Vol. 6, No. 79, November 5, 2024
In This Issue…
- President’s Message
- Preserving the Legacy of the Korean War – “The Forgotten War” and the 247 Japanese American Soldiers Who Were Killed in Action
- JAVA and NJAMF’s Annual Veteran’s Day Event
- Nisei Veterans stamp is still available through U.S. Postal Service
- JAVA’s Howard High and Rod Azama Participated in the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Bruyéres and Biffontaine
- The Intoku Code: Delta’s Force’s Intelligence Officer Doing Good in Secret
- JAVA’s Annual Fundraising Reminder
- Volunteer Fundraising Director Needed
- Upcoming JAVA Events
President’s Message
| Washington, DC. I am excited to share our ongoing efforts to elevate JAVA’s visibility and influence within the United States and overseas. JAVA is actively working to move from the margins to the forefront, becoming widely recognized as a national—and even international—organization committed to honoring WW2 Nisei Soldiers and preserving their legacy. Historically, much of JAVA’s activity has taken place in the Washington, DC, area, which has sometimes led to a perception that we are primarily a DC-based organization. JAVA’s reach is national, with members across the country. We intend to be more than just present; we aim to engage in meaningful events and initiatives throughout the USA and internationally, making JAVA’s contributions known far and wide. This fall, we took significant steps in this direction. In September, JAVA members attended the Go For Broke National Education Center’s fundraising event, “Evening of Aloha,” in Los Angeles. In October, we participated in the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Bruyères and Biffontaine, France. These events underscored the importance of our mission, yet they also revealed that many people were still unaware of who we are and our impactful work. Let’s continue our dedication to expanding JAVA’s reach. By building connections and fostering awareness, we can ensure JAVA is recognized as a national and international pillar of support for veterans and their families. Together, we will work to make JAVA a well-known and respected organization across the USA and beyond. By Howard High |
Preserving the Legacy of the Korean War – “The Forgotten War” and the 247 Japanese American Soldiers Who Were Killed in Action
“To Forget Is a Dishonor, to Remember is Everlasting” – Norio Uyematsu – Veterans Day Keynote Speaker
(Norio Uyematsu wearing his Republic of Korea Ambassador for Peace Medal and his JAKWV garrison hat and jacket at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC in 2022. Photo by Patti Hirahara)
| Washington, DC. JAVA Keynote Speaker Norio (Nori) Uyematsu is a 93-year-old, Korean War veteran from Anaheim, California, who has made it his mission to promote the story of the Japanese American Korean War veterans who served from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953. After his wife Hanako Rose Fujikawa Uyematsu passed away in 2020, he did not know what to do with his life and lost focus on his reason for living. He needed to find a sense of purpose and was asked to write a list of things that he wanted to accomplish before he died. One was to preserve the legacy of the Japanese American Korean War veterans who served and were killed in action and the other was to honor a man who gave his family a second chance at having a normal life in Brigham City, Utah after they were told they needed to leave their WWII Japanese American Confinement Site, in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In 2022, he began his journey and attended the Wall of Remembrance Dedication at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC on July 27, 2022. He had just received his Republic of Korea Ambassador for Peace Medal from the Los Angeles Korean Consulate prior to his departure so he 2024 JAVA NJAMF Veterans Day Flyer could wear it for the dedication. He was surprised to find that he was the only Japanese American Korean War veteran in attendance. Jessica Xiao, a contributor for AsAm News, found him as he was going back to the bus and interviewed him for a story at the age of 91. The Pacific Citizen newspaper also published a cover story about his visit as well. He was invited to speak at the Brigham City Kiwanis Club meeting in November of 2022 for their Veterans Day observance, where he was able to fulfill his second wish about honoring Earl Garret Anderson, an LDS farmer in Brigham City, Utah, who gave his family and other Japanese families a place to live and work on his farm after they were released from camp in 1945. His generosity allowed the Uyematsu family to have a second chance at a normal life and where Norio enlisted in January of 1949 at the age of 17 into the U.S. Army. The morning of his address, the Brigham City hometown newspaper, the Box Elder News Journal, had his story on the front page of the paper and made the Uyematsu’s the talk of the town. The following day Norio and Patti Hirahara, a Japanese History Preservationist, had a meeting with the Brigham City Museum. Museum Director Alana Blumenthal had heard Norio’s address the day before and she was ready for the question that needed to be asked. Would the museum consider holding an exhibition on the Japanese pioneers of Box Elder County in the future? The museum immediately agreed, and his dream continued to flourish. Congressman Lou Correa (CA-46) heard about Uyematsu and honored his Korean War story on the Congressional Record in November of 2022 for Veteran’s Day. |
Norio (Nori) Uyematsu was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Army in 1952 at the rank of Corporal and his unit, the 521st Military Intelligence Service Platoon, was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in November of 1952 where he interrogated prisoners of war.
