Congressional Gold Medal

Awarded to Nisei in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service

On November 2, 2011, the US Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor this nation can bestow, on the 100th Battalion, the 442nd RCT, and the Nisei who served in the Military Intelligence Service. Over 300 veterans of the 100th, the 442nd, and MIS from across the land, many in wheelchairs and some of them with oxygen tanks, received the honor at the US Capitol Building, Emancipation Hall. Eight members of Congress, led by former Speaker John Boehner, paid high tribute to the military role played by Nisei during WW II. National press coverage, including TV, was extensive.

Observing President Barack Obama sign the Nisei Congressional Gold Medal Bill into law on October 5, 2010, are (L-R) Osamu Fujikawa, Grant Ichikawa, Lynn Kanaya, COL(R) Jimmie Kanaya, Floyd Mori, behind Mori is Christine Sato-Yamazaki, Terry T. Shima, Kelly Kuwayama, U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Congressman Bob Filner, U.S. Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, U.S. Congressman Charles Djou, U.S. Congressman Michael Honda, and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. Source: The White House.

Highlights of the three-day program included the US Congress presentation of the CGM at the US Capitol, US Army Tribute to the 100, 442, and MIS, laying of wreaths at the National WW II Memorial, a gala dinner, and a program at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism, where the names of over 800 Nisei who died in line of duty are inscribed on a granite wall. The inclusion of MIS and arrangements of these events were made by the National Veterans Network (NVN), an association of Nisei organizations and supporters headed by Christine Sato-Yamazaki. Lieutenant General Joseph F. Peterson and Major General Antonio M. Taguba served as principal liaison with the US Army. VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki’s remarks at the CGM Gala Dinner can be read here.

To see Bill S. 1055, click here. The added significance of PL 111-254 is US Senator Daniel Inouye’s signature as President Pro Tempore of the US Senate, a position that is 3rd-in-line for the Presidency. In January 1942, shortly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the draft classification for Japanese Americans was changed from 1-A (eligible for military duty) to 4-C (alien, unfit for military duty). It is remarkable that by 2011, a Japanese American could be 3rd-in-line for the Presidency in case of an emergency. Reforms since the end of WW II speak of the greatness of America.

A Heroes’ welcome in 2011: This welcome at the Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, was arranged by COL Frank Nekoba, USAF (Ret), and Barbara Nekoba as a personal project, including the payment of all expenses. Frank and Barbara coordinated their endeavor with the National Veterans Network (NVN) which conducted similar welcoming courtesies at the Dulles Airport and the Baltimore Washington Airport.

Fifty students from the Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School in Germantown, MD, sang the national anthem at the Bronze Star Medals presentation ceremony on November 1, 2011, at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. Fifty veterans of the 100th Bn and 442nd, a portion of the 321 Nisei who came to Washington, DC, to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, received the Bronze Star Medal from U.S. Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno for their service in Italy and France during WWII. Photo: Yuzo Tokita

Click here to see the printed program for the November 1, 2011 Bronze Star Awards program at the Washington Hilton.

Army Chief of Staff General Raymond T. Odierno presents the Bronze Star Medal (BSM) to George Joe Sakato, one of the 50 to receive the Bronze Star Medal on November 1, 2011. In 1946, then-Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall felt that the infantrymen were under-recognized. He issued an order that would allow all infantrymen of WWII with a Combat Infantryman’s Badge or Combat Medic’s Badge to claim a BSM over and above any BSM he had received during the War. Many 442nd veterans were not aware of this recognition. 321 veterans of the 100th Bn, 442nd RCT, and the Military Intelligence Service were in Washington, DC, to receive the Congressional Gold Medal from the U.S. Congress. Photo: U.S. Army.

On November 2, 2011, the Congressional Gold Medal (CGM), the highest civilian honor this nation can bestow, was awarded to the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Nisei who served in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). 321 Nisei veterans representing these units and over 1,000 families of deceased veterans and friends viewed the ceremony at the Emancipation Hall of the US Congress. The three recipients were Ted Mitsuo Hamasu (100th), Dr. Susumu Ito (442nd) and Grant Ichikawa (MIS). Photo: National Veterans Network.

The Congressional speakers were House Speaker John Boehner; U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader; U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, House sponsor of PL 111-254; Ralph Hall of Texas; U.S. Senators John McCain, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee; Barbara Boxer, sponsor of PL 111-254; Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader; Harry Reid, Majority Leader, and Daniel Inouye. Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black and House Chaplain Patrick Conroy provided the opening and closing invocations, respectively. Each speaker, except Inouye, spoke eloquently of the loyalty, courage and patriotism of the Nisei in combat in Europe and Asia while many of their families were detained at home in barbed wire enclosed detention camps guarded by armed sentries. Inouye, the only Congressional speaker who received a standing ovation before and after his brief remarks, thanked the U.S. Congress and the American people “for this extraordinary distinction” and said the honor applies to all Nisei veterans of WW II and the men who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom. Speaker Boehner presented the CGM consecutively to the three veterans, allowed each veteran to hold it momentarily and retrieved it each time. Boehner then passed the CGM to a representative of the Smithsonian Institution, the custodian of all CGMs. The US Mint also produced bronze replicas of the CGM. At the November 2nd dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Ms. Donna Fujimoto Cole of Houston, TX, presented each Nisei veteran with a CGM replica in bronze. This photo shows, from left to right, Hamasu, Boehner, Ito, U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Ichikawa, and U.S. Senator Inouye.

ABC’s David Ono narrates this documentary that aired in November 2011. (Source: ABC News)

Nisei Veterans of the 100th/442nd RCT and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) have received the recognitions noted below:

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Congressional Gold Medal

Awarded to Nisei in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service

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