Go For Broke Stamp Soon to be Destroyed

Two attendees to the Poston Pilgrimage show off the special Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp pictorial postmark on October 21, 2022, in Parker, Arizona. The Stamp Our Story Committee worked with the Poston Community Alliance and Parker Postmaster Bob Adams for the special postal event. The stamp is being phased out by the USPS in 2023. (Image courtesy of SOSC)

Get them now, or they’ll be gone.

The U.S. Postal Service will stop selling the Go For Broke Japanese American Soldiers of World War II Commemorative Postage Stamp sometime this year. The remaining inventory will be destroyed, postal sources shared with the Stamp Our Story Committee, the community group that led the fifteen-year campaign for the stamp.

All commemorative stamps are printed in limited quantities and sold for a limited time, typically one to two years. June of 2023 will mark two years since the Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp was issued, first in Los Angeles, California, on June 3, 2021. A stamp dedication ceremony was held at the Japanese American National Museum to mark the occasion, for which even President Joseph Biden made a special White House Statement. Similar events were held in eight other cities across the nation.

“We strongly encourage interested individuals and organizations in the community to buy up the remaining Go For Broke Soldiers Stamps — let’s sell out the stamp!” said Wayne Osako, chair of the Stamp Our Story Committee. “This is a wonderful way to show your support for the Nisei Soldiers legacy, and to send a message to Washington that more stories like ours ought to be shared.”

While the Postal Service makes it a policy of not discussing how many stamps they have left, nor sales figures, they have shared that they originally printed one million sheets (20 stamps per sheet) of the stamp. Sheets are still available online at USPS.com, for $12 per sheet at the going rate of 60¢ per stamp.

“We would love for the community to buy the stamps, particularly those whose loved ones and friends are Nisei Soldiers,” Osako said. “Once the stamps are gone, they are gone. The Postal Service does not reprint nor reissue commemorative stamps.”

In addition to the stamp sheets, the Postal Service is also selling a Go For Broke Soldiers Limited Edition Collectible Set for $39.95, which includes a color booklet on the history of the Nisei Soldiers. The set has rare photographs and a reprinting of the map of the late Nisei Veteran Lawson Sakai. A Go For Broke Soldiers Framed Stamp Art ($39.95) and collectible color envelope cachet with the stamp ($9.95) are also still being sold.

The USPS has not announced when it will cease selling the stamp and these items, so get them while you still can at the original price. Once the Postal Service stops selling them, the stamp resellers will step in and sell some, but raise prices.

Anyone can buy the stamp and legally resell them later, at their own price. They can also be resold as part of non-profit fundraising.

“Recently, some local organizations have sold the stamp as part of their auctions for fundraising,” Osako explained. “We encourage organizations to buy the stamp, use them, and resell or auction them for fundraising, so the community benefits from the stamp. The late founders of our campaign worked tirelessly so we could have this opportunity to remember our Nisei Veterans through the stamp.”

To continue to raise awareness of the Nisei Soldiers legacy this year and beyond, the Stamp Our Story Committee is releasing a short documentary film about the story behind the stamp. The 18-minute film, titled “Stamp Our Story: Honoring America’s Nisei Veterans,” is being submitted at various film festivals. The Films of Remembrance and DisOrient Film Festivals both recently announced that the documentary will be among their featured films this year.

The Committee is also urging people to keep sending letters of support to the USPS and to their congressional lawmakers asking the Postal Service to issue the Senator Inouye stamp. The late Senator was a Medal of Honor Recipient and a Go For Broke Veteran from the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

In addition, the Committee is calling for organizations interested in holding a special event with the Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp pictorial postmark. Manzanar National Historic Site and the Poston Community Alliance both held such events with hundreds of participants to commemorate the Nisei Soldiers story. Interested organizations can reach out to the Committee for details.

Click here to link to USPS.com and their Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp page.

An attendee to the Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp Dedication shares one of the first stamp sheets to be sold by the Postal Service. The dedication ceremony was held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California, on June 3, 2021. (Image courtesy of SOSC)

The Postal Service is selling the Go For Broke Soldiers Limited Edition Collectible Set on USPS.com. Soon, the Go For Broke Soldiers Stamp and special items like these will cease to be sold by the USPS. (Image courtesy of USPS)

Veterans Day 2021 – Honoring Our Nisei Vets Through the Stamp

This Veterans Day, and every day, we honor ALL who have served in our military.

“I think it matters in proving your loyalty,” said Don Miyada, 96, of Westminster, California. “Some of the veterans I know, especially the older ones, were very strong on that. In fact, they felt that they were helping the younger kids, and others who came back alive, to have a better life.”

Miyada is one of the few remaining World War 2 American “Nisei” veterans still living. The word “Nisei” comes from the Japanese language, meaning “second generation,” or those American descendants of the immigrant generation from Japan. The Nisei Soldiers of the war were the 30,000 American men and women whose loyalty was doubted by the US government due only to their immigrant parents who were originally from Japan, the enemy nation at the time. The Nisei served with legendary distinction despite intense racial prejudice directed at them, their family members, and at the whole Japanese American community.

“You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice, and you have won,” President Harry S. Truman declared to the Nisei Soldiers and members of the press in July 1946 at the Presidential Unit Citation Ceremony in Washington, DC. Over the years, presidents, lawmakers, and historians have increasingly recognized their amazing accomplishments.

The Nisei received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011, and they were collectively honored this year by the US Postal Service with the “Go For Broke Japanese American Soldiers of World War II” Forever commemorative postage stamp (pictured below). Men served mainly in the US Army’s 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. Women served mainly in the Women’s Army Corps, Cadet Nurse Corps, Army Nurse Corps, and in the MIS.

