Nisei Veterans Memorial Center

Furlough!

November 10, 2007

This year's benefit dinner had a lighthearted theme, as we celebrated how far we've come with a Monte Carlo night for our veterans.

"We wanted a special "Las Vegas" type of night for our veterans, many of whom can no longer travel to the real thing," said Dorothy Nakata, benefit dinner chairperson. "So we had a casino company bring in blackjack, poker, roulette and craps tables. They provided professional dealers, and we also had some "honorary dealers" who volunteered their time, including Mayor Charmaine Tavares and Councilmembers Joe Pontanilla and Mike Victorino. And of course, no gaming event would be complete without a rousing game of bingo!"

Nisei veterans Tom Yamada (MIS), Lanky Matsumoto (442) and Stanley Izumigawa (white shirt at far right; 100th and 442) are applauded by dinner guests thanking them for their service to their country and their community.	Our benefit dinners always start with a recognition of our veterans, beginning with the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regiment, and Military Intelligence Service.
David Fukuda, Gene Ball, Hideo Murakami (partially hidden) and Michael Otake stand and are recognized for their service.	Then we do a roll call of veterans from conflicts after WWII, through the present. "It is a chicken-skin time as we honor these people who gave so much to their country," notes Dorothy Nakata.
Baldwin High School JROTC cadets post the colors.	Under the expansive chandelier that is a signature of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed facility, dinner guests rise for the posting of the colors. Long-time supporter Dain Kane leads our singing of the national and state anthems.
	Reverend Kenji Oyama of Paia Mantokuji gave the invocation, and Mayor Tavares and George Kaya, Maui liaison for Governor Linda Lingle, welcomed our dinner guests.
Executive Director Barbara Watanabe shared a story of the 100th Infantry Battalion (see column at far right), and then asked the veterans who had been there on the dusty road to Rome to stand. An outpouring of love and admiration swept across the large banquet room.
Celebrity dealer Councilman Joe Pontanilla kept a lively blackjack table.	After dinner, it was time for fun and games!
Pam Silva had everyone cheering at the craps table, while Center board member Dorothy Nakata (photo at right) shared a quiet moment with Grant Chun as they reviewed the plans for the Education Building.
Dain Kane livened things up at the roulette wheel.
Center board members Roy Katsuda (left) and Brian Moto led a lighthearted game of bingo in the main dining room (below).	100th Infantry Battalion veteran Ed Nishihara (center) with his wife Marie at left, and MIS veteran Tom Yamada (right) concentrate on their bingo cards.
Auctioneer and emcee Tony Takitani congratulates Jane Azeka, high money "winner" of the night.	The festivities continued with a live auction to purchase furnishings, including book shelves, work tables, display cases, and rolling shelves, for the Education Building. Our thanks to Tony Takitani, auctioneer extraordinaire, and all of our dinner patrons who bid at the auction.
	The night concluded with our tradition of singing America the Beautiful - beginning with the lesser known third verse: O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine. Till all success be nobleness, And every gain divine!
Our thanks to all who helped make our fifth annual benefit dinner a great success.

This past September I had the honor of being one of the speakers at the annual
100th / 442nd memorial service.

In preparing for the service, I read an extraordinary account of the heroism -- and humility -- of the 100th Infantry.

In May 1944 the 100th had been living out of foxholes at Anzio for 63 days. The call came to push out towards Rome. But at Lanuvio, the Germans stopped them with an intricate roadblock of overlapping machine gun positions.

Two battalions from the 135th Regiment tried to crack the German defenses, but failed.

On June 2, the 100th Battalion was ordered to do it. In only 36 hours, the 100th knocked out almost a dozen machine guns, cleared minefields and smashed the German defenses.

A liaison officer reported, “This Japanese-American infantry outfit is the best damned infantry we have ever worked with….”

They’d wiped out the last major enemy stronghold just 12 miles south of Rome. The rest of the way was practically a cake walk into the historic city.

Though saddened by the loss of their buddies, they were looking forward to entering Rome: To hear the cheers from grateful citizens, to be recognized as a key component of the liberating Fifth Army.

But that didn’t happen.

Instead, on June 4, just 10 kilometers from Rome, they were ordered to wait at the roadside. They watched hundreds of troops and military vehicles rush past for the triumphant entrance.

The Army higher ups had decided that Japanese-Americans could not be at the front of the line on the triumphant march into Rome.

The next night they quietly boarded trucks and rode 40 miles northwest of Rome to the seacoast town of Cittavecchia, where they were joined by the 442nd soldiers who had just arrived from the States.

Together they marched on – and into the annals of history.
Theirs is a legacy of courage, and also a legacy of forgiveness – the forgiveness to set aside bitterness and anger toward a nation that doubted their loyalty, and trampled on their bravery."

Barbara Watanabe
Executive Director
Nisei Veterans
Memorial Center

LOCATION: We're located on the island of Maui on Kahului Beach Road just as it transitions between Kahului and Wailuku. MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 216, Kahului, HI 96733-6716. PHONE (808) 244.6862.