JAVA e-Advocate September 2024

Vol. 6, No. 77, September 3, 2024

In This Issue…

• President’s Message
• Volunteer Fundraising Director Needed
• But Where Are You Really From?
• “Incarceration” not “internment” – AAJA launches new style guide
• The Intoku Code: Delta Force’s Intelligence Officer Doing Good in Secret
• Nation Invited to Join World War I Living History Weekend from Sept 13-15 to Celebrate Completion of National World War I Memorial
• Upcoming JAVA Events

President’s Message

As part of our commitment to achieving the third goal of JAVA’s strategic plan—enhancing our public visibility—the Executive Council has been actively working on new projects and activities designed to elevate JAVA’s presence in the community. We are seeking dedicated volunteers to join our team to bring these initiatives to life. We particularly need members with videography, photography, sound recording, editing, and online streaming skills. Additionally, we welcome those with solid organizational abilities to assist with event planning and management. If you have other talents or expertise that could benefit JAVA, please get in touch with our Executive Director at javapotomac@gmail.com. Your involvement could play a crucial role in driving JAVA forward as we continue to honor and preserve the legacy of our veterans. Thank you for your ongoing support and dedication..

Volunteer Fundraising Chair Needed!

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:
 

• Research grant opportunities and prepare grant proposals and applications.
• Manage grant reporting requirements and ensure compliance with grantor guidelines.

 
5. Fundraising Communications:

• 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:

 
To apply for the Fundraising Director position, please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and interest in volunteering with JAVA to javapotomac@gmail.com.
 
If you have any questions about the position, feel free to contact javapotomac@gmail.com.

He publishes The Financial Crisis Report on current social, economic, political, and military issues facing America. He attends Palos Verdes Baptist Church, has two grown sons and resides in Palos Verdes Estates with his wife Teruko of over 45 years.

But Where Are You Really From?

JAVA is proud to support the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) DC Chapter in presenting their exciting new educational resource—a graphic novel called, But, Where Are You REALLY From? This innovative tool, designed to enrich the educational landscape, narrates the compelling story of Japanese Americans through themes of immigration, incarceration, and the fight against anti-Asian hate.In collaboration with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland, the novel has been incorporated into the U.S. history curriculum for MCPS fifth graders in May 2024. The graphic novel seamlessly aligns with MCPS’s reformed curriculum, which emphasizes social studies, social justice, and social-emotional learning. It aims to cultivate critical thinking and foster a sense of inclusive citizenship by integrating stories of previously marginalized communities into the broader narrative of American history. Annually, approximately 11,000 students will engage with this novel, ensuring its message resonates with thousands of young minds, along with their families, friends, and communities for years to come. The title, But, Where Are You REALLY From?, is a question that is often asked to people of color because some assume they are not Americans due to their appearance. The question creates an “other” dynamic and implies that a person of color is an outsider or does not belong. This graphic novel seeks to broaden the audience’s understanding of the contributions of the Japanese American community to the United States.

“Incarceration” not “internment” – AAJA launches new style guide

The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is proud to announce our revised Style Guide. The guide will be unveiled during AAJA’s national convention in Austin, Texas on Thursday, August 8, 2024. It is an essential resource for anyone writing about the diverse and often misportrayed Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. While AAJA provided guidance on how journalists should cover anti-AAPI violence and anti-Asian hate during the pandemic, this is the first comprehensive AAJA Stylebook update in more than a decade. It’s timely as Asians are the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S., their influence in entertainment and media is rising, and in politics, a woman of Asian descent is a major party’s nominee for president.  The AAJA Style Guide complements the AP Stylebook, the industry standard for writing and editing, by providing guidance on how to cover the AAPI community with accuracy and nuance. The AAPI population comprises close to 50 ethnic groups that speak more than 100 languages; it is often treated as a monolith, covered inaccurately, or portrayed with stereotypes that can cause real harm. “After covering anti-Asian attacks and experiencing firsthand how words can be weaponized, this guide was a labor of love to create a resource to not only combat hate but also build up our communities to promote understanding,” said Marian Chia-Ming Liu, AAJA Vice President of Civic Engagement, who led the guide’s launch. It’s not meant to be a dictionary or encyclopedia on all things Asian but an actionable and practical guide by AAPI journalists to add context and guidance to terms that are being used or that should be avoided in the news. For example, it reminds journalists that “illegal” can be used to describe an action, but applying it to an immigrant is inaccurate and dehumanizes the person described. The term “kamikaze drone” is an inaccurate and insensitive way to describe an exploding unmanned aircraft. And the 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals detained in the U.S. during WWII were “incarcerated,” not “interned.”  This guide was the culmination of two years of work by more than 50 AAPI journalists across the country, some of whom have produced style guides for their own newsrooms, from The Washington Post to the Global Press. They overhauled the old guide, added new entries and wrote out new definitions. Then, experts from organizations such as APIAVote and John Hopkins University reviewed the entries for accuracy. After copy-editing, a production team created a new living database. This is a long-overdue update, but it’s not static. This guide is meant to be a living document because how we describe and define our communities evolves over time.   This guide is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Henry Fuhrmann, a longtime AAJA member and mentor. The Los Angeles Times assistant managing editor pushed for equality through words. He was instrumental in making sure there was no hyphen in “Asian American.”   “Those hyphens serve to divide even as they are meant to connect. Their use in racial and ethnic identities can connote an otherness, a sense that people of color are somehow not full citizens or fully American,” Fuhrmann wrote in the Conscious Style Guide.

[Ed Note: This article was written by Yi-Shen Loo from the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA). You can find the original article here.]

The Intoku Code: Delta Force’s Intelligence Officer Doing Good in Secret

Cover of the new book The Intoku Code. Provided by Wade Ishimoto. 
 

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.

About the Author

 

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.

Nation Invited to Join World War I Living History Weekend from Sept 13-15 to Celebrate Completion of National World War I Memorial

Washington, D.C. (August 28, 2024) – The World War I Centennial Commission and the Doughboy Foundation are hosting a nationwide celebration from Sept. 13-15 to mark the formal completion of the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. The First Illumination ceremony, which will take place at 7:15 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 13, kicks off the weekend and features the unveiling of “A Soldier’s Journey,” a 25-ton, 60-foot-long monumental bronze sculpture by acclaimed master sculptor Sabin Howard.

The general public is invited to witness the First Illumination ceremony in-person at the adjacent Freedom Plaza, located at 1325 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, or online via stream available at www.ww1cc.org. In addition to the unveiling of the new sculpture, which depicts five scenes and 38 larger-than-life-size human figures telling the story of the United States through the experience of a doughboy, the ceremony will also present performances by The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” a bugle corps in WWI uniforms, and a candle-lighting to exemplify the Memorial’s permanent illumination.

The First Illumination ceremony is the first event of the WWI Living History Weekend, which includes a full lineup of activities and performances at the memorial on Saturday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 15. Throughout the weekend, visitors can learn about the impact of World War I on the United States through captivating historical presentations by World War I reenactors, including the famous Hello Girls, and view displays of authentic WWI vehicles by the National WWI Mobile Museum.

The weekend’s schedule also includes live performances by World-renowned musicians led by the American Expeditionary Forces Headquarters Band as well as the Community Bands of Westmoreland County, PA and the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Musical presentations continue with the Menin Gate Buglers and conclude with a ceremonial playing of “The Last Post,” “Rouse,” and “Daily Taps.” [Ed Note: This announcement was provided by Matthew Morrissey. We thank him for bringing this event to our attention.]

Upcoming JAVA Events

Monday, November 11th. Veterans Day Program, National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, Washington DC.