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Barbara Watanabe
808-585-8484
barbaraw@goforbroke.org
(TORRANCE, Calif. -November 10, 2004) - On Saturday, November 6, 2004 The Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena was host to a special Hawaii-inspired event — filled with nearly 900 guests who feasted on sumptuous Hawaiian cuisine created by chefs from Oahu and who were entertained by some of Hawaii’s best musicians. The Go For Broke Educational Foundation’s 3rd annual Evening of Aloha gala dinner, sponsored by Michelob, was a tremendous success, as attendees came from all over to partake in a wonderful meal prepared by chefs Roy Yamaguchi (Roy’s Restaurants worldwide) and Alan Wong (Alan Wong Restaurant, The Pineapple Room, The Hualalai Grille by Alan Wong). Attendees, especially WWII Japanese American veterans, raved that Evening of Aloha gets better each year and was once again the best dinner served at any large-scale gala dinner.
Mistress of Ceremonies 1997 Miss Universe Brook Mahealani Lee kept guests entertained throughout the evening with her quick Hawaiian wit, beautiful smile and aloha spirit. Guests were treated to the evening’s featured entertainment, The Makaha Sons, who were also accompanied by award-winning hula group Keali’i O Nalani, and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro. Additionally, Col. Young O. Kim (Ret.), one of the founders and former chairman of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation, received special recognition for the 15 years of leadership of the organization. He is currently chairman emeritus for the Educational Foundation.
The highlight of the night was the special keynote address by General Eric K. Shinseki (Ret.). General Shinseki spoke to the crowd about the importance of the Japanese American WWII soldiers who inspired his generation and those that followed him to serve their country with the same pride, self-confidence and sense of camaraderie and community that the Japanese Americans exemplified in their tour of duty. “I was reminded some years ago that I really didn’t know about the actual battle history of the ‘go for broke’ regiment until I went to war myself,” stated General Shinseki. “Then I began to appreciate what the men before me truly did. We now know what your accomplishments meant, and we are here tonight, 60 years later to salute you.”
“On behalf of the Go For Broke Educational Foundation, we are very happy with this year’s Evening of Aloha and owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of our corporate sponsors, especially our founding title sponsor Michelob,” stated Christine Sato-Yamazaki, executive director/president, Go For Broke Educational Foundation. “In addition, a sincere mahalo to the dedicated dinner committee, led by chairperson Don Sato of All About Hawaii, Educational Foundation staff and the 160-plus volunteers who all contributed to Evening of Aloha’s success.”
The Go For Broke Educational Foundation would like to thank all the sponsors whose support ensured the gala dinner’s success. Title Sponsor Michelob, in addition to its financial support, provided complimentary Michelob beer to Evening of Aloha guests all night. "It is a real pleasure to support Evening of Aloha year after year and I want to congratulate the Educational Foundation’s exceptional dinner committee and staff for making the gala dinner a winner," said David L. Kim, director, sales development and community relations, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "Anheuser-Busch is extremely proud to support an organization committed to educating the public of the patriotism of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II and the civil liberties issues surrounding the incarceration. This will ensure that the lessons learned are applied to contemporary issues today.”
Other sponsors included: Medal of Honor: King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.; Presidential Unit Citation: All About Hawaii, Aloha Airlines, American Honda Motors Co., Inc., Hawaiian Airlines, and KSCI-TV Channel 18; Distinguished Service Cross: George and Sakaye Aratani, Manabi and Sumi Hirasaki, Holiday Inn Torrance, Northrop Grumman, The Pacific Bridge Companies, Paradise Restaurant, Union Bank of California, Washington Mutual; Silver Star: Aloha Shoyu Company, Tets and Dorothy Asato, Farmers Insurance Group, Sam and Teri Fujikawa, Fukui Mortuary Inc, JACL Health Benefits Trust, Kenneth M. Kamiya Insurance, Nissan North America Inc., Takashi and Mary Senzaki, Theodore and Gladys Toguchi, UPS; Bronze Star: AHTKY Insurance Agency, LLC, The Gas Company, Green Hills Memorial Park, Hawaiian Host Candies of L.A., Helen Kawagoe, California State Assemblymember George Nakano, Gardena City Councilmember Paul K. Tanaka, Craig Uchizono, Taro Uchizono, Verizon, Dr. Frank K. Yorita, DDS.
Proceeds raised from Evening of Aloha will go to ensure the legacy of the Japanese American World War II veterans are preserved and educated through the Go For Broke Educational Foundation’s educational programs.
The Go For Broke Educational Foundation institutes educational programs focused on the heroism and history of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II, as well as the forced evacuation and incarceration of Japanese Americans and civil liberties issues raised by those events. Currently the Educational Foundation’s programs include An American Story Teacher Training Program, Hanashi Oral History Program, www.GoForBroke.org educational Web site, and Resource Center.
In 1989 Japanese American World War II veterans established the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation to build the Go For Broke Monument, which today is an eternal tribute to the heroics of the segregated Japanese American units: 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, MIS (Military Intelligence Service) and the many other men and women who served overseas during World War II. The Monument is located in the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles at Temple and Alameda Streets.
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