19TH ANNUAL JOINT MEMORIAL SERVICE
Honoring Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) Units in World War II
HONOLULU, HI – On Sunday, September 29, 2024, the 19th Annual Joint Memorial Service, honoring the men who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, who died in World War II or have since passed on, will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. The service is free to attend, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the public. A livestream of the service will also be viewable through 'Ōlelo Community Media, online at https://olelo.org/ and locally on channel 53.
On September 29, 1946, the veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the first Japanese American segregated unit to fight in Europe, held a memorial service in Hawaii to honor their comrades who died in the war, for whom a formal memorial service or ritual could not be held in the heat of battle. The 100th Infantry Battalion veterans, through their post-war organization, "Club 100," has continued to organize or participate in an annual memorial service held for their fallen comrades, on the Sunday in September closest to September 29, when the first member of the battalion, Sgt. Shigeo “Joe” Takata, was killed in action in 1943. Held as a joint memorial service since 2006, the service now honors all the men who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, who died in World War II or have since passed on.
The four units were mainly comprised of American of Japanese ancestry (AJA) men who were Nisei, born to first generation Issei immigrant parents from Japan. Although only five feet, four inches and 125 pounds on average, they were giants in combat, with brains and hearts to win battles that others could not, spreading Aloha that is still remembered in the small towns they liberated from enemy oppression. The 100th/442nd would become the most decorated in U.S. military history, for its size and length of service.
The men saw the horror of their homeland being bombed in the December 7, 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Most had never left the islands at that point, but the 100th/442nd would see combat halfway around the world in Europe, and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) would save countless lives in the Pacific by using their linguistic skills. The 1399th remained in Hawaii playing a crucial role in strategic military construction projects.
Keynote speaker Rear Admiral Stephen D. Barnett – Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Commander Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill, will share how the combat performance and sacrifices of the segregated units like the AJA, the African Americans and others improved the socio-economic structure of the American way of life.
Major changes like President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9981 abolished segregation in the military. Signed in 1948, it is one of the first acts of civil rights in the United States. In his famous quote to the 442nd RCT at the White House Ellipse as they received their seventh Presidential Unit Citation, President Truman proclaimed: “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice – and you have won. Keep up that fight, and we will continue to win – to make this great Republic stand for just what the Constitution says it stands for: the welfare of all the people all the time.”
The 19th Joint Memorial Service is presented by the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans (Club 100), 442nd Veterans Club, 442nd Legacy Center, Sons and Daughters of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service Veterans Hawaiʻi organizations. These groups are primarily made up of descendants and family members of the men who served in the units they represent. They proudly work to preserve the identities and traditions established by the units they honor.
![19th Annual Joint Memorial Service committee members gather at the 100th Infantry Battalion Memorial Building (Clubhouse) for their planning meeting. The committee includes descendants of the 100th, 442nd, MIS, and 1399th, representing their respective veterans groups. Pictured from left to right are Gregg Takayama [1399th descendant], Karl Okemura [442nd Veterans Club & Legacy Center President], Jan Sakoda [100th Inf Bn Veterans (Club 100) President], Wayne Kuwata [Sons and Daughters of the 442nd RCT President], and Amy Kwong [100th Inf Bn Veterans Board Director and Office Manager].](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ddc888_2db6619a247642319c34b24c29a6af70~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_653,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/ddc888_2db6619a247642319c34b24c29a6af70~mv2.jpg)
19th Annual Joint Memorial Service committee members gather at the 100th Infantry Battalion Memorial Building (Clubhouse) for their planning meeting. The committee includes descendants of the 100th, 442nd, MIS, and 1399th, representing their respective veterans groups. Pictured from left to right are Gregg Takayama [1399th descendant], Karl Okemura [442nd Veterans Club & Legacy Center President], Jan Sakoda [100th Inf Bn Veterans (Club 100) President], Wayne Kuwata [Sons and Daughters of the 442nd RCT President], and Amy Kwong [100th Inf Bn Veterans Board Director and Office Manager].
The program includes a presentation of colors, laying of wreaths, musical performances, and a rifle salute. The ceremony will also include a memorial address by keynote speaker Rear Admiral Stephen D. Barnett, participation from the 111th Army Band, student presenters and JROTC cadets.
The organizers welcome the public to honor the men of the 100th, 442nd, MIS and 1399th who gave it their all to fight oppression and prove that loyal Americans come in all colors and deserving of equal rights.
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