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In a show of support, Japan’s Consul-General Jun Yamada has sent a letter backing the US stamp proposal that features the Japanese American World War II soldiers. “On behalf of the Japanese government, I would like to express my strong support for this proposal, “ Mr. Yamada stated in a June 15^th letter to the Postmaster General, Megan Brennan.  Click here to read the full letter.

This support is unusual due to the fact that the Nisei soldiers were Americans fighting against Japan during the war.

Mr. Yamada recounts in his letter that his recent visit to the Manzanar incarceration center during the April pilgrimage to the site, and his talks with former incarcerees and Nisei veterans, had an impact on him. “They shared inspiring firsthand accounts of the hardships, trials, and triumphs that they and their families experienced during World War II and its aftermath,” he explained. “Japanese Americans’ World War II stories remain relevant as they provide us with important insight on current affairs. I believe that issuing a commemorative postage stamp would be a wonderful way of sharing this history with a wider audience and inspiring a new generation of Americans to learn more.”

The eleven-year grassroots campaign for the stamp, called Stamp Our Story, has struggled against the bureaucracy of the Postal Service stamp selection process. Three California Nisei women who endured World War II incarceration, Fusa Takahashi of Granite Bay, Aiko O. King of Camarillo, and Chiz Ohira of Gardena, sparked the nationwide effort. They are pushing hard this year that a stamp might be issued in 2017, during the 75^th anniversary of the start of the incarceration camps.

The USPS has no obligation to respond to proposals, and often does so on its own timeline, which can take many years. The stamp selection body, called the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, consists of 15 members who are all appointed internally by the Postmaster General. They meet quarterly behind closed doors, and are restricted from discussing stamp selection with the public. Minutes of the meetings are not public. Despite the obstacles and lengthy process, activists continue to seek letters of support from public officials. On May 23^rd, California’s Governor Jerry Brown sent a letter of support, joining 36 members of Congress so far this year.

“We are extremely pleased that Consul-General Yamada has stated his support on behalf of the Japanese government,” said Wayne Osako, co-chair of Stamp Our Story. “His voice shows the Postmaster General that this stamp subject matters not only to the Japanese American community, but also to the greater American public, and even internationally, in Japan.”

The Los Angeles Times newspaper published an article about our stamp campaign on March 20, 2016.  Click here to read the article. Thank you!

February 6, 2016

If you haven’t already heard, people across the country are still pushing for a US commemorative postage stamp that would tell the story of the 33,000 Japanese Americans who enlisted in the US Army despite the internment camps of World War II.

Many people don’t realize that this grassroots campaign started in California, and that the daughter of a historic grocery store owner in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo is one of the leaders of the campaign. Her name is Chizuko “Chiz” Ohira (Akiyama). She turned 88 years old last August. She and her supporters have big plans in store to help people remember these often-overlooked American veterans.

Her father was Issei pioneer, Masao Akiyama. “Issei” means the first generation immigrants who came to the US from Japan. Mr. Akiyama owned and operated “K.M. Akiyama Company,” a well-known store near the corner of San Pedro and First Streets. The Japanese American National Museum is home to the video archives of the Masao Akiyama Collection, with portions viewable online. Ohira can be seen as a young girl in this online footage. Her father took home movies before the war, and they are now preserved at the museum. Two snapshots from those movies are included in this article, courtesy of the museum.  Click here for a link to the movie Masao Akiyama Collection, Archival, Discover Nikkei.

Ohira was just 12 years old when World War II broke out. After Executive Order 9066 was signed into law on February 19, 1942, over 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were forced into ten major internment camps. Two-thirds were American citizens. That spring, Ohira and her family were forced onto buses in front of the old Union Church just down the street from their store. Eventually they ended up at the Poston, Arizona internment camp. Poston was divided into three smaller camps, and her family was sent to Poston One.

Asked why she started the campaign back in 2005, with friends Aiko O. King (88) and Fusa Takahashi (88), Ohira said, “We discussed the necessity to carry out the Go For Broke tradition.” “Go For Broke” was the motto of the 100^th/442^nd Regimental Combat Team, meaning, ‘Go for your goal with everything you’ve got!’

“It’s important to remember the veterans because it was a small battalion, and they worked hard to make a lasting impression,” Ohira pointed out. “Those guys were great because they were ostracized and still fought hard.”