People across the nation are now actively buying the stamp, and using it with pride. Lyndy McGrody of Pasadena, California, and her fiance Daniel Jansen, decided to use the stamp for their wedding invitations. McGrody’s grandparents endured incarceration during the war at the Heart Mountain, Wyoming camp. “I am hoping the Go For Broke Stamp sparks conversations amongst others so more people can learn the history behind the stamp and all the other Japanese American stories it represents.”

The phrase ‘Go For Broke’ comes from Hawaiian slang, meaning to persevere with everything you’ve got, and the phrase was a Nisei battle cry. Go For Broke veterans, like all of our Nation’s beloved veterans of the war, are hard to find nowadays. Those who remain are in their late nineties with some now over 100 years old. Their numbers are dwindling.

Miyada was among the 120,000 Americans of Japanese heritage whose Constitutional rights were unjustly removed and forced into concentration camps, with no due process, no proof that they broke any laws. “My parents lost everything. They lost the farm. They lost the store. They lost means of livelihood. They lost everything,” Miyada explained. He was drafted from the Poston, Arizona incarceration camp to serve as a replacement soldier in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion.

“I think by serving in the Armed Forces — 100th Battalion, 442nd, MIS, WAC, and other units — they showed that they were willing to fight for their country,” said Miyada. “And the fact that they did it so well, speaks very highly of them. MIS did a sterling job in their translation work. 442nd/100th Battalion set an enviable record in Europe being the most decorated unit for time of service. And so I think if the general population saw those figures, they would like to welcome these people as fellow citizens.”

When asked about the Go For Broke Stamp, Miyada expanded on its importance. “I think the stamp will be important. I think anything that brings out the fact that Nisei, despite discrimination and hardships imposed upon them by their government, were able to perform so notably in battle, I think, is a real credit to the Nisei Soldiers.”

The Go For Broke veterans have become a symbol of perseverance, of rising above racial prejudice, and of American patriotism.

Mary Pat Higgins Abrunzo, of Anna Maria, Florida, is using the stamp on her holiday greeting cards this year in honor of the memory of her late father, World War 2 US Army veteran, Captain Marty Higgins. Capt. Higgins was among the 211 surviving unit members of the Lost Battalion from 36th Texas Infantry who were rescued by the Nisei Soldiers in the Vosges Mountains of France. “I was in a long line at the post office and wasn’t sure if they had the Go For Broke stamp,” Higgins Abrunzo explained. “I asked a postal employee who was straightening out boxes for sale if they had the stamp. He said yes. The man behind me asked what the stamp commemorated. As I told him the story the entire line was all ears. Many questions followed and I was proud to share I had known many of these brave men and that they had rescued my father, Captain Marty Higgins, in the Lost Battalion. The stamp will be on all of my holiday cards.”

US Army “Go For Broke” veteran Don Miyada (100th Bn) – far right, with fellow vets Ralph Matsumoto (MIS) – left, and Yosh Nakamura (442nd RCT) – center, at the Go For Broke Stamp dedication in Los Angeles, California, in June 2021. Image courtesy of Mario Gershom Reyes.
People are using the Go For Broke Stamp across the nation. Lyndy McGrody and Daniel Jansen, of Pasadena, California, are using it for their wedding save-the-date announcements and invitations. Image courtesy of Lyndy McGrody.
President Harry S. Truman salutes the Nisei Soldiers in Washington, DC, in July 1946. Image courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

JAVA’s Day of Affirmation Honors Nisei Soldiers and Recognizes the Nisei Stamp

This photo was taken at the Price of Freedom Wall, National World War II Memorial.  Left to right: Michelle Amano, LT Caitlin Takahashi-Pipkin, Gerald Yamada, JAVA President, and Tyler Franklin.  Photo credit: Nicole Yamada.

This article was reprinted courtesy of the Japanese American Veterans Association.

On July 15, 2021, at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) marked the 75th anniversary of President Truman’s affirmation that all the Japanese American soldiers, men and women, who served during World War II are America’s heroes.  On July 15, 1946, President Harry S. Truman saluted returning Japanese American soldiers, on the White House Ellipse, by stating that “You fought not only the enemy, but you fought prejudice – and you have won.  Keep up that fight, and we will continue to win…” removing any doubt that they are loyal citizens of the United States of America.  

The ceremonial wreath incorporated the image of the Go For Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of World War II Commemorative Stamp. The military escort for the wreath was LT Caitlin Takahashi-Pipkin, who is a granddaughter of Kazuo Takahashi, who served in the Military Intelligence Service, and Fusa Takahashi, who is one of the original co-founders of the Stamp Our Story Campaign.  One of the two wreath bearers was Tyler Franklin, who is a grandson of Kazuo and Fusa Takahashi.  The other wreath bearer was Michelle Amano, who is the granddaughter of Mike Masaoka, whose advocacy work with the government allowed Japanese Americans to serve again in the U.S. military and resulted in the creation, in 1943, of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. 

To view JAVA’s Day of Affirmation ceremony, visit JAVA’s website at JAVA-US.org.  

One Story Behind the Stamp: Hawai‘i Cybrarian Shari Tamashiro Contributes to History in Multiple Ways  

 

By Nathan Hokama (for Stamp Our Story)

Cybrarians — librarians adept at online research — may be more accustomed to helping others behind the scenes, but their contributions often thrust them into the limelight. Shari Tamashiro who works at Kapi‘olani Community College, one of the 10 campuses in the statewide University of Hawai‘i system, is one of those cybrarians. She is one of many individuals worldwide who have played an important role over the past 16 years to make the first U.S. postage stamp featuring a Go for Broke Nisei Soldier a reality. Little did Tamashiro know a photo of Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto that she used for an online digital storytelling project would one day itself make history.

