JAPANESE AMERICAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION
1666 K Street,NW, Suite 500, Washington,D.C. 20006, c/o Gerald Yamada, Esq.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Vol. II
September 9, 2006 No. 17
CONTACTS: Terry Shima (301-987-6746; ttshima@worldnet.att.net)
FOR PHOTO: Go to www.javadc.org, scroll down to Press Releases,
picture is embedded in appropriate article.
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JAVA’S EFFORTS TO BOND WITH JAPANESE AMERICAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN VETERANS. MIZUSAWA SATISFIED HIS GOALS FOR JAPANESE AMERICAN VETERANS GENERALLY MET.
By Japanese American Veterans Association
When President Bert Mizusawa was elected President three years ago he outlined two goals: (1) to transform JAVA from a veterans social organization to a national organization that embraced Japanese Americans and Asian Americans veterans, reservists and active duty personnel and (2) to seek to obtain, individually and in concert with other veterans organizations, for veterans, reservists, and active duty personnel entitlements they have earned. JAVA has since moved couple steps further, i.e. the creation on July 5, 2006 of the Asian American Veterans Association (AAVA) and the upgrade of the JAVA Newsletter. Now approaching the end of his second two year term, Mizusawa has largely achieved his twin goals.
During the past six months JAVA members have been invited to the White House three times and once to a White House sponsored function. President Bush recognized the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on two of these events and on each occasion shook the hands of JAVA members. One of these events was a seminar to which JAVA member Bob Nakamoto, Korean War veteran and prominent Washington, D.C. businessman, was invited as a panelist. JAVA’s relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs has been solidified with its election to the prestigious Veterans Day National Committee, which is mandated by Congress. JAVA is also among the veterans organizations contacted for conference calls by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to discuss urgent veterans matters. During Secretary (getting)_Nicholson and Congressman Steve Buyer, Chairman of the House Veterans Committee, visit to Iraq during August 2006, they met Mizusawa, who is deployed there. Mizusawa said his discussions included JAVA and AAVA matters.
As a member of the 3.5 million member National Military Veterans Alliance, JAVA participates with them in joint action, especially with the US Congress, to influence legislation. The potential for growth, especially AAVA, is considerable. As JAVA and AAVA expand in these areas, it needs to establish viable links with all Asian American, including Japanese American, organizations and individuals so their views and interests are properly represented.
This article reflects on JAVA’s communication with Japanese American and Asian American veterans individually and organizationally. The communication channels are as follows:
Grant Ichikawa, member of JAVA Executive Council, converted his personal blog to serve JAVA purposes. Called the “round robin”, this electronic newsletter has become JAVA’s principal communication link with with nearly 2/3 of JAVA’s members to convey club news, veterans issues and information relating to veterans. The round robin, issued twice or thrice per week depending on traffic volume, is a real time, informal, unofficial communication link. Feedback from members have been helpful, although more are solicited. This channel has become the life blood of JAVA.
A 10-12 page JAVA Newsletter is produced quarterly for circulation through the round robin and the postal mail. Beginning with the July 2006 issue, editor Kay Wakatake has upgraded the Newsletter in terms of lay out and color photos.
The Executive Director augments Ichikawa and Wakatake’s efforts through postal mail, emails and telephone contact with concerned members on specific issues. In addition, some 30 press releases are issued each year for publication by Asian American newspapers, general press, and veterans organization newsletters to reach Asian American veterans, and to educate the general public.
Some Japanese American veterans organizations and one JACL chapter have furnished JAVA with their Newsletters. They have been found to be highly useful in terms of learning about local situations and issues experienced by the Japanese American veterans.
JAVA wishes to record its appreciation to:
MIS Veterans Newsletter, organ of MIS Veterans Club of Hawaii. Informational and educational in content, the Newsletter is published five times per year and the editor is James Tanabe.
One Puka Puka Parade, organ of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club, Hawaii. It is a monthly with 20 pages (legal size paper) of data of interest to members. It makes good use of feature articles and speeches. It is an educational journal. The editor is Joy Teraoka.
Go For Broke Bulletin, organ of the 442nd Veterans Club, Hawaii. A quarterly publication, the Bulletin consists of some 50 pages of club information and reports of activities of all elements of the 442nd RCT, including the line companies, 232nd Combat Engineers Company, the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, Anti Tank Company, Cannon Company, Medical Detachment, 206 Army Band, and Service Company. It is edited by Ron Oba.
NVC Newsletter, organ of the (Seattle) Nisei Veterans Committee. The News/Story Editor is Stan Shikuma and the consultant is Sam Mitsui. Consisting of about 12 pages it is the only Newsletter we have seen that carries advertisements in a big way. The Newsletter is impressive in terms of content and lay out.
Friends and Family, organ of the Nisei Veterans of the 442nd RCT and MIS in the Gilroy, California area, is a one to four page letter written and circulated about 4-5 times per year “when I can get to it”, by its leader, Lawson Sakai, Lawson thinks big and has arranged huge education projects such as the recently opened 442nd/MIS display, created by Brian Shiroyama, on the USS Hornet in Alameda, California. Lawson has also just returned from taking an educational tour group to the battlefields of Italy and France.
Nisei Post 8985 Sacramento Newsletter is a four-page (legal size paper), highly informative, monthly edited by Leo Hosoda.
JAKWV Newsletter of Fullerton, CA is a 15 page quarterly organ of the Japanese American Korean War Veterans. JAKWV’s principal focus is to honor the 248 Japanese American KIAs and to be the organizational home for over 500 Japanese American Korean War veterans. Bacon Sakatani is the managing editor.
Post Bulletin, an organ of the Gardena Nisei Memorial Post 1961, edited by Tohoru Isobe; the San Jose Nisei Memorial Post # 9970 Newsletter; and the Golden Gate Nisei Memorial Post 9879 Newsletter were provided to us. These publications are highly informative.
34th Infantry Division Association Tri State Chapter Newsletter reflects the strong fraternal bond between the 34th and the 100th/442nd RCT. Pat Skelly, Secretary-Treasurer is JAVA’s point of contact. Tri State is Massachusetts, New York and Iowa.
The Buffalo 92nd Infantry Division WW II Association Newsletter is edited by Joseph Strephenson of Silver Spring, Maryland. JAVA sends selective press releases to the Buffalo Newsletter.
The Cincinnati JACL chapter’s organ publication is “The Grains of Rice”, published quarterly. The editors are Frances Tojo, Chad Yoshikawa and Gordon Yoshikawa.
The Veterans Times, organ of the National Japanese American Veterans Council, published every other month, is edited by Fred Murakami, former President of JAVA. NJAVC has embarked on a major book writing project: the Japanese American role in the Occupation of Japan to save the Peace.
The Patriotism Society Newsletter is the quarterly organ of the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation. Gerald Yamada, acting executive director of NJAMF is the editor.
In the interest of expanding exchange, JAVA has sent via postal mail its June upgraded Newsletter to members and more veterans organizations, some of which we know do not have Newsletters. JAVA wishes to expand this exchange. Therefore, JAVA would appreciate receiving newsletters. If via email Email it should be sent to Grant Ichikawa (g.ichikawa@cox.net), Mike Yaguchi (j006@verizon.net); Kay Wakatake (kwakatake@gmail.com) and Terry Shima (ttshima@worldnet.att.net ) Grant is responsible for the round robin; Mike is Deputy Executive Director; and Kay is Editor of the Newsletter. If by postal mail please send it to: Terry Shima; 415 Russell Ave; #1005; Gaithersburg, MD 20877; ttshima@worldnet.att.net; 301-987-6746. Thirty