The loyalty of the Nisei was questioned by the US government after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan. “Nisei” is the Japanese word to describe Americans born to parents from Japan. Nisei who enlisted in the US Army were placed in segregated units. Most were in the 100^th/442^nd, but many were interpreters, translators, and intelligence gatherers in the US Army’s Military Intelligence Service, as well. Ohira’s late husband, Ted, was a legendary 100^th/442^nd member of “H Company.”

The Japanese Americans who served are one of the most acclaimed groups in US military history. The 100^th/442^nd would become the most decorated unit of the war with over 18,000 medals, 9000 plus Purple Hearts, and 21 Medals of Honor, all earned within just two years of service during the war. The MIS earned a Presidential Unit Citation, and were critical in winning the war against Japan. Their service is credited with shortening the war by two years. The MIS also served important post-war roles in the Allied Occupation of Japan. Both groups were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011.

“Ted volunteered from Hawaii,” Ohira explained. “I think he volunteered because he lived in Honolulu and he saw the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He and his friends wanted to join the Army after that.” Ted Ohira was only 17 years old, and under the age requirement to serve in the Army at the time. But, the story goes, he wanted to serve so much that he tricked his parents to sign his enlistment papers just so he could join.

Ted Ohira was featured in the 1951 movie, “Go For Broke.” He can be seen playing the ukulele in the opening scene. “ Ted was good for the troops,” Ohira said. “He could sing and entertain them.” He would go on to serve in the military with great honor, awarded the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars during the war. He fought in five major campaigns during the war, including in the famed Rescue of the Lost Battalion, when the 100^th/442^nd took heavy casualties to rescue 211 men from a Texas battalion that became surrounded by the Germans.

Ohira and her supporters are re-launching the stamp campaign this year to honor veterans like her late husband. The campaign is co-founded with Fusa Takahashi, who is also a widow of a Nisei veteran. Close friend Aiko O. King is also a founder. The campaign coalition includes family members and friends of the veterans, Emmy Award-winning film producer Jeff MacIntyre, and even actor George Takei. Many national organizations, including the Japanese American National Museum, Simon Wiesenthal Center – Museum of Tolerance, American Jewish Committee, and the Organization of Chinese Americans, have voiced past support for Ohira’s campaign. Prominent organizations are again encouraged to voice their renewed support and join in this coalition.

This month, the campaign is encouraging individuals to contact their members of Congress to sign a new Congressional letter of support which asks the Postmaster General to green light the stamp for these veterans. Another initiative this month will be an online White House petition to begin on February 19^th, coinciding with the Day of Remembrance for the internment camps. The White House petition, if it can get 100,000 signers within 30 days, will get an official response from the President, or an official from his Administration. Though it is not a guarantee of a stamp, to get the President’s attention would be a major success. Signing the petition just requires the signer to be 13 years or older with a valid email address, which must be verified during the signing process.

The campaign hopes to gather enough support this year to make a push for a veterans stamp to be issued to coincide with the 75^th commemoration of Executive Order 9066 and the internment next year, in 2017. The stamp would be the first of its kind to record such an important Asian American story on a stamp. Very few US stamps have ever even featured an Asian face. None has featured a historical Asian American event. Among the World War II series of stamps to commemorate 50 years since the war, in 1991-1995, Japanese Americans (and all Asian Americans) were left out of any depictions of Americans in uniform, despite their prominence in the war.

“I think the stamp is important because it’s not just a toy or something insignificant,” Ohira emphasized. “The stamp is a permanent thing. When people receive letters they do look at the stamp, right? I think it reaches people at many different levels.”

You can follow the campaign and help support their efforts on this website, on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/niseistamp, and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/StampOurStory.

View the historic movies from the Masao Akiyama Collection of the Japanese American National Museum, visit http://www.janm.org/collections/homemovies.

Watch for the White House petition online starting on February 19^th through our website and on social media. Supporters are encouraged to “like” the campaign’s Facebook page, and to tell their friends and family, and organizations they belong to, to join in this nationwide movement.

CAMPAIGN SEEKS HELP TO HONOR NISEI VETERANS THROUGH MEMORIAL STAMP

The World War II internment of Japanese Americans has been in the national spotlight after some politicians reacted to the recent terrorist attacks with suspicion of all Muslim immigrants, and even calls for new internments. In the wake of these events, three Nisei women from California are pushing for a US commemorative postage stamp featuring the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II. The Memorial, located near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., tells the story of the internment and the 33,000 Japanese Americans who responded to wartime hysteria and prejudice against them by enlisting in the U.S. Army, and serving with great valor.