Shari Tamashiro, a cybrarian in the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology at Kapi‘olani Community College (KCC), is passionate about historical preservation and storytelling. So it was only fitting for her to be tasked with creating the Hawaii Nisei Story website, a joint project of the University of Hawai‘i Center for Oral History, Hamilton Library, and KCC. Tamashiro was already well acquainted with Nisei. While an undergraduate at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, she had the opportunity to visit Fort Snelling/Camp Savage and do extensive research on the Military Intelligence Service Language School.

The third generation Okinawan/Japanese American who had two uncles who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team put her academic research and digital technology experience to good use. She masterfully brought to life the stories of more than 20 Nisei men and women who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion, 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, the Military Intelligence Service, the Varsity Victory Volunteers, and the Women’s Army Corps — a project that took years to complete. The result: a scholarly compendium that serves as an approachable resource for those who never learned why the Hawaii Nisei generation deserves such prominent recognition in American and world history.

A Work of Lasting Value

Meticulously pouring over pages and pages of oral history transcripts from the six-hour interviews with each Nisei hero and heroine, Tamashiro transformed the transcripts into digital stories, giving readers a firsthand, “talk story” experience as each one shared their experiences in their own voice. Their stories of sacrifice, loyalty and teamwork epitomize the values of the Nisei — the result of what they learned from their parents, the Issei generation. Tamashiro also conducted additional research to illuminate points made in their interviews to provide more context and to add another dimension to their stories. (See sidebar on Glider Training.)

The website preserves and perpetuates the legacy of the Hawaii Nisei generation for those who grew up with only a superficial understanding of what happened to their parents, grandparents or other relatives who rarely talked about their experiences out of humility or to avoid the pain of having to relive the trauma. The Hawaii Nisei Stories website fills an important void by letting generations of today connect to their past and understand the civil rights implications for today to prevent history from repeating itself.

Tamashiro noted that although the process of advocating for the stamp is fascinating, she said “the Go for Broke and Nisei stories are what matters the most and we should not lose sight of the application of the lessons we learned from their experiences, especially with what is happening in our nation today.”

Working with Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto

Tamashiro has a special affinity for Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto, who served as a guide at the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii for 30 years.

“He was the first story that I worked on for the Hawaii Nisei Story website, so I took twice as long,” Tamashiro recalls, as she developed the prototype format for the other stories.

“I felt like I knew all the details of his life by the time I met him.”

Tamashiro eventually met Yamamoto in real life and had an opportunity to work directly with him for the Hawaii Nisei Soldiers website, including selecting photos from his personal collection to accompany his online story.

The company contracted by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to design the Go for Broke Soldiers commemorative stamp came across the photo of Yamamoto on the Hawaii Nisei Story website, and contacted Tamashiro to use the photo.

“I’m glad he was chosen because he was one of the unassuming, regular guys,” she said. “He was not a Medal of Honor winner but he played an important role like all the others.”

The Go for Broke Soldiers stamp image was created by Antonio Alcalá, art director with USPS, using the intaglio method, a handmade printmaking process developed in the 1600s.

Sharing Her Expertise

Tamashiro’s authority on the contributions of the Nisei during and after World War II made her highly sought after for two other projects. She created the “Looking Like the Enemy” exhibit at Pearl Harbor and curated a 14-poster exhibit for display at Central Pacific Bank’s main branch in downtown Honolulu. Central Pacific Bank was founded by Nisei Veterans who were unable to obtain loans from other banks when they returned from the war, so they started their own financial institution which continues today.

Tamashiro also served as president of the board of trustees of the Hawaiian Historical Society and has the distinction of being the first foreign and first female World Eisa Ambassador appointed by the government of Okinawa.

Did you know…

Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamato was born when his father was 46 years old, which is how he got his name:  “Shi roku” or four-six. Shiro is also the Japanese word for white, which explains his nickname “Whitey.”

Glider Training During World War II

Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto, who was part of the 442nd’s Antitank Company, was pulled from the battlefield for a special assignment. They underwent special training in Rome, Italy, to be part of the glider troop to ultimately rescue “The Lost Battalion” in southern France.

A sidebar on the training for the glider operation, on the Hawaii Nisei Story site, allows you to experience the exhilaration, suspense, pride and sorrow experienced by the soldiers. Many in the Antitank Company lost their lives or were injured. C-47 tug planes towed the gliders made with metal, wood and canvas over the Ligurian Sea to reach their destination. After paratroopers first secured the fields for landing, the gliders literally hit the ground running until they were relieved by seaborne troops. They continued to clear mines, guard roads and tunnels, and capture Germans.

President Joe Biden’s Stamp Statement

June 3, 2021

It is my honor to recognize the United States Postal Service’s release of the Go for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of World War II commemorative stamp. Japanese American soldiers who fought for our Nation’s freedom during World War II represent the best of who we are as Americans—patriotic, selfless, and courageous. Their service and devotion know no bounds, and our Nation owes them a profound debt of gratitude.

Our Japanese American Service members served heroically in World War II — in combat, the Military Intelligence Service, and the Women’s Army Corps. They served with bravery and valor and were part of some of the most decorated and distinguished military units in our Nation’s history. 18,000 medals, nine Presidential Unit Citations, and 21 Medals of Honor were awarded to members of the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. These patriots fought courageously for our freedom and democracy around the globe even while being stripped of personal liberties and property rights here in America.

