Secretary of Transportation for President 
     Bush, was a youngster in California when his family was sent 
     to an American concentration camp. He vividly recollects how 
     the military police took away his favorite baseball bat 
     because they viewed it as a weapon.
       Today, a brand new National Japanese American Memorial 
     proudly stands on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The 
     Memorial,

[[Page S3917]]

     the first and only memorial dedicated to any ethnic group in 
     our Nation's capitol, is dedicated to Japanese American 
     immigrants who valiantly fought for and attained their 
     full rights as citizens.
       When I attended the dedication ceremony for the new 
     Memorial last fall, I was overwhelmed by the great honor 
     finally bestowed upon Japanese Americans by our great nation. 
     Think about it for a moment--America is a country of 
     immigrants--many waves of immigrants. And today, there is 
     only one memorial to honor any of these immigrants in the 
     shadow of our nation's Capitol--that is the Japanese American 
     Memorial.
       And finally today, a brand new, state-of-art veteran's 
     medical center, named after the late Senator Spark M. 
     Matsunaga, now proudly serves all our veterans here in 
     Hawaii.
       So today, I say to our Nisei veterans you have brought 
     great pride to your families as well as pride in their 
     heritage for future generations of Japanese Americans. More 
     importantly, you have ensured that your friends, who were 
     lost in battle, did not die in vain.
       So at this juncture, where are our Nisei veterans headed 
     next? Are they declaring victory and passing the 442nd's 
     Statue of Liberty torch on to others?
       While such action would certainly be justified, it would 
     not reflect the values ingrained into many Nisei by their 
     progressive high school teachers who exposed them to the 
     ideals of justice and equality and urged them to continually 
     reach out to others.
       It is said that McKinley Principal Miles Carey got people 
     to do what he wanted because he treated them humanely and 
     considerately. If there was any fault with Dr. Carey, and 
     maybe it was not a fault, he was dreamer. But all of this was 
     due to his efforts to treat people right. And in this regard, 
     he did an outstanding job in getting his students to think 
     like him. So it is not surprising that the final chapters of 
     American's Nisei veterans are still being written.
       Here in Hawaii, our Nisei veterans are currently developing 
     and endowing at the University of Hawaii a Nisei Veterans 
     Forum on Universal Values for a Democratic Society. The 
     purpose of this effort is to show current and future 
     generations of high school students the benefits of the 
     values drawn from the various ethnic groups here in Hawaii--
     values similar to those of Nisei veterans that were used to 
     help them persevere through challenging times during their 
     lives. In this manner, Nisei veterans are passing on to 
     future generations of students the same type of beliefs and 
     values they were exposed to during their formative years.
       On the national front, Nisei and Sansei from Hawaii and the 
     mainland are actively engaged in the important work of the 
     new Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The 
     Museum is the first and only national museum dedicated to an 
     ethnic group in America. Through both fixed and traveling 
     exhibits, the Museum shares the darkest and brightest moments 
     for Japanese Americans with others both at home and abroad. 
     It is noteworthy that the City of Los Angeles currently lists 
     the Museum as one of seven must see attractions in its 
     brochures provide to tourists.
       The Museum has also received a large federal grant this 
     year, through the sponsorship of Senator Inouye, that will 
     use the experiences of Japanese American veterans from World 
     War II, Korea, and Vietnam as the foundation for a new Center 
     for the Preservation of Democracy. In this manner, the 
     sacrifices of our Nisei veterans will be captured and used to 
     construct a very real and moving American story. A story that 
     needs to be told over and over again to current and future 
     generations of Americans so that no group of Americans is 
     ever subjected to what Japanese Americans experienced.
       Well, 60 years has now passed since that Black & Gold 
     Yearbook of 1941. Today, the typical McKinley boy from that 
     time is still five ft., six inches tall, but perhaps heavier 
     than the then reported 124 pounds. By contrast, I know that 
     the typical McKinley girl from that same period is still five 
     ft., one inch tall, and still weighs 97 pounds.
       Regarding the results of that 1941 high school survey, I 
     say to our Nisei veterans you successfully carried through on 
     your convictions. You stepped forward to defend your country 
     and after the war worked hard to make Hawaii and our nation 
     better places to live.
       You are grayer and wiser than you were 60 years ago. You 
     still believe in honor, duty, and country and have a proven 
     record to show these are not just words. You are still humble 
     and as such will not bathe yourselves in glory although most 
     of us realize you deserve such honor. And perhaps more 
     important, you truly care about your families and all 
     families in America. For it is through your story that your 
     children, grandchildren, and future generations will cherish 
     and take great pride in their Japanese American heritage. And 
     it is through this same story that other Americans will learn 
     that the preservation of our democracy requires constant 
     vigilance and courage to not allow hysteria of any kind to 
     strip innocent Americans of their basic rights.
       That 1941 yearbook states, ``Respectfully dedicated to our 
     parents and the excellent home influence given us.'' Today I 
     say to our Nisei veterans who died in combat, to our Nisei 
     veterans who returned home and are no longer with us, and to 
     our Nisei veterans we are blessed to still have with us: We 
     dedicated this service to you and the excellent influence you 
     have had on us.
       God bless our Nisei veterans and their families, God bless 
     their beloved Hawaii, and God bless the great nation they 
     served so well both in battle and in peace.

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