“If cartoon characters can get a postage stamp, we certainly can get a stamp that honors the inspiring story of these Americans, “ explained Fusa Takahashi, one of the campaign’s founders. “Many people don’t know the Nisei soldiers’ story. The government took away their rights and imprisoned them behind barbed wire fences, yet without hesitation, they stepped up to serve their country and became one of the most decorated units in history.” Her late husband, Kazuo Takahashi, was one of the Nisei who served in the US Military Intelligence Service during the war. “Nisei” is the Japanese word for the American-born children of immigrants from Japan.

The stamp campaign founders are Fusa Takahashi (88) of Granite Bay, Aiko O. King (88) of Camarillo, and Chiz Ohira (87) of Gardena. Takahashi and Ohira are widows of Nisei veterans. King is a longtime member of the JACL Ventura Chapter. “We are trying hard to get this done while at least some of the Nisei veterans are still around.” King explained. “There aren’t many left.”

In October of 2015, the Postal Service upgraded the ladies’ proposal for the Memorial to “under consideration” status, which is the final step before a stamp is issued. But hundreds of other proposals are also in the same category waiting to be issued, making the last step perhaps the most difficult. Many stamp subjects that are “under consideration” never make it. So the ladies and their supporters are doubling efforts now.

The trio started the Nisei World War II Stamp Campaign in 2005, with the help of many JACL members.   It began with a stamp proposal focusing solely on the Nisei veterans. But in 2007, the trio learned of an internal policy that is not on the Postal Service’s public list of stamp selection rules. The hidden rule prohibits new stamps from directly honoring military units and veterans groups. After years of trying to get the Postal Service to change this policy without success, last year the ladies decided to compromise and work within the government’s framework. The ladies and their supporters are now pushing for this Memorial stamp instead of a prohibited veteran-focused stamp. “We support the Memorial stamp because the Nisei veterans are at the heart of the Memorial’s story,” said Takahashi. “It also has the best chance to become a stamp soon.”

Takahashi and King are childhood friends from the small California farm town of Cortez, near Turlock, California. Both were incarcerated at the Granada (Amache), Colorado internment camp. They saw their peers enlist in the Army from camp, but some never returned. They kept in touch over the years, and started their campaign after visiting the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.  “I had a few classmates and friends who were killed in action,” Takahashi said. “When Aiko and I visited the museum, they had a nice display about the Nisei soldiers but I felt the story needed to be told to a broader audience. I later read the Eric Saul speech, ‘America at Its Best,’ and it convinced me we needed to do something. We thought of the stamp.” Historian Eric Saul’s famous speech was originally presented at a reunion of the veterans, and in it, he outlines the motivations and the extraordinary accomplishments of the Nisei veterans.

Takahashi and King gathered with supporters on Sunday, December 20, 2015, in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. They discussed the campaign and plans for a stamp to honor the veterans through the Memorial. The ladies were interviewed on camera at a USC studio to document their 10-year campaign, and to ask for support. Parts of the interview will air on the campaign’s website, www.NiseiStamp.org, this year.

The campaign began at the grassroots level. The ladies first got their friends, family, and their local communities to sign their petitions and send letters of support. They linked up with many JACL members, and it grew to be a nationwide effort. Six state resolutions of support for the stamp were passed in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. The Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) offered help. JAVA friends from the US joined with French citizens to create a successful petition and letter-writing campaign for the stamp in Bruyeres, France, where Nisei soldiers liberated towns during the war. Past letters of support came from Congress in 2009, and from numerous national organizations including the National JACL Board and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Even actor/activist George Takei voiced his support in 2007. While the Postal Service has looked at their proposals a few times, it has yet to issue any stamps in response. They learned that the Postal Service is not influenced much by petitions, and that it will take larger actions to succeed, perhaps from Congress.

