【??? ?? ??】Enter to watch online.100th Battalion Vets Connect with Hershey Miyamura After Medal of Honor Museum Groundbreaking

By PEGGY MIZUMOTO

The stars came together when Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura traveled to attend the March 25 groundbreaking ceremony for the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas.

Link to full ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGcb6hPzr4A

Hershey joined 14 other Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients at this event. Sixty-six are alive today. The MOH heroes who were present served with incredible valor in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea and Iwo Jima.

On Nov. 15, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed into law the National Medal of Honor Day, March 25. This made it most meaningful to have President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush present for this historic groundbreaking event.

For a bit of background, this link is to a dramatization of part of Hershey’s Korean War experience:

This link is to a video record of some of Hershey’s own remembrances:

On this trip west, to our great delight, Hershey spent time in California with family and friends, including his close friend, Vietnam veteran Ken Hayashi. We enjoyed a memorable afternoon reconnecting, laughing and reminiscing. To describe it as special is quite the understatement.

Thanks to Mike and Marianne Miyamura, who assisted in connecting friends with Hershey via Zoom meetings. They included Lynn and Mike Mori (fathers – H Company Yukio Sakata and MIS Isamu “Sam” Mori), Susan and Scott Takahashi (father – C Company Masao “Mas” Takahashi), Leslie Sakato (father – E Company George Taro “Joe” Sakato, also a MOH recipient), and A Company veterans Ikuro “Mano” Kawahara with daughter Gigi McPhee, Don S. Miyada and Tokuji “Toke” Yoshihashi.

Some may know that Hershey also served in the 100^thBattalion at the end of WWII, prior to his heroic service in the Korean War. Hershey was held back from going overseas with the 100^thBattalion/442^ndRegimental Combat Team initially due to not meeting the age requirement. Before being assigned to D Company, Hershey was actually in A Company, as were Mano, Don and Toke. As a result of knowing this special coincidence, it was a hope and priority to connect these four patriots, if at all possible, while Hershey was in California.

Over a couple online meetings, Hershey, Mano, Don and Toke were able to video-chat and ask each other questions about training, going overseas, locations and times of their combat service and return, officers, medics and comrades. When Hershey described returning with the ”442 colors,” Don and Toke said they were on the same ship. (On a side note, Hershey believes it likely that he was in Lecco, Italy, when my dad, Robert Katsumi Mizumoto, C Company, was there.)

It is my special honor to call these men my friends. These modest combat veterans are so generous with sharing some of their challenging and heartbreaking wartime memories as well as being role models for patriotism, duty, courage, respect for chain of command and love of country.??

Photos from ceremony courtesy of Mike Miyamura

Articles for you

• fashion
• synthesize
• recreation
• hotspot
• focus
• relaxation
• explore
• knowledge

• The Significance of Strengthening Ties with Nikkei in America
• Matsui Meets with Biden, Harris to Address AAPI Priorities
• Suspect Arrested After Fatal DUI Crash, Charged with Murder
• JANM Digital Film Festival Q&A: ‘Words, Weavings, & Songs’
• JACL Calls for Better Hate Crime Tracking and Response
• ‘Standing Up to Hate’ Community Forum
• Bento for Boy Scouts
• Arson Fire Damages Konko Church of L.A.
• Matsumoto Designs Barbed Wire Remembrance
• A Celebration of Bronzeville’s Finale Club

• Catch this CES
• Best CES deal: Get the brand
• Youtube Music 2024 recap: How to get yours
• CES 2025: The best smart glasses
• I watch TikTok on mute. Sound off is the way to go.
• Early Black Friday kitchen deals: Le Cruset, Ninja, and more
• Shop early Black Friday deals on Kindle books
• Best Audible deal: 3 months for $0.99 per month
• Catch early Black Friday deals on books at Walmart, Amazon
• Black Friday Ninja deals: Ninja Slushi in stock, plus the Creami and air fryers on sale

• JANM’s Burroughs Elected Chair of Amnesty International’s Global Council
• THROUGH THE FIRE: The Young Doctor
• Pup Lost in Arts District
• Sheriff: Alleged Hate Incident at Protest Should Be Prosecuted
• South Bay Scholars
• Bipartisan Support for Anti
• ‘Tea & Letter Writing: Letters of Solace’
• A Show of Gratitude in a Postage Stamp
• A Sign of The Times
• Next on ‘Asian Pacific America’: Mae Phu, Shannon Ma

• Japan House L.A. Celebrates Grand Opening
• Manzanar Committee Stands with Indigenous Leaders to Oppose Open
• Olympic Athlete Appeals for Unity After Being Target of Anti
• Man Arrested for Assault on Senior in Irvine
• AARP Fraud Survey Reveals Financial and Emotional Toll for AAPIs
• Man Arrested for Assaulting Asian Couple, Threatening Athlete
• Next on ‘Asian Pacific America’
• A Celebration of Bronzeville’s Finale Club
• Ties That Bind — Looking Back and Looking Ahead for the Nikkei Community
• Suspect Arrested After Fatal DUI Crash, Charged with Murder