Once he went into civilian life, he still wanted to promote veteran causes, and he joined the Kazuo Masuda Memorial VFW Post 3670 where he was a three-time post commander and is now their oldest member of the post. He was also a charter member of the Japanese American Korean War Association and a vice president. He is also a member of JAVA, the Korean War Veterans Association, and the American Legion.
He was honored at the 73rd Annual Nisei Week Japanese Festival in Little Tokyo as a Nisei Week pioneer in 2013 and he rode in this year’s Nisei Week parade as part of the military salute as a Korean War veteran.
Last year, he had the desire to go back to where he served during the Korean War since he was going to visit Japan. Congressman Lou Correa’s office sought an opportunity for Norio Uyematsu to visit Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture. Misawa Air Base responded, and Norio would be given a VIP Tour of the base on September 26, 2023. This was his first trip back to Misawa in 73 years since his Army unit was assigned to guard the base in 1950. Once Misawa Public Affairs met Norio Uyematsu, they decided they would highlight his story as their Veterans Day feature in 2023. The story was picked up by many online publications under the headline “Norio’s Story: A Japanese American Korean War Veteran.” His story was on the cover of the Pacific Citizen and on the front page of the Rafu Shimpo as well as being featured in the “Graybeards Magazine” of the Korean War Veterans Association.
With the start of the New Year in 2024, Norio Uyematsu’s story became known across this country due to the Orange County Register‘s Front Page story in their Sunday edition on February 18, 2024. His donation of his post-Korean War memorabilia to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Military Collection the following day on February 19, 2024 in Washington DC as well as being the only veteran to financially support the Smithsonian 2024 Day of Remembrance event, that following afternoon. helped to propel the Japanese American Korean War veteran story to major prominence.
He was interviewed by the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York last May, where he talked about his life, serving in the Korean War, and the upcoming Brigham City exhibit. His interview will be shown on the FDR Library YouTube account on February 19, 2025.
He just returned from the State of Utah at the beginning of October, where he and Patti Hirahara, worked with the Brigham City Museum to prepare for their upcoming first Japanese American Pioneer exhibition which will open on February 15, 2025. A dream that Uyematsu will be able to see come to fruition
His biggest honor is being asked by JAVA President Howard High to speak at JAVA’s Veterans Day event this year in Washington D.C. Usually, speakers are selected due to their being part of the 100th Battalion / 442nd RCT/MIS and not Korean War veterans who served in the war or to remind those of the 247 who were killed in the “Forgotten War.” This honor will allow him to bring prominence to his fellow soldiers and especially his friends who have died in recent years. ‘There are not many of us left and at 93, this is a dream that I never thought I could complete. It has been an amazing two years and in turning 94 in a few months, you have made me a very happy man,” Norio Uyematsu concluded. He is looking forward to meeting everyone on November 11th.
By Patti Hirahara
JAVA and NJAMF’s Annual Veteran’s Day Event
Nisei Veterans stamp is still available through U.S. Postal Service
| Los Angeles, CA Most people hearing the news that a singer dropped an album, a writer published a book, or a filmmaker wrapped a film will offer congratulations for a job well done. Any creative artist having accomplished one of these feats knows this is when the real work starts. This was also the realization Fusa Takahashi, Aiko King, and Wayne Osako experienced upon completing the successful campaign to issue the Go For Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of WWII Forever stamp on June 3, 2021. While getting the U.S. Postal Service stamp issued was an amazing accomplishment, there was a bigger challenge ahead of them. How do you convince people (especially those of other than Japanese heritage) of the significance of this 1”x1.5” piece of paper bearing the image of this Asian American soldier (inspired by a photo of Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto) and its ability to share and educate the world about the heroic WWII legacy it represents? In an effort to raise awareness, Wayne worked alongside filmmakers Kaia Rose and Robert Horsting to produce the short documentary “Stamp Our Story,” which illustrated the WWII-era impacts on the Japanese American community, the military service of its young men and women, and the 15-year-long nationwide campaign to lobby for the stamp. Osako attended public events where he was invited to speak about the history of the segregated 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team that inspired him to join Fusa Takahashi, Aiko King, and Chiz Ohira in their effort to honor these WWII heroes. Serving with distinction in Italy and France, the 100th/442nd fought as all soldiers do, to protect the man to the right and left of you while defeating soldiers of the Nazi Third Reich. More importantly, they fought to prove their loyalty as Americans in the hope that it would improve conditions for their families facing