“We will be seeking a Congressional Letter of Support asking the Postmaster General to green light the stamp,“ explained Campaign Coordinator and Co-Chair Wayne Osako. “Contact your Representative and Senators in Congress to sign the letter which will be circulated in both houses on Capitol Hill this spring. ” JACL members can organize locally to contact their Congress members.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, over 120,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast were forced from their homes and placed into internment camps. It didn’t matter if the person was an American citizen or not. If that person had any Japanese ancestry and lived in one of the mainland West Coast states, they were put into the camps. Many internees, especially young adults who were born and raised in the US, were upset that their Constitutional rights were being taken away just because of their ancestry. Thousands of Nisei decided to prove their loyalty and serve in the military. These are the Nisei that campaign supporters seek to highlight through the Memorial stamp.

After hearing campaign founder Aiko O. King talk, documentary producer Jeff MacIntyre was intrigued by the Nisei stamp campaign and decided to help. King stood up and spoke about the campaign after a screening of one of his films at the Oxnard Library in California on August 29, 2015. MacIntyre set up his own website, www.TheyDeserveAStamp.org. MacIntyre shares the goal of honoring the veterans on a stamp.

Through the combined efforts of supporters nationwide, the ladies are working hard on the campaign to see it to completion. Takahashi explained, “It is our hope that, through the stamp, we can educate the American public about the unique heroism, sacrifices, and accomplishments made by the Nisei soldiers.”

The Postal Service is under the Executive Branch of government, with the President at the top. Asked if she thinks President Barack Obama might help, Fusa replied, “If I could talk to the President, I would tell him the same thing as I told the Postmaster General in a letter. It is not a complicated story, but it is very compelling and very unique in its nature. I actually did write President Obama in 2009, but I am still waiting for a response. I am sure it probably never even made it to his desk.” Perhaps the President, and the Postmaster General, will hear the new call to action this year with the campaign’s revived efforts. The ladies and their supporters are doing their best to make that happen.

• JA Memorial to Patriotism Proposal “Under Consideration” by USPS
• New www.TheyDeserveAStamp.org sister campaign website

The nationwide campaign continues for a U.S. commemorative postage stamp that honors the Japanese American World War II veterans. Begun about 10 years ago in California, the campaign has experienced obstacles but perseveres today.

Three Nisei ladies who understand the veterans’ story firsthand began the campaign. Fusa Takahashi is the widow of MIS veteran Kazuo Takahashi. Aiko O. King is a childhood friend of Fusa’s and has many friends who served. Chiz Ohira is the widow of 442 veteran Ted Ohira. Together, their efforts led to six state resolutions of support, thousands of petition signatures, a signature campaign in Bruyeres, France, and letters of support from Congress (2009) and many national organizations. In Fusa’s words, “I had a few classmates and good friends that were killed in action. Aiko and I visited the Japanese American National Museum in L.A in 2005. We felt there really wasn’t much about the Nisei Soldiers on display. That was when I told Aiko we should do something more to make people aware of their military accomplishments. Then I read the Eric Saul speech ‘America at its Best’ that convinced me that having a stamp issued would be great since it is universal in a way that more people would be aware of the accomplishments of the Nisei Soldiers.”

Click here to read Eric Saul’s “America at its Best” speech:

Their original proposal which directly honors the veterans on a stamp is blocked by a Postal Service policy. This policy states, “Stamps will not be issued to honor individual sub-branches, units or divisions of the military,” and includes all veterans groups. Despite repeated requests by campaign supporters to get the Postal Service to revise the policy, Stamp Services Director Mary-Anne Penner stated in September of 2015, that they will not alter this policy. The rule was established due to the difficultly of judging one group of veterans over another. Prior to the policy, at least two stamps honored veterans groups: “Hispanic Americans: A Proud Legacy” (1984), and “Buffalo Soldiers” (1994).

In October of 2015, the Postal Service officially placed one of the founders’ proposals “under consideration,” which is the step prior to issuance. This proposal features the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II. The veterans are the cornerstone of the Memorial, so the founders would support a Memorial stamp. This upgraded status is no guarantee of a stamp though. Hundreds of other proposals are also “under consideration.” Therefore it is imperative that we continue to campaign for the stamp.

The founders are embarking on an effort for renewed Congressional support in 2016. We are campaigning for a bipartisan Congressional “Dear Colleague” Letter of Support for the stamp to be sent to Postmaster General Megan Brennan. Contact your Congress Members to sign the letter. Go to www.NiseiStamp.org, and visit us on Facebook, for more details.