This stamp also recognizes the struggle of the Japanese Americans who were immorally and unconstitutionally forced into inhumane incarceration camps. It is a reminder of some of our history’s most shameful and darkest days, and it is why I promise to fight every day for a more just and inclusive America. Xenophobia still exists in this country, and anti-Asian violence and hate has tragically increased during the pandemic. I signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law in May to address this crisis, and my Administration will continue to stand up against the ugly poison of hate that has long haunted and plagued our Nation.

The resilience and determination of Japanese American Service members who fought during World War II embody the best of the American spirit, and this stamp is a small but significant way to honor their allegiance and gallantry. God bless you all, and God bless our troops.

Joe Biden

Reflections – Leslie Sakato

June 1, 2021

I want to thank everyone who worked tirelessly to create the Go For Broke stamp as well as those who worked to get the Go For Broke Stamp issued.  I know my father, in heaven, is especially proud and happy for this to be happening. I can visualize the joy on his face.  

The attached photo, which is one of my all-time favorites, was taken at the Stockyards Branch of the Post Office at a gathering celebrating the issuance of the Medal of Honor WWII stamps.  I believe a reporter from the Denver Post took this photo. Can you imagine the size of his smile if he were holding both the Medal of Honor and the Go For Broke stamps? 

George “Joe” Sakato receiving a postal honor in November 2013 (Photo courtesy of the Denver Post)

 My father’s story is not unlike many young Japanese Americans at that time.  When his family heard that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, his reaction was shock, disbelief and a need to join Military Service to defend the country he loves, and then followed by Executive Order 9066 deeming him an enemy alien.  He was devastated.  “Why?  I am an American!”  

He had extended family in Phoenix who agreed to take them in which made it possible to avoid being sent to an internment camp.  So, when he was allowed to enlist, he had added incentive to prove that the Japanese Americans were loyal Americans, who loved their country as much or more than other young American men.

My father always said he enlisted in the Air Force.  To his surprise, when they got off the bus for basic training, he asked his DI “Where are the Airplanes?”  to which the DI replied “Son, you are in the Army now.”  They, needless to say, were in the segregated unit RCT442. 

My dad was not a natural soldier.  He said he couldn’t shoot well, and the rigor of going up and down the mountains in France was so hard that his buddies had to carry his pack for him.  He was required to carry his own gun, just in case it was needed.  (In his 70’s he learned from his cardiologist that he had a heart murmur which most likely was part of the problem for him back then.)  

On Hill 617 when his best friend, Saburo Tanamachi, died in his arms, he started a one man charge up the hill with his Thompson submachine gun.  When the Thompson ran out of ammunition, he continued his charge with a German rifle and pistol.  He killed seven German soldiers and he and his platoon (who followed his lead up the hill) captured 34. 

As his platoon was on en route to rescue the Lost Battalion he was wounded by a mortar shell which exploded behind him.  His heavy winter coat tightly folded in his backpack slowed down the shell, which ended up becoming embedded so close to his heart that the doctors felt it was safer to leave it in his chest.  Dad spent more time in the hospitals than his actual service time on the battle fields.  He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on the day of his discharge from the Army.  

Once my dad got back from the war, he and his brother, Henry, decided to take a trip across the country before settling down.  Henry knew a young man in his unit that lived in Denver.  During that Denver stop, my father met Bess Saito who he later married.  

Dad talked about how difficult it was to find a job post-war.  The anger toward the Japanese was the main problem.  He would often wear his uniform to job interview as a way to show his allegiance to our country.  He took classes at the University of Denver during the day and worked at the post office at night.  He found the Post Office a good place for him.  He found another family working at the USPS.   

In 2000 my dad’s DSC was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.  When the General called to tell him of the upgrade to the MOH my father was speechless.  The general wondered if dad had passed out because it took so long for him to respond.  This honor allowed my parents to travel across our Nation to MOH events and meet wonderful people.   

I think a benefit that few would realize is it gave my father a forum to tell the story of the 442nd.  Most vets were amazed at his memory and willingness to share his stories.  I loved going with him and watching the students faces as he would talk.   

He would always end his talk saying “People say that I am a hero, but I am not.  The real heroes are the ones who were not able to come home.”  He was proud to be a part of the 442nd, and proud to keep their memory alive.  

Remember the ceremony for the Medal of Honor Stamp?  When the post office learned that dad was a WWII MOH recipient and a retired postal employee he was invited to the WWII Memorial for the unveiling.  That was very special.  We even met the Postmaster General.  

The most recent blessing is that the Stockyards Station post office was renamed the “George Sakato Post Office” in 2019.  It is not a fancy station, but it is the office from which he retired.  

I am very grateful to the Postal Service for honoring the Nisei Veterans and for taking such good care of one of their employees. 

Leslie Sakato (right) with her father, the late George “Joe” Sakato (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Reflections – Sandra Tanamachi

Sandra Tanamachi(right) with family at the grave of Saburo Tanamachi, Arlington National Cemetery (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

June 1, 2021

What a fitting tribute to our beloved Nisei Veterans to have a U.S. Forever Stamp which recognizes and honors them for their extraordinary heroism, bravery, and sacrifices during WWII. We each stand on their shoulders, and we and future generations to come have all benefitted from their acts of courage and sacrifices.  Sincere thanks to Fusa Takahashi, Aiko O. King, and the late Chiz Ohira for beginning and leading the campaign which began in 2005. Wayne Osako, another early leader in the campaign, deserves much appreciation and thanks for making the fruition of the Go For Broke Nisei Soldiers Stamp a reality.  It’s been an honor and privilege for me to a part of this campaign since February 2007. 

