Image courtesy of Legal History Blog

By Curtis Narimatsu

Aptly, President Washington’s birthday this week, with Futoshi Frank Arakawa (1891-1977) intoning [Trib February 25, 1916]: “We Japanese Americans are like a man who serves 2 masters. We strive to get away from Japan’s emperor, and we want to show that we are loyal Americans. We owe all to America — our education, freedom. The Mikado [Japan gov't -- jus sanguinis, not jus soli like America] still believes that we are Japanese subjects. No, we say!! We fight for America even if the fight is against our own parents, who implore us to defend our American homeland, not our ancestral race.” Frank was WWI doughboy officer, Stanford engineer grad, Public Works chief engineer, who was interned WWII for greeting Japan dignitaries at Hilo’s Kuhio wharf pre-WWII who went to sightsee at Volcano.

(Curtis Narimatsu is a lifelong resident of Hilo who writes about the forgotten past such as the old plantation days & untold heroes.)

A Full Honor Wreath Ceremony for Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Medal of Honor recipients took place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery Wednesday June 21, 2000, in Arlington, Va. From left are: Yeiki Kobashigawa, US Army, retired; Rudolph Davila, US Army, retired George T. Sakato, US Army, retired. President Clinton laer presented the medals at a White House ceremony. (AP Photo/Heesoon Yim)

By Curtis Narimatsu

Inimitable And Auspicious Heroes

1.   WIA 442 F Co.’s Hoxie Nagami lived a long life, albeit disabled (1921-2000). Wataru Kohashi saved Hoxie after Hoxie got shot.  Unarmed Wataru got 4 German POWs to carry Hoxie on a stretcher out of Wataru/Hoxie’s foxhole back to the base camp.  Wataru was gentle to the POWs & they respected/ trusted him.  Wataru was told by the base camp M.D. that Hoxie was going to die from extensive wounds.  But incredibly, Hoxie survived.  Wataru born 1922 & Hoxie were boyhood pals.  Hoxie’s brother was KIA [Takayama brothers died almost same time w/separate outfits/companies -- Bobby Command wrote a great Veteran's Day tribute to them  a decade ago]. After Hoxie suffered series of strokes, he fell into a coma at Hilo Hospital. Read the rest of this entry »