Japanese American Voice: Letter from Club 100

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CLUB 100
An incorporated association of veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion
520 Kamoku Street
Honolulu HI 96826

February 9, 2000

Mr. John Parsons
Associate of Lands, Resources and Planning
National Capital Region
National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20242

Dear Mr. Parsons:

I write to you as a volunteer from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, WWII. I trained with the 442nd in Camp Shelby Mississippi, and was transferred to the 100th after it was decimated at Cassino. Presently, I am the President of the veterans' organization of the 100th Infantry Battalion, Club 100. Our organization opposes the inclusion of Masaoka's name on the Monument.. Our past president has sent a letter to the NJAMF to that effect. As President-Elect at that time, I sent a letter to J. Carter Brown stating my own reasons. It was well received and forwarded to you. We fought prejudice even against our fellow soldiers in the Army, and against MPs who had their bayonets pointed against us, I might add.

Briefly, the letter to the NJAMF stated the following: The 1399th Engineer Battalion should not be left out of the Monument. We have learned that the 1399th Engineers will be included in the monument and we are grateful for this change. An additional point of the letter suggested that quotes and names of Governor Ariyoshi and Representative Patsy Mink be included. Ariyoshi was the first and only Governor of Japanese ancestry. Mink is the first woman of Japanese ancestry to serve in Congress. She introduced and fought for Title IX that gave such a big boost to equal rights for all Americans through equality in women's athletics. We feel that their achievements are worthy of recognition by including quotations from them on the monument and we would like to see their quotes rather than Masaoka's.

A third point regards the proposed narrative which states that the 100th/442nd was a volunteer unit. This is not true. The 100th was largely a draftee outfit, under much suspicion and scrutiny. It was the first segregated Japanese American military unit. It was the 100th's outstanding record in training that paved the way for the formation of the 442nd. The NJAMF overlooks and slights Hawaii's leading role.

Masaoka has been called the "Father of the 442nd" by his idolators. His autobiography is entitled "They Call Me Moses." Truth is, the decision to form the 442nd was made without Masaoka. He opposed the formation of a "segregated unit." Personally, I was proud to serve in an all-Japanese American outfit. I knew, correctly, that it would have greater impact. The 100th and the Military Intelligence soldiers as well as the rest of Japanese American men and women in Hawaii fathered and mothered the 442nd. Do not exclude these people who fought courageously against unjust suspicions. Their story should not be omitted. They, not "Moses" Masaoka, convinced the Army to form the 100th and the 442nd. Important details of their work were given in my letter to J. Carter Brown.

The NJAMF was compelled to leave out the most obsequious passages of the "American Creed," a revealing admission of their weak position. But the odor remains. Everybody knows and understands its meaning. Such a groveling creed should not be imposed by any government upon a free people. Nor should our government inscribe the name of its author. Japanese Americans know well what he stood for.

The Masaoka name is too controversial to maintain harmony. Even a close family friend opposes his name being inscripted on the monument. There should be a public forum where both sides can argue it out and a vote taken. Who selected the NJAMF board members? We didn't.

We thought it was going to be a monument to the Japanese American soldiers. Our organization pledged $50,000 for a soldier's monument in D.C. to a "Go for Broke" veterans organization. The name was changed to NJAMF, and its purpose was changed. We may withdraw that pledge. By the way, "Go for Broke" is a Hawaiian pidgin expression. Don't replace it with the gutless Masaoka creed.

Finally, we don't take lightly the fact that the veterans were snubbed and sidelined at the groundbreaking ceremonies. We don't like the shabby treatment of Hershey Miyamura, the only living Japanese American Medal of Honor recipient, by the NJAMF. They left him waiting by himself from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM before the ceremony started. This is not a small thing. Any other organization would have gone out of its way to accommodate a Medal of Honor recipient, but not the NJAMF. No, they are too preoccupied with going out of their way for "Moses" and his "American" creed.

It would be wrong to build a monument that is rife with controversy, dredges up bad memories, and causes anger and hurt. We ask you to do whatever is in your power to direct NJAMF to resolve this issue of inscriptions and inaccuracies so that the monument will be something we can all be proud of.