This is one way of personally thanking my four Tanamachi uncles who were part of the famed 442nd, and the two uncles on my mother, Kikuko Nakao Tanamachi’s Nakao side. One of my mother’s younger brothers, Taira Nakao, was part of the MIS and served in Tokyo during the Occupation of Japan. Nobumasa “Happy” Kitayama was part of the 442nd and was married to my mother’s younger sister, Ikuko Nakao Kitayama.

None of our uncles ever spoke about being in the 442 while we were growing up in Texas . However, my four siblings and I were introduced to Uncle Saburo by his picture which was hanging prominently in our grandparents living room. He was dressed in his Army uniform and cap with a superior marksmanship pin on his left side.  Included in the picture frame were his Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart.  He had written on the top of his picture, “To Mother and Dad, and all the rest,” then signed on the bottom, “Just a soldier, Saburo Tanamachi.”

Willie was the first of the Tanamachi brothers to enlist in the Army Air Corps when he was 19 years old. He was born on March 1, 1921 the day when our grandparents, Kumazo and Asao Hirayama Tanamachi, arrived in Beaumont, Texas with their five older children, Jack Ichiro, Jerry Jiro (my father), Fumiko Onishi, Saburo, and Goro. Our grandfather had come from Fukuoka, Japan and settled in Seal Beach, California. He married Asao Hirayama who also was from Fukuoka, and they began their family and started farming. Kumazo wasn’t able to purchase his own land in California, so he moved his family to Texas where land was available for him to purchase.

 After December 1941, Willie was involuntarily reassigned from the Army Air Corps to other units of the Army. In the summer of 1944, as a sergeant with almost 4 years of military service, Willie was sent to Camp Shelby where he joined the 171st Infantry Battalion which trained replacements for the 442nd RCT.  In June 1945, he was sent to France on board the Queen Mary for his assignment in Germany. During the Korean War, Willie was stationed in Germany, subsequently completed two tours of duty in Vietnam, and retired in 1971 after serving for more than 30 years of military service.

Willie’s older brother, Saburo, was born on April 1, 1917 and was drafted in February 1944. When the 442nd RCT was activated, he joined it as a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion. He was killed in action on October 29, 1944, during the rescue of the trapped Texas Battalion on Hill 617 in the vicinity of Biffontaine, located in northeastern France. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Saburo, squad leader, died in the arms of this best friend, George T. “Joe” Sakato. Assuming the command of the squad, Sakato, armed with an enemy rifle and pistol, led the charge against the enemy to avenge the death of his buddy. His display of courage, over and beyond the call of duty, turned impending defeat into victory. Sakato was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Official photo of E Company marching into Bruyeres in October 1944. Saburo Tanamachi is shown looking at the camera on the far left of the image. Behind him is his best buddy, George T. “Joe” Sakato. Later in the same month as this image, Saburo would be shot by German troops, and die in the arms of Joe. Enraged by the death of his friend, Joe would lead a charge for which he would later be awarded the Medal of Honor. (Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration)

General Jacob L. Devers, Commanding Officer of the 100th/442nd RCT, presents the U.S. Flag to Saburo Tanamachi’s parents at Arlington National Cemetery, in June 1948 (Photo courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration).

Saburo was one of the first two Japanese Americans along with Fumitake Nagato to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.  Honorary pallbearers included the following individuals: General Jacob Devers, Commanding General of the Army Ground Forces who commanded the Sixth Army Group under which the 442nd fought in France; Major General John E. Dahlquist, Commanding Officer of the 36th Texas Division to which the 442nd was attached for the offensive in France; Colonel Charles W. Pence, Commander of the 442nd; Colonel Virgil R. Miller, Commander of the 442nd RCT after Colonel Pence was wounded in the Vosges; Colonel Charles H. Owens, wartime commander of the 141st Infantry Regiment, parent company unit of the Lost Battalion; Mike Masaoka, National Legislative Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and former 442nd member; Ira Shimasaki, President of the WDC JACL Chapter; and Jesse S. Shima, Head of the Japan -America Society of Washington, D.C. 

General Jacob L. Devers said, “There is one supreme and final test of loyalty to one’s native land. This test is readiness and willingness to fight for, and if need be, to die for one’s country. These Americans, and their fellow Nisei veterans, passed that test with colors flying. They proved their loyalty and devotion beyond all question. The United States Army salutes you, Pfc. Fumitake Nagato and Pfc. Saburo Tanamachi. You and your compatriots will live in our hearts and our history as Americans, first class.”

Goro Tanamachi, born on May 27, 1919, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940, was sent to aviation technical school, and graduated as an airplane mechanic.  He was removed from duty  after December 7, 1941. When the 442nd RCT was formed in February 1943, Goro was sent to Camp Shelby initially as a member of the training cadre and then deployed to Italy and France with the 442nd. While in France, he was called to identify the body of his older brother Saburo on October 29, 1944. Goro earned four Bronze Star Medals and was honorably discharged on August 4, 1945. 

Walter Tanamachi was the youngest brother born on May 30, 1925.  He was assigned to the Port of Bremerhaven, Germany, around 1945.  He was selected for Officer Candidate School and received his commission as Second Lieutenant.  Following his discharge, he attended Texas A&M University on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1952. 

Born on August 18, 1923, Taira Nakao was incarcerated in Rohwer, Arkansas, along with his mother, 2 sisters, and younger brother. He was able to find work on his brother-in-law, Jerry Jiro Tanamachi’s farm after his older sister, Kikuko Nakao Tanamachi, married Jerry and moved to Texas. It was in Texas where he was drafted into the Army and was assigned to the MIS due to his abilities to speak, read, and write in Japanese. He served in Tokyo during the Occupation of Japan. 