There has been recent interest in www.TheyDeserveAStamp.org. Campaign founder Aiko King attended an August 29, 2015 screening of a film by documentary producer Jeff MacIntyre at the Oxnard Library in California. Aiko asked Jeff and others in attendance to help the stamp campaign. Inspired by her words, he set up his own website, www.TheyDeserveAStamp.org. Jeff’s efforts are toward the shared goal of honoring the veterans.

Our campaign continues!  There are over 10 years of grassroots efforts across the country and around the world supporting a stamp that honors the Japanese American World War II veterans’ story.  We are persevering in the endeavor until it becomes a reality.

The U.S. Postal Service’s stamp selection body, called the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), is meeting this month to decide on upcoming stamps.  The Postal Service has informed our campaign that one of our proposals is among about 30 finalists being considered.  The CSAC meeting is not open to the public.  Our campaign is awaiting their decision due by the end of the month.

The Postal Service maintains an internal policy preventing new stamps that directly honor veterans groups.  They allow stamps honoring individual veterans, military events, medals, and so on.  But largely due to the controversy of judging veterans groups against each other, they prohibit all proposals for military units or groups.  In the past, prior to this policy, there were at least two stamps that honor veterans’ groups: “Hispanic Americans: A Proud Heritage” (1984), and “Buffalo Soldiers” (1994).  But the Postal Service put a stop to all such future stamps due to the problems associated with considering units.

As a result, we are backing a proposal featuring the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, which is located in Washington, D.C., very close to Capitol Hill.  This Memorial is part of the National Park Service.  Here, the veterans are the cornerstone of the overarching Japanese American story.  The Memorial includes the veterans’ families and friends who were incarcerated in the internment camps while they were fighting abroad.  This stamp proposal is the one being considered by the CSAC as a possible future commemorative stamp.

For more information, read the National Park Service description of the Memorial:

http://www.nps.gov/wwii/learn/historyculture/japanese-americans-at-war.htm .

For photos and additional information, view Nina Akamu’s website.  Ms. Akamu is the Memorial crane artist:

http://www.studioequus.com/njamimage.html.

Our campaign continues!  There are over 10 years of grassroots efforts across the country and around the world supporting a stamp that honors the Japanese American World War II veterans’ story.  We are persevering in the endeavor until it becomes a reality.

Japanese American Veterans Association

January 23, 2012 – Washington, DC. – In recognition of the recent Congressional Gold Medal (CGM) awarded to the World War II Nisei soldiers, JAVA is proposing to the US Postal Service that a Commemorative Stamp Series be issued for WW II military units which received the Congressional Gold Medal.

JAVA President Gerald Yamada sent a letter on January 21, 2012, to Chairwoman Jean Picker Firstenberg of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee of the US Postal Service, outlining this proposal. He recommends “this stamp series would be for military groups that have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service during World War II and would include the Nisei Soldiers made up of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service; Tuskegee Airmen; Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP); and the Navajo Code Talkers.

“To save on design costs, JAVA suggests that the design of the Congressional Gold Medals be used for the stamp design for each group. Each CGM design has been vetted by the US Mint and accepted by each group.

“The commemorative stamps for these groups should be printed so that the stamps can be distributed with all four groups on a stamp sheet or printed individually so that stamp sheets can be ordered for each of the four groups.”

In an official statement endorsing Yamada’s proposal, the Japanese American WW II Veterans Stamp Campaign, co-chaired by Fusa Takahashi, Chiz Ohira, Aiko King, and Wayne Osako, said “We fully support the commemorative stamp proposal from JAVA that is based upon honoring veterans who have earned the Congressional Gold Medal. This would be a wonderful tribute to American veterans who have clearly made their mark on history. We urge the U.S. Postal Service to continue its tradition of recognizing the contributions of our nation’s veterans.”

Veterans and civic organizations are encouraged to send letters supporting this approach to Chairwoman Jean Picker Firstenberg, Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee; c/o Stamp Development; U.S. Postal Service; 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300; Washington, DC 20260-3501. Please send a copy of your letter to Gerald Yamada, President; Japanese American Veterans Association; 10316 Mountington Court; Vienna, VA 22182 or email to gyamada@goingforwardstrategies.com.

