When asked why he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II, despite racism and prejudice against Japanese Americans at the time, Kenji Ego said it wasn’t even a question in his mind.
“It was a must,” said Ego, who served in the revered 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a unit of second-generation Japanese American, or nisei, soldiers who are recognized as the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history. “We had to show everyone that, foremost, we were also Americans.”
Ego, 97, was one of 30 veterans honored Thursday at Maunalani Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Kaimuki to commemorate Veterans Day. Family, staff and community members gathered at Maunalani to recognize each veteran with lei, as well as certificates and messages from elected officials, U.S. Army soldiers and other speakers. Members of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, which carry on the lineage of the famed WWII units, capped off the program with a surprise performance of the “Go For Broke” song.
After graduating from Kauai High School in 1942, Ego enlisted and was sent to Camp Shelby in Mississippi for basic training. He was then deployed to Italy and France, where he was injured in the Vosges mountains near Bruyeres. After recovering and returning home, Ego, who has two sons and three grandkids, graduated from the University of Hawaii and worked at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, eventually becoming the administrator for its Aquatic Resources division.
Jonathan Ego, Kenji’s oldest son, said his parents stressed the importance of family, so Veterans Day is one of many ways they keep that going.
“It’s a real honor to see the veterans recognized for what they did,” said Ego, who was snapping photos of his dad throughout the ceremony. “What they went through was unimaginable.”
Also honored at the ceremony Thursday was Eugene Mika, who was drafted and served in the Vietnam War as an intelligence unit technician. At 76, Mika is one of Maunalani’s youngest veterans and still tries to keep busy. He said he’s made friends with other residents and veterans at Maunalani and enjoys looking out at the stunning views over Kaimuki.
He is also president of Maunalani’s resident association, a group that meets every Tuesday to discuss what’s happening at the center and improvements they’d like to see, particularly to the food.
But for Mika, he said he still thinks about his time serving in Vietnam, even though it’s been several decades since he returned home. He added that, “We did some crazy things.”
While Mika was working as a data processor for Theo H. Davies, the Saint Louis School graduate was drafted in 1968 and served in the U.S. Army for three years in Germany and Vietnam. After returning home, he enrolled at Kapiolani Community College to study merchandising through the GI Bill and worked as a truck driver. For 15 years, Mika then worked as a social worker at Palama Settlement. After he retired six years ago, he still volunteered at the nonprofit coaching volleyball.
Mika, whose wife died 16 years ago, has four children and nine grandchildren.
Although he and his friends returned home uninjured, he said he recently found out that he was exposed to the tactical herbicide Agent Orange, which the military used to clear foliage in Vietnam and which has been linked to cancers and other health conditions.
“I was feeling good. My health was OK,” he said. “I was surprised because I didn’t think I was exposed.”
But even after what he’s been through, Mika said he still doesn’t consider himself a hero, instead pointing to other veterans who he said deserve recognition.
“People who fought in the wars are heroes. It’s not easy. It’s scary,” he said. “(But) I don’t think (I am one). I just fought.”
But for Jonathan Ego, he said all veterans deserve more recognition.
“They protected our freedom, and a lot of them paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” he said. “Our family has always been close, and we always support each other. It means a lot when we can honor each other and be with each other as a family.”
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Jayna Omaye covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