prejudicial treatment back home and raise them from the status of second-class citizens. To a degree, this was achieved as reports hit the domestic news presses, sharing the word of the 100th/442nd liberating towns and saving lives, including those of their fellow American soldiers of the “Lost Battalion” of the Alamo Regiment! Gen. Douglas MacArthur would credit the efforts of the Americans of Japanese ancestry serving as linguists, interpreters, translators, and interrogators in the Military Intelligence Service with shortening the war in the Pacific Theater by two years, saving as much as one million combined casualties. To continue sharing the backstory of this U.S. postal stamp, Wayne has been working with various organizations by designing commemorative cards that highlight their historical linkage to this stamp. The two-sided 5”x7” cards feature WWII-era photos, a corresponding story, and the actual Go For Broke stamp with a specially arranged U.S. Postal Service cancelation stamp, marking the event date. Osako has designed these cards and attended events nationally, including the annual pilgrimages to the War Relocation Authority camps at Manzanar in California and Poston in Arizona. Currently, he is designing a card for the 80th-anniversary celebration in Bruyeres, France, marking their liberation by the 100th/442nd, which will take place this coming October. Originally told that the Go For Broke stamp would be discontinued sometime in 2023 without notice, Osako is happy to announce that the stamp, first-day covers, and commemorative booklet are still available online at: https://store.usps.com/store/results?Ntt=go+for+broke Please consider helping Wayne in his efforts by purchasing the stamps and sending these to him directly at: VMCA (Veterans Memorial Court Alliance) Attn: Wayne Osako 244 S. San Pedro St., Ste. 200A Los Angeles, CA 90012 Wayne, please keep following the example laid out for you by the Issei and Nisei and fight the good fight. Continue sharing the stories of this proud legacy! [Ed Note: The original article was written and published by Robert M. Horsting and published on The Rafu Shimpo’s website. Robert is an oral historian, author, and documentary filmmaker and has been a wonderful help in providing JAVA articles for our advocate.] |
JAVA’s Howard High and Rod Azama Participated in the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Bruyéres and Biffontaine
Bruyéres, France.
This October marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bruyères and Biffontaine by the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a Japanese American unit whose valor and resilience remain legendary. This commemorative event honored these soldiers’ pivotal role in the region’s freedom, with special recognition given to the famed rescue of the “Lost Battalion” in October 1944.
Our journey through the Vosges region took us to the towns of Fremifontaine, Belmont, Biffontaine, and Bruyères, each of which holds a profound connection to the legacy of the 442nd RCT. These towns served as key sites in the regiment’s campaign to liberate occupied France, and they are now home to monuments commemorating the sacrifices made by the Nisei soldiers. Each town’s commemorative events featured wreath-laying ceremonies and heartfelt speeches that brought together family members of veterans, local leaders, and community members.
Memorials and Ceremonial Tributes
A highlight of our commemorative experience was attending the memorial service at the Epinal American Cemetery, where twelve soldiers of the 100th/442nd are laid to rest. In this beautifully maintained resting place for fallen heroes, we joined dignitaries, veterans’ descendants, and local officials in a moving tribute to the soldiers of the 442nd. The quiet reverence of the cemetery, set against the backdrop of the Vosges Mountains, served as a powerful reminder of the profound loss and sacrifice endured by the 442nd RCT in its heroic efforts to rescue the Lost Battalion and liberate communities in France.
Heroes of the Vosges Museum
In Bruyères, we were honored to visit the Heroes of the Vosges Museum, created by Carl Williams. Dedicated to preserving the memory of the 442nd RCT, the museum houses an invaluable collection of artifacts, photographs, letters, and personal accounts that vividly capture the regiment’s experiences. This museum serves as a living legacy, connecting visitors to the courage and sacrifice of these soldiers and providing an educational resource for generations to come. More information about this significant museum can be found at vosgesheroes.org.
Remembering and Moving Forward
The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bruyères and the Vosges Mountains is a powerful reminder of the indelible mark left by the 100th/442nd RCT. This commemorative event celebrates their selflessness, courage, and unwavering commitment to freedom. The enduring friendship between the Japanese American soldiers and the communities of the Vosges region remains a testament to the strength of unity, resilience, and mutual respect that transcends generations and borders.
The Intoku Code: Delta’s Force’s Intelligence Officer Doing Good in Secret
Alexandria, VA.
The memoir of one of the founding members of the Delta Force.
A Japanese American boy born just before Pearl Harbor joins the Army and is thrust into the maelstrom of Vietnam. Drawn to intelligence work, his watchword is “Intoku,” Japanese for “good done in secret.”
