[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING MR. MINORU HAMADA'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BLAKE D. MOORE

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 7, 2023

  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to 
honor the abundant and exceptional life of Mr. Minoru Hamada as he 
celebrates his 100th birthday. Born in Ogden to Japanese immigrants, 
Mr. Hamada embodies the best our country has to offer and has made Utah 
proud.
  When much of the nation turned a suspicious eye toward their Japanese 
American neighbors following the Japanese Empire's attack on Pearl 
Harbor, Mr. Hamada saw an opportunity to demonstrate his allegiance to 
the United States. He volunteered for the military, joining with other 
Japanese Americans to serve as members of the 442nd Regimental Combat 
Team. Many of his fellow soldiers in the 442nd were incarcerated in 
internment camps created to house Japanese Americans in accordance with 
President Roosevelt's executive order.
  Mr. Hamada and his fellow Japanese American soldiers saw the war as a 
chance to fight totalitarianism abroad and racial prejudice at home. 
The 442nd remains the most-decorated unit in U.S. military history for 
its size and length of service. As a member of the American forces 
fighting German and Italian fascists for control of the Italian 
peninsula, Mr. Hamada was wounded in battle. He served in uniform for 
another two years.
  After the war, he married his sweetheart, Martha. They were married 
for 61 years until she passed in 2007. They delighted in raising two 
kids and now have two grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mr. 
Hamada continued his service to Utah's defense community, making dental 
prosthetics at Hill Air Force Base and for a local dentist in Layton.
  It is through the service and sacrifice of individuals like Mr. 
Hamada that allow all Americans to live in freedom. His life is a model 
of courage, selfless-service and altruism that we can all learn from.
  I thank Mr. Hamada on behalf of his fellow Utahns and a grateful 
nation for his service and wish him a very happy 100th birthday.

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