[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5] [Senate] [Pages 6265-6267] [From the U.S. 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.'' 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. [[Page 6266]] 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, 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 [[Page 6267]] 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. ____________________