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Sixty-six World War II veterans of Japanese ancestry were honored Monday for “fighting two wars” — at home and overseas.
Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, told a packed luncheon crowd at the Hawai‘i Convention Center that “Nisei warriors literally shaped our military and our nation. … They also had to deal with discrimination, distrust and outright hostility … from our country — yours and mine.”
Harris grew up on a farm near Tennessee but was born in Japan to a Japanese mother “who experienced the cruelties of war in Japan” while his father served aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier.
“She taught me to be proud of my heritage,” Harris said.
Harris listed the Purple Hearts and other medals and honors bestowed upon the Nisei vets, including 21 Medals of Honor, and said they represented “stories of patriotism and courage in the face of adversity,” adding, “And there was a lot of adversity.”
Harris quoted President Harry Truman, who presented the 442nd Regimental Combat Team with its seventh presidential unit citation in 1946 on the White House lawn and said, “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice, and you have won.”
Harris said the Nisei veterans volunteered to “wear the cloth of their nation despite our nation’s bigotry and prejudice.”
On Dec. 27, President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are planning a historic meeting at Pearl Harbor that Harris said he believes will “showcase the power of reconciliation that has turned former enemies into the strongest of allies.”
Harris spoke of the current threats against America around the Pacific region but told the Nisei veterans that “for those of us who stand the watch today, we’ll continue to follow in your wake. We won’t let you down.”
Before Harris’ keynote address, Gov. David Ige said the Nisei volunteers “were eager to prove their loyalty.”
Ige’s father and father-in-law volunteered to join the fight but, after returning, “they didn’t talk much about the experience in Europe or the war at all.”
Ige said he grew up seeing scars on his father’s back and leg, but did not know until his father’s death that the World War II veteran had earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart during the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s famed rescue of the 141st Regiment’s “Lost Battalion” in France in 1944.
“That’s the humility of this greatest generation of veterans who we honor here today,” Ige said.
When they returned to Hawaii, “you worked to ensure that everyone here in the islands would become part of a more perfect union, as specified in the United States Constitution,” Ige said. “You created a Hawaii for all of us.”
Former Gov. George Ariyoshi, who was a McKinley High School sophomore during the attack on Pearl Harbor, went on to serve with the Military Intelligence Service — first in Minnesota and then during the postwar occupation of Japan.
When he came back to the islands, Ariyoshi said, Hawaii was becoming “a fairer place. … We could not have done it without the support of the people of Hawaii.”
WEDNESDAY’S REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY
What you need to know
>> When: Ceremony begins at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, with a moment of silence observed at 7:55 a.m.
>> Where: Kilo Pier on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial
>> Who: Hundreds of Pearl Harbor survivors and World War II veterans and their families, attack witnesses, elected officials and other dignitaries
>> Highlights: The ceremony will honor survivors of the attack and those who died; Adm. Harry B. Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, will be the keynote speaker; the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey will render “pass-in-review honors” to the USS Arizona; and a missing man flyover will be conducted.
>> If you plan to attend: Seating will be limited for the general public who do not have an invitation. The public is encouraged to watch the ceremony at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center or via online streaming. There will be about 2,300 seats at the center to view the televised ceremony on large screens. Free tickets for these seats will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5:30 a.m. Visitors without a ticket will be able to stand and watch the ceremony.
>> What not to bring: Visitors are not allowed to bring items that offer concealment, such as purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage, etc.
>> What is allowed: Wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, canes, umbrellas, jackets, sweaters, medication, small cameras and camcorders, cellphones, wallets and small beverage containers are permitted but subject to inspection.
>> Traffic and parking: Kamehameha Highway town-bound will be closed, except for city buses, from Honomanu Street to Salt Lake Boulevard from 4 a.m. to noon, with east-bound traffic diverted to Moanalua Freeway. Members of the public who do not have an invitation should park at Aloha Stadium and board shuttle buses to the ceremony (first-come, first-served). The stadium parking lot will open at 4 a.m. with shuttles starting at 4:30 a.m.; enter at gates 2, 3 and 4.
>> For more information: Visit PearlHarbor75thAnniversary.com, email info@pearlharbor75thanniversary.com, or call 877-589-8898 or 808-589-5592.
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Source: 75th Commemoration Committee, city Department of Emergency Management
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