performed must have been one of THE MEDAL OF HONOR personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous that it clearly distin- guished the individual above his or her comrades and must have The Medal of Honor involved risk of life. The Medal of Honor was awarded to twenty-two World War II veter is not something soldiers seek. ans of Asian ancestry on June 21, 2000. This event resulted from a review of military records requested by Con- No one can train for it. In fact, Fewer Than 3,500 American War Heroes Have Received This Honor gress in 1996. The Secretary of the Army was instructed to review the ser- The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action vice records of all Asian Americans and against an enemy force that can be bestowed upon an indi- Pacific Islanders who were awarded the no one expects people to make vidual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. Gen- Distinguished Service Cross in World erally presented to its recipient by the President of the United War II to determine if any should be States in the name of Congress, it is often called the Congres- the kinds of sacrifices required upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Of sional Medal of Honor. the 104 names submitted, 22 were up- graded, including 20 Japanese Ameri- The roots of the award date back to December 9, 1861, when in order to receive it. cans, one Hawaiian/Chinese Ameri- Senator James W. Grimes of Iowa introduced a bill that au- can, and one Filipino American. thorized distribution of “medals of honor” to be bestowed Excerpted from remarks made at the ceremony inducting recent upon sailors and marines who distinguished themselves by Considering the millions of Americans Medal of Honor recipients into the Hall of Heroes at the their gallantry in action during the Civil War. Two months Pentagon, June 22, 2000, by General Eric K. Shinseki, who have served in our nation’s armed later, on February 17, 1862, Massachusetts Senator Henry Chief of Staff, U.S. Army forces since 1862, the fact that fewer Wilson introduced a similar bill, authorizing the distribution than 3,500 individuals have received of medals to soldiers in the Army. When President Abraham the Medal of Honor clearly demon- Lincoln signed both of these bills, the Medal of Honor was strates that it is reserved only for those born. With this simple and rather obscure act, Congress cre- individuals whose heroism is beyond ated an award that would achieve unique prominence in question. American history. The Medal of Honor is not awarded frequently. Since it was established in 1862, fewer than 3,500 soldiers, sailors, ma- rines, airmen, and coastguardsmen have been awarded the Medal of Honor, and fewer than 600 of them received the award posthumously. It is reserved for those individuals who, while a member of the Armed Forces engaged in combat, dis- tinguished themselves by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives above and beyond the call of duty. The deed 3 IIN THE DEADLY CHAOS OF BATTLE, SOLDIERS HOLD TO TRUST, AND WHEN THEY FIGHT, THEY FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THAT TRUST RESIDENT IN ONE ANOTHER. WASHINGTONIANS WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE MEDAL OF HONOR IT IS A BOND THAT DEFIES INTELLECTUAL UNDERSTANDING. YOU CAN’T QUANTIFY IT, PRIOR TO WORLD WAR I AND YOU CAN’T EXPLAIN IT, BUT THE MEN Coxswain Harry Fadden U.S. Navy WE HONOR TODAY [WITH THE MOH] Pvt. Edward Lyon U.S. Army, Amboy ARE PROOF THAT IT EXISTS. WORLD WAR I Medal of Honor recipients and the families of those receiving the award posthumously gathered in Washington, DC, on June 21, 2000 to accept their awards. June Oshima (back row, second from left) accepted the award Capt. Edward C. Allworth U.S. Army, Crawford General Eric K. Shinseki for her brother, William Nakamura. Nobuyo Okubo (second row, far right) accepted the award for her husband, James Okubo. 1st Lt. Deming Bronson U.S. Army, Seattle Chief of Staff, U.S. Army WORLD WAR II PFC Richard Beatty Anderson U.S. Marine Corps, Tacoma ★ 1st Lt. Arnold L. Bjorklund U.S. Army, Clinton In addition to William Nakamura WASHINGTONIANS NAKAMURA AND OKUBO HONORED I HAFC Robert Eugene Bush U.S. Navy, Tacoma and James Okubo, there have been S.Sgt. Jesse R. Drowley U.S. Army, Spokane ALONG WITH 20 OTHERS OF ASIAN ANCESTRY thirty-five other Medal of Honor Maj. Robert Edward Galer U.S. Marine Corps, Seattle Sgt. John D. Hawk U.S. Army, Bremerton recipients who either were born in Along with William Nakamura and James Okubo, twenty other Asian American 1st Lt. Victor L. Kandle U.S. Army, Roy ★ or lived in Washington State. veterans, mostly Nisei (second generation Japanese Americans), were awarded the BM1 Reinhardt John Keppler U.S. Navy, Ralston ★ Medal of Honor on June 21, 2000, for their service in