The Postal Service announced in August that it continues to reject the proposed stamp for the Nisei WWII veterans. Linda Macasa, representing the Postal Service as Government Relations Representative, explained their stance as follows:

“Honoring individual components or units would result in hundreds of requests from people wanting recognition. It is a given that all of these units or groups have done wonderful work and made tremendous sacrifices. They have shown extraordinary heroism, played vital roles in maintaining our freedoms, and contributed to the winning of wars and maintaining peace. The committee finds it extremely hard to hold up one group over another. Their choice is to focus on the military in general terms as a way of honoring their contributions.”

The stamp campaign co-chairs believe that certain pioneering groups within the military are indeed deserving of commemoration. Few groups, for example, are singled out in history to be taught in our nation’s high schools. The Japanese American WWII veterans are among those, in addition to the Tuskegee Airmen and Native American Code Talkers. These groups are among those credited with opening the U.S. military to integration. This historic reason alone ought to warrant special consideration of select groups of veterans like these. The co-chairs believe that a blanket rejection of all veterans for commemoration because the stamp committee fears receiving too many proposals for such stamps is not ample justification.

Ms. Macasa said that the Postal Service’s stamp committee is considering a stamp to honor the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C. It has been suggested that the Postal Service wishes to use this stamp as a replacement for the veterans stamp. While the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism is deserving of stamp commemoration on its own merits, the stamp campaign co-chairs do not see it as an appropriate replacement for a veterans stamp. The Memorial to Patriotism is not a veterans memorial, and the unique story of the veterans would likely be lost to those looking at a Memorial to Patriotism stamp. The stamp campaign’s goal continues to be to prominently commemorate the contributions of the Japanese American WWII veterans through a postage stamp. The co-chairs believe that the Memorial to Patriotism stamp ought to be seen as a separate stamp proposal altogether, and one that might be issued in addition to a veterans stamp.

The stamp campaign co-chairs continue to seek a stamp for the Japanese American WWII veterans. Stamp proposals can be reconsidered annually even if rejected by the stamp committee. Each year for the past 4 years the Postal Service has resisted change, and each year, the support for the veterans stamp increases. Just this year for example, Congressman Mike Honda was joined by 42 Members of Congress in co-signing a second Congressional letter of support for the stamp.

The office of Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15) has sent a second Congressional letter of support for the stamp. Congressman Honda chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC). We urge you to contact your representatives and senators to sign in support (senators can also sign, though the letter will originate in the House of Representatives).

Ask your representative and senators to sign Congressman Mike Honda’s “Dear Colleague” letter in support of the Japanese American (Nisei) World War II Veterans Commemorative Stamp. A follow-up call or fax often helps in this process a day or two later if you have time. The TOLL-FREE Congress phone number can be used at (800) 828-0498. You will be asked what Congress Member you wish to contact. If you don’t know the name of your representative and senators, ask the Congress Switchboard Operator for help at the 800 number above. Your home’s zip code can be used to locate the people who represent you in House and Senate.

The first Congressional letter, which received 40 signers, was sent in January 2008 (see the list attached below). The CAPAC Board unanimously endorsed the first letter. It is hoped that a second letter will receive more than the original 40 signers.

You can also contact Congressman Honda’s DC office with questions, at (202) 225-2631. Thank you.

The following message is a special request by the Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee (NVC) Foundation. The NVC spearheaded efforts for the recent Washington state resolution supporting the stamp:

The NVC Foundation in Seattle has embarked on a fundraising effort to honor our Japanese American heritage with the new NVC Japanese American Memorial Wall.

This memorial is your opportunity to honor your grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins – both living and deceased – who were interned during World War II as a result of Executive Order 9066 as well Japanese Americans who have fought and died for America in the military.

One section of the memorial dedicated to Japanese Americans who were interned and detained during World War II with each brick having the name of an internee and the camp or camps to which they were forcibly imprisoned by the U.S. Government. The other section honor Japanese Americans who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service during WW II as well as other Japanese American veterans.

Having these names on bricks on this memorial wall will ensure their names will never be forgotten and their legacy will live forever. We must never forget their sacrifices and their bravery.

In order to give everyone the opportunity to participate the minimum donation is $250 per brick to ensure every family will be able to honor all of their loved ones. There is no limit to the number of bricks you can donate and for internees who served in military; you can honor them with a brick in both the internee and military sections.

Please make you tax deductible checks payable to the “NVC Foundation”.

Thank you!