For continuing service,

Don Matsuda
President

CLUB 100
An incorporated association of veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion
520 Kamoku Street
Honolulu HI 96826

February 9, 2000

Mr. John Parsons
Associate of Lands, Resources and Planning
National Capital Region
National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20242

Dear Mr. Parsons:

I write to you as a volunteer from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, WWII. I trained with the 442nd in Camp Shelby Mississippi, and was transferred to the 100th after it was decimated at Cassino. Presently, I am the President of the veterans' organization of the 100th Infantry Battalion, Club 100. Our organization opposes the inclusion of Masaoka's name on the Monument.. Our past president has sent a letter to the NJAMF to that effect. As President-Elect at that time, I sent a letter to J. Carter Brown stating my own reasons. It was well received and forwarded to you. We fought prejudice even against our fellow soldiers in the Army, and against MPs who had their bayonets pointed against us, I might add.

Briefly, the letter to the NJAMF stated the following: The 1399th Engineer Battalion should not be left out of the Monument. We have learned that the 1399th Engineers will be included in the monument and we are grateful for this change. An additional point of the letter suggested that quotes and names of Governor Ariyoshi and Representative Patsy Mink be included. Ariyoshi was the first and only Governor of Japanese ancestry. Mink is the first woman of Japanese ancestry to serve in Congress. She introduced and fought for Title IX that gave such a big boost to equal rights for all Americans through equality in women's athletics. We feel that their achievements are worthy of recognition by including quotations from them on the monument and we would like to see their quotes rather than Masaoka's.

A third point regards the proposed narrative which states that the 100th/442nd was a volunteer unit. This is not true. The 100th was largely a draftee outfit, under much suspicion and scrutiny. It was the first segregated Japanese American military unit. It was the 100th's outstanding record in training that paved the way for the formation of the 442nd. The NJAMF overlooks and slights Hawaii's leading role.

Masaoka has been called the "Father of the 442nd" by his idolators. His autobiography is entitled "They Call Me Moses." Truth is, the decision to form the 442nd was made without Masaoka. He opposed the formation of a "segregated unit." Personally, I was proud to serve in an all-Japanese American outfit. I knew, correctly, that it would have greater impact. The 100th and the Military Intelligence soldiers as well as the rest of Japanese American men and women in Hawaii fathered and mothered the 442nd. Do not exclude these people who fought courageously against unjust suspicions. Their story should not be omitted. They, not "Moses" Masaoka, convinced the Army to form the 100th and the 442nd. Important details of their work were given in my letter to J. Carter Brown.

The NJAMF was compelled to leave out the most obsequious passages of the "American Creed," a revealing admission of their weak position. But the odor remains. Everybody knows and understands its meaning. Such a groveling creed should not be imposed by any government upon a free people. Nor should our government inscribe the name of its author. Japanese Americans know well what he stood for.

The Masaoka name is too controversial to maintain harmony. Even a close family friend opposes his name being inscripted on the monument. There should be a public forum where both sides can argue it out and a vote taken. Who selected the NJAMF board members? We didn't.

We thought it was going to be a monument to the Japanese American soldiers. Our organization pledged $50,000 for a soldier's monument in D.C. to a "Go for Broke" veterans organization. The name was changed to NJAMF, and its purpose was changed. We may withdraw that pledge. By the way, "Go for Broke" is a Hawaiian pidgin expression. Don't replace it with the gutless Masaoka creed.

Finally, we don't take lightly the fact that the veterans were snubbed and sidelined at the groundbreaking ceremonies. We don't like the shabby treatment of Hershey Miyamura, the only living Japanese American Medal of Honor recipient, by the NJAMF. They left him waiting by himself from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM before the ceremony started. This is not a small thing. Any other organization would have gone out of its way to accommodate a Medal of Honor recipient, but not the NJAMF. No, they are too preoccupied with going out of their way for "Moses" and his "American" creed.

It would be wrong to build a monument that is rife with controversy, dredges up bad memories, and causes anger and hurt. We ask you to do whatever is in your power to direct NJAMF to resolve this issue of inscriptions and inaccuracies so that the monument will be something we can all be proud of.

For continuing service,

Don Matsuda
President