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Mary Graybill, APR, Fellow PRSA,
Graybill Communications
310-441-2899
mary@graybillcom.com
Japanese American Veterans’ Organizations Meet in Little Tokyo
World War II Nisei groups from across U.S. hold second meeting Aug. 13-14
TORRANCE, CA (August 7, 2009)– The second meeting of World War II Japanese American veterans' organizations from throughout the United States, again hosted by the Go For Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC), will be held at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo Aug. 13 – 14, 2009. The organizations' objective is to share ideas and collaborate on common goals to preserve and advance the legacy of the heroic Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) soldiers of World War II. This follows a meeting of 18 veterans' organizations held in November 2008. With the exception of a Veterans Affairs town hall session, participation in the upcoming meeting is open only to representatives of Nisei veterans' organizations and by invitation.
At this second meeting, the group will formalize their shared mission and vision, and give their network a name. The program includes a panel discussion on the network's first proposed project, legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Japanese-American 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team in recognition of their bravery, sacrifice and service during World War II. Panelists include: Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who introduced the legislation in the United States House of Representative and led the charge to its passage; Alton Garrett, Southern California director for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senate leader for the effort; Vi Cowden, WWII Woman Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) and 2009 Congressional Gold Medal recipient, and Pat Brown, Vi Cowden's daughter, who will share details of what it took to secure the Congressional Gold Medal for the WWII WASPs. Dr. Mitch Maki, Dean of the College of Health and Human Services, California State University Dominguez Hills, will moderate.
U. S. Army Major General Jason Kamiya is keynote speaker for the opening luncheon. In a special town hall meeting available to all veterans of all wars and their families, William W. McLemore, a retired US Army Colonel and former Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and International Affairs, will address ongoing efforts to transform the VA into a 21st century organization and respond to questions. The town hall session is scheduled 12:30 - 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14 and, due to space constraints, limited to veterans and their families who have made a reservation to attend by Monday, Aug. 10 with Robi Shibao-Martin at 310-222-5715 or robi@goforbroke.org.
Participating veteran's organizations will also share events and activities planned in their local communities to advance the Nisei soldiers' legacy, and they will create a master calendar. In addition, they will plan the network's next steps.
Participating organizations include the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center of Maui, 442nd Veterans Club Sons & Daughters, 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club, Go For Broke Association, MIS Club of Hawaii, Nisei Veterans Committee (Seattle), Nisei Oregon Veterans/Oregon Nikkei Endowment and the National Japanese American Historical Society.
Other participants are the Pinedale Assembly Center on behalf of Central California veterans, 100/442 Veterans Association (Los Angeles), MIS Club of Southern California, 36th Division (Texas), Chicago Nisei American Legion Post, Japanese American Veterans Association, National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, National AJA Veterans Council, Go For Broke National Education Center and Major General Kamiya. In addition to moderating the VA panel, Dr. Maki is the meeting facilitator.
The Go For Broke National Education Center teaches the values of citizenship, patriotism, and leadership embodied in the American story of a unique group of World War II soldiers of Japanese ancestry through education and preservation programs.
Its work includes: Hanashi Oral History Program, the nation's largest oral history collection of its kind, the American Story Teacher Training Program, a Resource Center, interactive educational initiatives and the Go For Broke Monument located in the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles. Resources, including its oral history archive, lesson plans, historical content and membership, are available by clicking on the GFBNEC website at www.goforbroke.org.
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