A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 N O . 0 7 / 2 0 1 6

CELEBRATING THE “ENDURING LEGACY OF THE 100TH INFANTRY

BATTALION” AT THE 74TH ANNIVERSARY BANQUET by Beverly Shiroma

The 74th Anniversary Banquet was held on July

10, 2016 at the Pomaikai Ballrooms and I want to

thank everyone who attended and supported our

event. It is always a pleasure to see everyone,

especially the veterans, wives and widows and I hope

all of you had a great time.

This year’s theme was “The Enduring Legacy of

the 100th Infantry Battalion”. We had a full program

with the best of the best entertainment, Bronze Star

Awards, Scholarship awards and the update of our

organization titled “Planning for the Future” by

Second Vice President Irene Anzai.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Dennis

Ogawa, Professor at the University of Hawaii,

College of American Studies and the noted author of

“Kodomo No Tame Ni”. Dr. Ogawa shared stories

about the effects of war and tragedy, not only for the

victims but also for the families and loves ones.

We were honored by the presence of Governor

David Ige and First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige, who

presented a Proclamation for the 100th Infantry

Battalion Veterans to President Lloyd Kitaoka.

Governor Ige and the First Lady are both descendants

of 100th veterans, Tokio “Bobby” Ige (Able

Company) and Sakuji Amano (Charlie Company).

A big “mahalo” to all of our VIP guests who

continue to support us every year and were able to

attend.

Skip Tomiyama and the women of Na Wahine U’i

once again provided traditional entertainment in the

lounge area as she has done for many years. Major

General Robert Lee, (Retired), announced our 100th

veterans as they entered the room and the “Star

Spangled Banner” and “Hawaii Pono’i” was

beautifully sung by Sandy Tsukiyama, daughter of

442nd veteran Ted Tsukiyama. Reverend Yoshiaki

Fujitani, also a MIS Veteran, provided the invocation

and lunch music was provided by Baron Kaholokula,

Continued on page 3

IN APPRECIATION

Doomo Arigatoo Gozaimasu for the following

generous donations which were received from June 21

to July 21:

Education Center

$200 Alan Hayashi

$50 Chigasaki Chamber of Commerce (Japan)

General Operating Fund

$150 General David A. Bramlett in memory of

Dr. Denis Teraoka

$100 Fay Arakaki (California) in memory of

Alfred Arakaki

$100 Niki Yokotake Fukuroda in memory of

Alfred Arakaki

$500 Dr. Dennis Ogawa

74th Anniversary Banquet

$50 Evelyn and Rikio Tsuda

Gifts in Kind Big Island Candies

In Memoriam

ALFRED YASUNORI ARAKAKI

(Able Company)

passed away on June 25, 2016

Our deepest sympathy to his family

GRAVE DECORATING VOLUNTEERS

NEEDED by Arlene Sato Annually in September, the 100th Infantry

Battalion Veterans organization decorates the graves

of our fallen soldiers and veterans to honor and

remember their sacrifices and valor in WWII.

Volunteers are needed on the following days:

Friday, September 23 from 3:00 p.m.:

Help is needed at the Clubhouse to unwrap 1,200

anthurium bouquets.

Saturday, September 24 from 8:00 a.m.

Help is needed at the National Memorial of the

Pacific at Punchbowl to decorate over 1,000 graves

of 100th veterans. Wear a hat, sunscreen, walking

shoes, and bring a container to carry water to fill the

vases. This is a great opportunity for families to

carry on the 100th motto of “For Continuing

Service”. Individuals and groups are welcome.

Volunteers are also needed to decorate 100th

graves at smaller cemeteries in Kane`ohe, Diamond

Head, Mililani, and Nu`uanu. Call Arlene at 387-

1954 if you can volunteer at one of these smaller

cemeteries or for more information.

A very big mahalo to the generous anonymous

donor who is taking care of the cost of the 1,200

anthurium bouquets which will be flown in from

Hilo!

ELECTION OF THE 2017-2018

EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

by Warren Yamamoto,

Nominations Committee Chairperson and

Charlie Chapter President

The elections for the 2017-2018 Executive Board

of Directors (EBOD) of the 100th Infantry Battalion

Veterans will be held on Saturday, November 12,

2016 at 10:30 am at the Clubhouse.

Candidates may be nominated for the EBOD

positions of President, 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-

President, Secretary and Treasurer. Each candidate

must submit a petition signed by at least 15 regular

members in good standing to the Nominations

Committee at least 60 days prior to the election date

(by Tuesday, September 13, 2016). Petitions may

be submitted to the Clubhouse Office via mail, e-

mail or in person delivery to be transmitted to the

Nominations Committee.

We hope that members who are willing to work

hard for the best interest of the 100th Infantry

Battalion Veterans will consider running for office.

The term of service for each position is two years.

If you have any questions, please contact

Nominations Committee Chairperson Warren

Yamamoto at daisyy3@hawaiiantel.net or leave a

message for him with the Clubhouse Office at 946-

0272.