 Nobumasa “Happy” Kitayama born on February 2, 1925, graduated from Donna High School in 1943. He was drafted into the Army where he served his country as a sharpshooter and was promoted to sergeant after only 18 months.  He was honorably discharged in 1946 and returned to Donna, Texas, to take over the family farm.

The Go For Broke Nisei Soldier Stamp will honor each of these outstanding uncles, as well as each of our beloved Nisei veterans across the nation who served valiantly during WWII.  It is, indeed, a most fitting way to honor and remember our Heroes!

Sandra Tanamachi (Nakata), Lake Jackson, Texas 

Saburo Tanamachi, 442nd RCT (E Company), was killed in action on October 29, 1944, during the Rescue of the Lost Battalion (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Goro Tanamachi, 442nd RCT (HQ, 2nd Bn), Tech 4th Grade. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Willie Tanamachi, 442nd RCT, 171st Bn, Cadre. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Walter Tanamachi, 442nd RCT, 2nd Lt. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Taira Nakao, MIS. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

Nobumasa “Happy” Kitayama, 442nd RCT. (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

“Happy” Kitayama (seated on the left), with his wife and Family (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi)

This image shows the children of Goro Tanamachi (Courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi).

The children and family of Willie Tanamachi (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi).

Walter Tanamachi’s twin daughters (Photo courtesy of Sandra Tanamachi).

The Hawai’i Herald December 2020 Article

USPS “Go For Broke” Postal Stamp 2021 Release

The Story and Image of Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto Represent the Courage and Humility of World War II Nisei Veterans

December 18, 2020

The Hawai’i Herald, Volume 41, No. 24

Reprinted by special permission of The Hawai’i Herald

By Gregg Kakesako, Special to The Hawai’i Herald

A quiet, humble, and unassuming Honolulu Nisei veteran is featured on the “Go For Broke” stamp dedicated to the soldiers of World War II who are Americans of Japanese ancestry. U.S. Postal Service Art Director Antonio Alcalá’s engraved depiction of the 1944 wartime photo of Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto is one of 19 commemorative stamps to be issued next year by the USPS.

The stamp is based on a 1944 photo taken of U.S. Army Private First Class Yamamoto in combat gear standing at a railroad station in Touet de L’Escarene, a village in southeastern France. 

The “Go For Broke” stamp comes after 15 years of lobbying by the mainland Nisei “Stamp Our Story” campaign (www.niseistamp.org). “Go For Broke” was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a gambling term in Hawaiian pidgin that in the game of craps means to go all in.

Roy Betts, USPS spokesman, told The Hawai’i HeraId that no arrangements have been made for a dedication ceremony on the day the stamp will be issued and that because of the pandemic, the ceremony might have to happen over Facebook or Twitter.

Only two other minority service members — Hispanic Americans in 1984 and black Buffalo Soldiers in 1994 — have been recognized by the postal service with a stamp. USPS receives upwards of 50,000 proposals annually for stamps on United States-related subjects.

Stamp of Honor

The USPS said the stamp “recognizes the contributions of Japanese American soldiers — 33,000 who served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service and other units.” The mail service points out that many of these soldiers enlisted from barbed-wire internment camps to prove their loyalty as U.S. citizens.

Three California nisei women, all former internees of whom two were widows of 442nd and MIS veterans, began the stamp campaign in 2005. The campaign with the backing of the Japanese American Citizens League drew nationwide support and even petitions from French citizens and officials from towns the Nisei warriors had liberated. The late U.S. Congressional Rep. Mark Takai of Hawai’i was one of the major sponsors of this legislation, introduced in 2016 to request the postal service issue a stamp honoring AJA World War II soldiers, both men and women.

The stamp will join other tributes to the Nisei warriors, which include National Go For Broke Day celebrated on April 15 and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Wayne Osako, co-chairman of “Stamp Our Story” campaign, said, “the stamp would not be a reality without Hawai’i’s help, and [we are] so glad to see a Hawai’i local as the face on the stamp,” citing the support of the late Rep. Mark Takai and Gov. David Ige. “We want to point out that one of the three Nisei women who started the campaign, the late Chiz Ohira, was married to legendary 442 veteran Ted Ohira of Makaweli, Kaua’i.”

Shari Tamashiro, Kapi’olani Community College cybrarian, applauded the decision by postal officials “to pick one of the regular guys” to represent the Nisei warriors of World War II. “They could have settled and picked one of the Medal [of Honor] recipients (21 of them were in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team) to be the face on the stamp.”

Tamashiro said postal officials called her after seeing Shiroku Yamamoto’s 1944 photo on “The Hawai’i Nisei Story” website (nisei.hawaii.edu) in 2017. The website documents the oral histories Tamashiro and University of Hawail staff had collected from 21 World War II AJA veterans and their families including interviews with one Women’s Army Corps soldier and four civilian women.

In the Hawai’i Nisei Story’s first oral history interview in 2005, Yamamoto said he got the nickname “Whitey” because his first name, Shiroku, was hard to say. And since “shiro” means “white” in Japanese, friends started to call him “Whitey.”

Grace Tsubata Fujii, president of Sons & Daughters of the 442nd RCT told The Hawai’i Herald “Whitey was another one of our favorite heroes.”

“Yamamoto was greatly loved and well-respected,” Fujii said. She described him as “extremely friendly, gracious, cheerful, positive, prompt, generous, humble, neat, well-dressed and a dedicated 442nd Veterans Club member and officer.”

