[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2572-2573]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF THE NISEI VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 29, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize thirty-four 
Congressional Gold Medal recipients from my District in Central 
California for their courageous service to our nation during World War 
II as part of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), the 100th 
Infantry Battalion (100th Inf), and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team 
(RCT).
  Established on November 1, 1941, MIS graduated 6,000 service members 
during

[[Page 2573]]

World War II to provide critical Japanese language capabilities to the 
American military. These brave servicemen and women provided 
translation, interpretation and code breaking services in the essential 
Pacific Theater, which contributed significantly to our nation's 
victory. In the 1970s, the MIS's name changed to the Defense Language 
Institute, and all of the Department of Defense language programs were 
consolidated at Monterey, California. From there the program grew into 
the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
  The 100th Inf was largely made up of former members of the Hawaii 
Army National Guard. It was a unit within the US Army's 34th Infantry 
Division and later combined with the 442nd RCT, another mostly Nisei 
unit. Together as a single fighting combat team they saw action in 
Italy where they earned the nickname of ``Purple Heart Battalion.'' 
Following World War II, the battalion was reorganized into reserve 
status but over the decades it was ordered back into active service 
several times, most recently in Iraq.
  The original MIS, the 100th Inf, and the 442nd RCT were primarily 
comprised of Nisei, second-generation Japanese-Americans. They faced 
crushing prejudice and discrimination in the United States during WWII. 
Many of their family members suffered internment while they were 
serving their country. This exceptional group has received honors and 
commendations of the highest level. Our nation awarded the Medal of 
Honor to twenty-one members of the 100th Infantry Battalion of the 
442nd RCT for heroism during WWII. In 2000, the MIS received the 
Presidential Unit Citation, the highest possible honor for a military 
unit, and in 2010 the Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the 442nd 
RCT and the 100th Inf, as well as the 6,000 graduates of the MIS. At 
the end of the war, General Charles Willoughby, Chief of Staff for 
Military Intelligence under General MacArthur, said that ``The Nisei 
shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million 
American lives and saved probably billions of dollars'' during the 
conflict.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be paying tribute to this outstanding 
group of men who selflessly served our nation during World War II 
proving the loyalty and bravery of second generation Japanese 
Americans. From the 100th Infantry Brigade: Louie Hayashida, Tom 
Kakimoto, Richard Kawamoto, Robert Kitagi, Ky Miyamoto, William Omoto, 
Kaz Sugano, and Sam Sugidono. From the 442nd Regimental Combat Team: 
Haruo Esaki, Yoshio Fujita, Royal Manaka, Yutaka Nagasaki, Winston 
Nakagawa, Fred Sakasegawa, Roy Sakasegawa, and Kunio Shimamoto. From 
the Military Intelligence Service: George Aihara, Roy Hattori, Paul 
Ichiuji, Otis Kadani, Hajime Kawata, Shig Kihara, Robert Mirikitani, 
George Nakamura, Kei Nakamura, Toshio Nakanishi, Terry Nakanishi, Gengo 
Sakamoto, Setsuo Takemoto, George Tanaka, Frank Tokubo, Ben Umeda, Jiro 
Watanabe, and Goro Yamamoto. I know I speak for the entire House of 
Representatives in honoring these heroes.

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