World War II. PFC Dexter J. Kerstetter U.S. Army, Centralia PFC Joe E. Mann U.S. Army, Rearden ★ In addition to these men, two other Nisei soldiers have received the Medal of Honor: Pvt. Lloyd G. McCarter U.S. Army, Tacoma PFC Sadao S. Munemori, U.S. Army, of Los Angeles, California, received the award Lt. Richard Miles McCool U.S. Navy, Bainbridge Island in 1946 for his service in World War II; and Cpl. Hiroshi H. Miyamura, U.S. Army, of SM1 Douglas Albert Munro U.S. Coast Guard, Cle Elum ★ Gallup, New Mexico, was honored for his service in the Korean War. S.Sgt. Jack J. Pendleton U.S. Army, Yakima Capt. Albert Harold Rooks U.S. Navy, Colton ★ 2nd Lt. Rudolph B. Davila U.S. Army, El Paso, Texas Pvt. Wilburn K. Ross U.S. Army, Dupont Pvt. Barney F. Hajiro U.S. Army, Punene, Hawaii 1st Lt. James Elms Swett U.S. Marine Corps, Seattle Pvt. Mikio Hasemoto U.S. Army, Honolulu, Hawaii Lt. Cmdr. Bruce Avery Van Voorhis U.S. Navy, Aberdeen ★ Pvt. Joe Hayashi U.S. Army, Salinas, California ★ Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright U.S. Army, Walla Walla Pvt. Shizuya Hayashi U.S. Army, Waialua, Hawaii 1st Lt. Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Army, Honolulu, Hawaii KOREA WAR If you would like to read more about T.Sgt. Yeiki Kobashigawa U.S. Army, Hilo, Hawaii I ★ the Medal of Honor, please visit the S.Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda U.S. Army, Aiea, Hawaii PFC Walter C. Monegan, Jr. U.S. Marine Corps, Seattle PFC Kaoru Moto U.S. Army, Hawaii S.Sgt. Archie Van Winkle U.S. Marine Corps, Arlington following Web sites: ★ PFC Kiyoshi K. Muranaga U.S. Army, Los Angeles, California ★ 1st Lt. Benjamin F. Wilson U.S. Army, Vashon www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm Pvt. Masato Nakae U.S. Army, Lihue, Hawaii ★ www.cmohs.org/ Pvt. Shinyei Nakamine U.S. Army, Waianae, Hawaii ★ VIETNAM WAR ★ www.homeofheroes.com PFC Joe M. Nishimoto U.S. Army, Fresno, California PFC Lewis Albanese U.S. Army, Seattle ★ S.Sgt. Allan M. Ohata U.S. Army, Honolulu, Hawaii Maj. Patrick Henry Brady U.S. Army, Sumner T.Sgt. Yukio Okutsu U.S. Army, Koloa, Hawaii Capt. James P. Fleming U.S. Air Force, Kent PFC Frank H. Ono U.S. Army, North Judson, Indiana Sgt. Bruce Alan Grandstaff U.S. Army, Spokane ★ S.Sgt. Kazuo Otani U.S. Army, Visalia, California ★ Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson U.S. Air Force, Kent Pvt. George T. Sakato U.S. Army, Colton, California S/4 Thomas James Kinsman U.S. Army, Renton T.Sgt. Ted T. Tanouye U.S. Army, Torrance, California 2nd Lt. Robert Ronald Leisy U.S. Army, Seattle ★ Capt. Francis B. Wai U.S. Army, Honolulu, Hawaii ★ 1st Lt. Frank S. Reasoner U.S. Marine Corps, Spokane ★ Killed in action CM3 Marvin G. Shields U.S. Navy, Port Townsend ★ ★ Killed in action 4 5 Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. These camps were INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS DURING THE WAR surrounded by barbed wire fences, guard towers, and searchlights and were guarded by fellow Americans armed with machine Loyalty Despite Injustice guns and ordered to shoot anyone who at- OONE OF THE PROUDEST MOMENTS OF MY The valiant service of Japanese American soldiers tempted to escape. PRESIDENCY CAME ON FEBRUARY 19, 1976, in World War II must be viewed in the context of one of the most disgraceful events in the history To comply with General DeWitt’s order, WHEN I ISSUED A PROCLAMATION OFFICIALLY of our country—the imprisonment of Japanese Japanese Americans had to leave their TERMINATING EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066. Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens, liv- homes with only a few days’ notice, with ing on the West Coast only the possessions they could carry with WE NOW KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE during the war. Even after them. Their property was hurriedly sold, KNOWN THEN – NOT ONLY WAS THE EVACUA- being forced into concen- abandoned, or given away. With their bank tration camps, even while accounts frozen and no way to meet tax TION WRONG, BUT JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE their loved ones remained and mortgage payments, many lost their LOYAL AMERICANS. ON THE BATTLEFIELDS AND in the camps, these men homes, businesses, and farmlands. served the United States— AT HOME, JAPANESE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN AND the country they loved. Life in the camps was harsh and demoral- CONTINUE TO BE WRITTEN IN OUR HISTORY FOR izing. People lived in rows of black The internment was the tarpaper barracks. Large families or some- THE SACRIFICES AND CONTRIBUTIONS THEY culmination of an atmo- times groups of unrelated individuals were HAVE MADE TO THE WELL-BEING AND SECURITY sphere of escalating suspi- stripped of their privacy and squeezed into cion and prejudice.