Ishimoto is recruited by the legendary Colonel Charlie Beckwith to be a founder of Delta Force, the legendary elite Special Operations unit. He is on the ground in Iran for the Desert One disaster during Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated bid to rescue American hostages in Tehran.
Part memoir of a remarkable life, this book will also be a valuable addition to Special Operations history as well as a practical guide to navigating extreme situations.
Wade Ishimoto was born in Hawaii shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1961 and retired 20 years later. His military career saw him serving as a Military Policeman, a counterintelligence agent, a human intelligence case officer, and 14 years in Special Forces. After his military retirement, he served on the investigation of the Branch Davidian incident, the Khobar Towers bombing, was the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, and a Special Assistant to teh Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow with the Joint Special Operations University, a Distinguished Member of the Special Forces Regiment, and was inducted into the Special Operations Command Commando Hall of Honor. He served as JAVA’s president from 2014-2015 and served on the executive council. He continues to lend a hand to the JAVA community to this day.
Special Offer
JAVA has received a special discount of 35% off for the book when it is ordered directly from the publisher Casemate Group. To activate the discount, add the book to your cart, open your cart, and enter the code JAVA35.
[Ed Note: Thank you Casemate Publishers for giving us the opportunity to promote Mr. Ishimoto’s book and offering our members a discount. Mr. Ishimoto is a highly valued member of the JAVA community, and we are happy to share his book with the rest of our members.]
JAVA’s Annual Fundraising Reminder
Volunteer Fundraising Chair Needed!
Bethesda, MD.
Organization Overview:
The Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) is an educational, patriotic, fraternal organization dedicated to maintaining and extending the institutions of American freedom. Our members include veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars. JAVA provides educational programs, advocacy, and community outreach to honor the legacy of WWII Nisei Soldiers. Although most of our members are Americans of Japanese Ancestry, our members are not exclusively Japanese Americans.
Position Title: Fundraising Director (Volunteer)
Location: Remote.
Time Commitment: Flexible.
Position Summary:
JAVA seeks a dedicated, experienced volunteer to serve as our Fundraising Director. This key role will lead efforts to develop and implement fundraising strategies to support our organization’s mission and programs. The Fundraising Director will work closely with the Executive Council and staff volunteers to identify funding opportunities, cultivate donor relationships, and oversee fundraising campaigns and events.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Develop Fundraising Strategy:
- Collaborate with the Executive Council to develop a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with JAVA’s mission and goals.
- Identify potential funding sources, including grants, corporate sponsorships, individual donors, and fundraising events.
2. Donor Cultivation and Stewardship:
- Build relationships with current and prospective donors, sponsors, and partners.
- Develop personalized cultivation strategies to engage donors and secure financial support.
- Implement stewardship activities to recognize and thank donors for their contributions.
3. Fundraising Campaigns and Events:
- Plan, coordinate, and execute fundraising campaigns and events, including online campaigns, fundraising dinners, and virtual events.
- Mobilize volunteers and coordinate logistics to ensure successful fundraising activities.
4. Grant Writing and Management:
5. Fundraising Communications:
- Research grant opportunities and prepare grant proposals and applications.
- Manage grant reporting requirements and ensure compliance with grantor guidelines.
- Collaborate with the Communications Director to develop fundraising materials, including appeal letters, newsletters, and social media campaigns.
- Ensure consistent messaging and branding in all fundraising communications.
6. Budget Oversight:
- Work with the Treasurer and Finance Committee to develop and monitor fundraising budgets.
- Track fundraising progress, analyze results, and report regularly to the Executive Council.
Qualifications:
- Proven experience in nonprofit fundraising, with a track record of successful donor cultivation, grant writing, and fundraising campaign management.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and engage supporters effectively.
- Strategic thinker who can develop and implement fundraising plans that align with organizational goals.
- Detail-oriented, with strong organizational and project management skills.
- Passion for supporting veterans’ organizations and promoting Japanese American history and culture.
Benefits:
- Opportunity to significantly impact the success and sustainability of JAVA’s mission.
- Gain valuable experience in nonprofit management, fundraising strategy development, and donor relations.
- Develop leadership skills and expand professional networks within the nonprofit sector.
Application Process:
If you have any questions or desire to apply for this exciting opportunity, feel free to contact [email protected]. For applications, please submit your resume, and cover letter outlining relevant experience and interest. Thank you.
Upcoming JAVA Events
Monday, November 11th, 2 pm ET. Veterans Day Program, National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, Washington DC. (Event will be livestreamed)
Thursday, November 14th, 7 pm ET. Spark Matsunaga Elementary School Veteran’s Day Concert, Northwest High School, Germantown, MD.