“Every week Whitey faithfully walked from his condominium on Atkinson Drive to the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii, Fort DeRussy, to volunteer as a greeter and docent,” recalled Fujii. He was named Volunteer of the Year in 1995, and last year, that Volunteer of the Year award was named after Yamamoto in honor of his 30 years of service.

Retired Gen. David Bramlett, former head of the museum, told The Hawai’i Herald that Yamamoto “was a superb volunteer who did far more than was ever asked or expected of him. He was a regular at the entrance/sign-in desk of the museum, making every visitor feel welcome; he was literally the face of the museum to the thousands of visitors he greeted.”

Bramlett was the four-star general who commanded United States Forces Command from July 1, 1996, to Aug. 31, 1998. He also served as deputy commander of U.S. Pacific Command and as interim commander when Adm. Richard Macke stepped down as head of Pacific Command.

“I used to embarrass [Yamamoto] by telling visitors who he really was, well beyond a greeter at the door of the museum. I told them that Whitey was a veteran of the 100/442 RCT, the most decorated unit for its size and duration of service in our history. He was living history, and they should remember him when they are visiting the gallery of the Nisei units.”

Fujii said Yamamoto was “the right veteran soldier to honor all of the Nisei soldiers of World War II.”

His “Go For Broke” spirit, friends say, is best reflected in his Hawai’i Nisei Project interview where Yamamoto said his family came to Hawai’i to find a better life. “We were brought up properly. Not to bring shame or disgrace to our family, or to our neighbors, or even to the community.”

He concluded, “The 100th and the 442nd never stepped back; always go forward and accomplish the mission, regardless of how hard it was.”

Hamakua Roots

Yamamoto was born on the Big Island’s Hamakua Coast in Ninole in 1923 to issei Asaemon and Kimiko. His father, an independent sugar-cane planter, raised him alone since his mother left the family when he was three months old. 

In a February 2005 oral history interview conducted by UH researcher Warren Nishimoto, Yamamoto recalls his father taking him to the cane fields on the forest line about two miles from their home. “Dad would be working out in the field; I would cut the grass to feed the horse.”

When Yamamoto was in the 10th grade, he dropped out of Laupahoehoe High School to care for is ailing father who died in 1941. Then from age 17, Yamamoto was cared for by foster parents, Elvis and Mary Rhoads, whom he eventually called “Mom and Dad.”

Military Service

Following the Japanese attack on the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in 1941, Yamamoto joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked to move lava rocks at Pohakuloa to help build Saddle Road from Hilo to Kona. Following his Laupahoehoe classmates who began enlisting in 1943, Yamamoto volunteered in that he believed was the “first wave” of young men from Hawai’i island who were sent to Schofield Barracks for basic training: Like many of his colleagues, Yamamoto admitted this action took “more guts than brains.”

At Camp Shelby in Mississippi, Yamamoto was assigned to the 442nd RCT’s Anti-Tank Company as a jeep driver. One of Yamamoto’s first assignments was to transport and guard German prisoners of war who were captured in North Africa and used to harvest peanuts in Georgia and Alabama.

Yamamoto recalls that while training at Camp Shelby he learned that a neighbor from Hawaii, Sadami Yada, had been sent to Rohwer internment camp in Arkansas. He described the visit to Rohwer as “a sobering experience”– the camp was in wooded swampland surrounded by guards, a stockade and a high barbed-wire fence.

Yamamoto and members of the 442nd RCT were deployed to Europe in May 1, 1944, merging with the 100th Battalion in Italy. One of his assignments was reconnaissance, where he had to determine the placement of 57 mm anti-tank guns.

In August 1944, Yamamoto’s Anti-Tank Company was temporarily assigned to the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment and participated its “Operation Dragoon” – part of the allied airborne invasion of 44 gliders into southern France.

The French towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine had already been liberated when the Anti-Tank Company rejoined the 442 RCT. Yamamoto was assigned to Headquarters Platoon when Maj. Gen. John Dahlquist ordered the 442nd RCT to rescue a battalion of soldiers from the Texas 36th Division. The miraculous rescue of the Lost Battalion of 211 Texas soldiers was overshadowed by the death of 216 Nisei soldiers and 856 wounded.

After the Vosges campaign the Nisei soldiers spent the next four months in the Maritime Alps and the French Riviera and than joined the 5th Army. in Italy. While stationed on the coast of southern France, Yamamoto documented the capture of a one-man German submarine. 

Yamamoto was discharged as a Private First Class in January 1946 and returned to Honolulu to attend and graduate from Leilehua High School where his foster father, Elvis Rhoads, was principal. Using the GI bill he learned watch repairing and jewelry manufacturing on the mainland.

After four years, Yamamoto returned to Hawai’i and married his Laupahoehoe schoolmate, Amy Yamamoto (no relation), in 1951. The two had been corresponding with each other during the war and while Whitey was on the mainland.

Amy Motoyo Yamamoto was the fifth of six children of Gisuke Nakahara and Hisa Yamamoto who were issei from Hiroshima. Under the practice known as “mukooshi,” Amy’s father adopted his wife Hisa’s family’s name and became part of that Yamamoto line.

After getting married, “Whitey” Yamamoto worked as an aircraft technician at Hickam Airfield, Lockheed Aircraft and Aloha Airlines, where he spent 22 years before his retirement. 

In 2006, the Yamamotos, who had no children, with the help of the University of Hawaii Foundation, used the income from their properties to establish a scholarship and AJA Veteran’s Collection Endowed fund to honor Yamamoto’s fellow Nisei soldiers and to further the legacy of his foster parents of promoting public education. 

