[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7884-7889]
[From the U.S. 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

[[Page 7885]]

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 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-

[[Page 7886]]

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 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

[[Page 7887]]

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 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

[[Page 7888]]

     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 attacking 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.
       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

[[Page 7889]]

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 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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