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Formal Dedication Held Sunday, June 2

(story & photos to come)

Located at the Bill Santucci Justice Center in Roseville, California (Placer County), a monumental bronze statue at the site commemorating the “Rescue of the Lost Battalion” stands proudly at the Placer County Memorial. It depicts a soldier of the 442nd REgimental Combat Team (RCT) helping a wounded soldier from the 141st Texas Battalion off the battlefield. A formal dedication of the completed Memorial site was held on June 2, 2013. For more about the Memorial, click here.

Bronze Sculpture "Rescue of the Lost Battalion" Unveiled at Memorial to WW II Nikkei Veterans on October 6, 2012

Winner Gives Bronze Sculpture To 442nd Veteran
Auburn Attorney Mark A. Berg Honors Frank Kageta

A single ticket drawn by Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery at the Auburn Veterans Day Luncheon led to a dramatic and surprising gift. That ticket entitled the winner, Auburn Attorney Mark Berg, to a signed and numbered bronze miniature of the large bronze monument, “Rescue of the Lost Battalion,” that is being constructed to honor Americans of Japanese ancestry who served our country in World War II.

A few days later the chairman of the Placer County JACL Monument Project, E. Ken Tokutomi, delivered the sculpture to Mr. Berg at his office near the historic Auburn Courthouse. Berg was impressed by the artistry of the work, and he proudly placed the piece in a prominent position on his desk.

As the two men spoke about what the sculpture represented, Berg proposed a question. “Is there a veteran of the 442nd who lives nearby? I would really like to give this beautiful artwork to him and his family.”

Ken suggested Frank Kageta, one of the Placer County residents who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and who was recently honored with a Congressional Gold Medal in Washington DC. In the 1970s Frank helped lead the effort for formal redress of the injustice committed by our government when they rounded up Japanese American families in the western states and send them to internment camps. Frank and a small group of other local veterans of WW II were honored in December, 2009, at the dedication of  the Placer County WW II Memorial site in Roseville. His son Stuart Kageta was also a speaker at the dedication.

On December 5, Berg and Tokutomi visited Frank at his home in Rocklin, where Mark presented the sculpture to him. Frank was emotional and humble, commenting that surely someone else deserved this more than he did. Tokutomi told him this would be a memento that Frank’s four children would hold dear, acknowledging Frank’s bravery in combat and his loyal service to America.

Congress Honors These WW II Veterans

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CSU Grants Honorary Degrees to WWII Internees

Hundreds of students of Japanese ancestry who were removed from CSU campuses in 1941 - 1942 and forced to delay or abandon their college education while relocated in internment camps, will be granted California State University special honorary degrees.

"Hundreds of students were removed from colleges and universities, forced to delay or abandon their dreams based solely on their ancestry," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

"The internment of Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants during WWII represents the worst of a nation driven by fear and prejudice. By issuing honorary degrees, we hope to achieve a small right in the face of such grave wrongs."

JACL Honors Japanese American Veterans

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) paid tribute to the Japanese American veterans who served in the armed forces during World War II and the Korean War.

In the organization’s 3rd Annual Gala Awards Dinner held September 15 in Washington D.C., the JACL bestowed their appreciation to veterans of all conflicts and persons who are currently serving in the military, and particularly veterans of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and others who served in regular units during World War II, and veterans of the Korean War.

JACL Honors Japanese American Veterans