Like some of the 442nd veterans who spent much of the war not on the front lines, Yamamoto tried to downplay his role. “So I don’t want to brag myself that I was in the 442nd or any outfit, and they (442nd front-line soldiers) are the ones I take my hat off (to),” said Yamamoto in his 2005 interview. “The ones that were directly facing the enemies, they are the ones that really fought. They suffered the most.”

Amy Yamamoto died in 2011 and “Whitey” Yamamoto followed seven years later.

Honor and Humility

Shari Tamashiro believes Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto fittingly represents the 442nd. “It would be wonderful if people know the face on the stamp that’s representing all the guys. Because he … has a great story that I’m hoping people looking at the stamp will want to learn about the story of the 100th Battalion and the 442nd,” commented Tamashiro. 

“I loved that he was selected,” Tamashiro admitted. “He was so humble … always willing to help.”

“Whitey was always willing to talk about his experiences,” Tamashiro said. “He knew it was really important to share his story … to help future generations understand what they went through.”

***

To read about the new 2021 stamps go to www.about.usps.com/newsroom/national-re-leases/2020/1117-usps-announces-upcom-ing-stamps.htm.

For more information about the Nisei warriors go to: www.nisei.hawaii.edu.

Gregg K. Kakesako worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Gannett News Service and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser for more than four decades as a government, political and military affairs reporter and assistant city editor.

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Stamp Our Story sincerely thanks The Hawai’i Herald for allowing us to reprint this article by special permission for historical purposes. Special thanks to Jodie Ching and Gregg Kakesako. We would like to highlight that Mr. Kakesako was one of the first to report about the stamp campaign when he worked at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. We thank him for his excellent coverage of the campaign over the years.

Four Nisei Brothers from Texas Served: At 91, Willie is Lone Survivor

This article is a special tribute reprint of an article from the Japanese American Veterans Association, November 25, 2012 – Vol. VII, No. 38

By Sandra Tanamachi

HOUSTON, TEXAS. “Never thought of myself as other than American. This was taught to me by my parents,” stated Willie R. Tanamachi, of Houston, Texas. Of six sons of Kumazo and Asao Hirayama Tanamachi, Willie and three brothers served in the United States Army during World War II. He was born on March 1,1921, the day that his parents and family arrived in Texas. 

At the age of 19, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was the first of his brothers to do so. After December 1941, he was involuntarily reassigned from the Army Air Corps to other units of the Army. In the summer of 1944, as a sergeant with almost 4 years of military service, Willie was sent to Camp Shelby where he joined the 171st Infantry Battalion which trained replacements for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. In June 1945, he was sent to France on board the Queen Mary for his assignment in Germany. During the Korean War, Willie was stationed in Germany, subsequently completed two tours of duty in Vietnam, and retired in 1971 after serving more than 30 years of military service.

Willie’s older brother, Saburo was born April 1, 1917 and was drafted in February 1944. When the 442nd RCT was activated he joined it as a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion. He was killed in action on October 29, 1944, during the rescue of the trapped Texas Battalion (“Lost Battalion”) in the vicinity of Biffontaine, located in northeastern France. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star. 

Saburo, squad leader, died in the arms of his best friend, George Joe Sakato. Assuming command of the squad, Sakato, armed with an enemy rifle and pistol, led the charge against the enemy to avenge the death of his buddy. His display of courage, over and beyond the call of duty, turned an impending defeat into victory. Sakato was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Saburo was one of the first two Japanese Americans to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Honorary pallbearers included the following individuals: 

General Jacob Devers, Commanding General of Army Ground Forces who commanded the Sixth Army Group under which the 442nd fought in France; Major General John E. Dahlquist, Commanding General of the 36th Texas Division to which the 442nd was attached for the offensive in France; Colonel Charles W. Pence, Commander of the 442nd; Colonel Virgil R. Miller, Commander of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team after Colonel Pence was wounded in the Vosges; Colonel Charles H. Owens, wartime commander of the 141st Infantry Regiment, parent unit of the “lost battalion”; Mr. Mike Masaoka, National Legislative Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and former 442nd member; Mr. Ira Shimasaki, president of the Washington, DC, JACL chapter, and Mr. Jesse S. Shima, President of the Japanese Society of Washington, DC.

Another older brother, Goro, born May 27, 1919, enlisted in the Army Air Corp in 1940, was sent to aviation technical school, and graduated as an airplane mechanic. He was removed from duty after December 7, 1941. When the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was formed in February 1943, Goro was sent to Camp Shelby initially as a member of the training cadre and then deployed to Italy with the 442nd. On October 29, 1944, he was called to Biffontaine, to identify the body of his brother, Saburo. Goro earned four Bronze Star Medals and was discharged on August 4, 1945.

The youngest brother, Walter, who was born May 30, 1925, was assigned to the Port of Bremerhaven, Germany, around 1945. He was selected for Officer Candidate School and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant. Following his discharge he attended Texas A&M on the G.I. Bill and graduated in 1952.

Willie, the lone surviving brother, turned 91 on March 1, 2012. He attended the Veterans Day ceremonies on November 15 at the newly built veterans memorial at San Benito, Texas, where he attended high school. Commenting on the ceremony, Willie’s niece, Deborah Tanamachi Galvan, stated, “It was a very touching moment when keynote speaker Major General Joyce Stevens asked for veterans of World War II to stand….Uncle Willie stood. Then she asked for veterans of the Korean War to stand….and Uncle Willie stood. Once again she asked for veterans of the Vietnam War to stand…and again Uncle Willie stood. It was definitely a privilege to honor the brave and be in their presence.”