AJA – Remembrance

September 26, 2016November 4, 2016

President’s Message

This fall issue of Remembrance conveys a very special message to our members and community as we ramp up to the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor this coming Dec. 7th. You see, it was not just an attack on Pearl Harbor … the human story goes beyond the brave men in uniform that day at the Naval Base, Hickam Field, Ewa Field, Kaneohe NAS and Ford Island. There is also an Oahu story that includes American citizens of Japanese ancestry who suffered untold hardship and would end up in a war fought on two fronts. Continue reading President’s Message

September 27, 2016February 1, 2018

Walter T. Oka’s Eyewitness Account – Dec. 7, 1941

Walter Tadao Oka had a front-row view of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the 13th child, and ninth son, of parents who immigrated from Japan decades earlier and settled in the sugar plantation town of Aiea. Continue reading Walter T. Oka’s Eyewitness Account – Dec. 7, 1941

September 27, 2016October 7, 2016

Service of Japanese Americans in World War II

Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJAs) who served the United States in World War II answered distrust and suspicion with unsurpassed service and sacrifice. Continue reading Service of Japanese Americans in World War II

September 27, 2016October 7, 2016

Kisa Hatate – Dec. 7, 1941 Civilian Casualty

In the historical narrative of Dec. 7, 1941, a lesser known story is the 49 civilians who lost their lives. Kisa Hatate was one of those civilian casualties. Continue reading Kisa Hatate – Dec. 7, 1941 Civilian Casualty

October 7, 2016October 7, 2016

Ensigns and Sensei

During World War II in Stillwater, Okla., home of Oklahoma A&M College, city and school officials had sought various military programs to benefit the local economy. After several missed opportunities, in April 1945, they were chosen to develop a new site for the U.S. Navy’s Japanese Language School, where ensigns would learn Japanese — the goal being to prepare for an invasion and occupation of Japan. Continue reading Ensigns and Sensei

September 28, 2016October 7, 2016

Translating Japanese Grave Markers

In the Kalaupapa cemetery records, the Japanese grave markers written in kanji are simply noted with “O.C.” for Oriental characters. For more than 80 years the markers went untranslated until one spring day in April, 2016. Continue reading Translating Japanese Grave Markers