SAYONARA, PPP COLLATING DAY This August 2016 issue marks the official “pau hana” of Puka-Puka Parade Collating Day. The PPP will now be mailed to readers by Obun Publishing, Inc. rather than by a team of 100th volunteers. Doomo Arigatoo to everyone who gave up one Saturday every month to put the PPP together, especially Dorothy Tamashiro and Arlene Sato who have been the backbone of the PPP Collating Crew for decades.

CELEBRATING THE “ENDURING

LEGACY OF THE 100TH” Continued from page 1

the grandson of 100 veteran James Kaholokula

(Company B) . His performance was enhanced by a

dance performance by his sister, Lei, and his mother,

Pua, who also did an oli dedicated to the veterans.

(Photo below of Lei, Baron and Pua Kaholokula).

We closed lunch with the performance of the Onoe

Kikunobu Dance Company under the direction of

Gertrude Tsutsumi who many know by her stage

name, Onoe Kikunobu. “Sensei” asked me

personally not speak about her at the banquet but we

were honored to have them perform as she was

awarded the 2015 National Heritage Fellow which is

the highest award in Folk and Traditional Arts that

embody the strength and diversity of culture. The

traditional Japanese dances were such a tribute to our

veterans with the beautiful, quiet, articulate

movements and dance that embodied the souls of our

fathers and what they stood for.

Irene Anzai, Second Vice President, spoke about

the future of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans

organization and the ‘Iolani proposal. Architectural

renderings of the plans were in the Ballroom Lobby

area and I hope you were able to stop and view what

the future may hold for us.

Major General Robert Lee, Retired, and LTC

Kenneth Tafao, Jr. (Commander, 100th Battalion,

442nd Infantry, USAR) presented three Bronze Star

awards to the families of Charles Hino (Able

Company), Yoshiichi Matsuo (Charlie Company)

and Masaichi Yoza (Able Company). (Photo at the

bottom of the page of LTC Tafao, 100 descendant

Judge Thomas Kaulukukui, Jr. and Major General

Lee with the Hino, Matsuo and Yoza families).

Livening up the afternoon was

the performance of Grant

“Sandaa” Murata and his group.

We were honored by this talented

artist and shiha (master instructor)

of the Japanese shamisen and

Ryukyuan sanshin.

Harry Nakayama, Chairman

of the Scholarship Committee and

Dog Chapter President, presented

the 100th Infantry Battalion

Scholarships to Stephen Choy

(photo on top left) and Kayla

Takemoto (photo on bottom left).

The third recipient, Lianne

Tanaka, was unable to attend.

Although this is a long “thank you”, I must

recognize the great job that our MC, SSG

Christopher Arakawa, did again this year. He’s

Continued on page 4

FROM DA OFFICE by Jayne Hirata

Due to a spike in my blood pressure and my

doctor’s recommendation, I decided to resign as the

Office Assistant for the Club for health reasons. My

last day in the Office was Monday, July 25th. While I

won’t physically be in the Clubhouse . I’ll work from

home on the PPP and other projects as well as help

with Club events like the upcoming Grave Decorating

and Descendants Chapter activities. Who knows,

maybe when my twins leave for college in August, my

blood pressure will drop and I may boomerang back

here again?

100TH VETERANS INVITED TO THE

USAR BALL by Chris Arakawa

100th veterans and their spouses are invited to the

9th Mission Support Command’s

annual United States Army

Reserve Ball on Saturday,

February 18, 2017. The Ball is

a formal evening event that will

take place at the Hawaii

Convention Center. Approximately 800 service

members and their guests will be in attendance. There

is the ongoing discussion that actor Gary Sinese will

be one of the performers for the evening.

The 100th/442d will be performing Color Guard

duties for the Ball.

Volunteers will be available to provide

transportation for 100th veterans to and from the Ball

as well as accompany them during the event.

If you would like to attend, please sign-up with the

100th Clubhouse Office. More details will be

published in future issues of the PPP.

CELEBRATING THE “ENDURING

LEGACY OF THE 100TH” Continued from page 3

becoming such a professional and should consider a

second career.

We were very fortunate this year to receive

wonderful donations for our centerpieces and favors

to make it an extra special event. The generosity

and kindness of Central Pacific Bank, Aloha Shoyu,

Big Island Candies, G.H. Products, Sam’s Club,

Snacks Galore, and KTM Service are deeply

appreciated.

Of course, we would never have been able to

have this event without the hard work and

dedication of our Banquet Committee including

Bert Hamakado, Gary Hayakawa, Jayne Hirata,

Ann Kabasawa, Shelley Santo, Arlene Sato and

Evelyn Tsuda. We also had the great support of

Kay and Trisha Okimoto, Diane Saito,

MaryAnn Tanabe, Janice Trubitt and our

volunteer photographers (Ann Kabasawa, Clyde

Sugimoto, and Pat Thomson) who tirelessly work

to capture the valuable moments for all of us to

remember and whose wonderful photos appear

throughout this issue of the PPP.

Last but definitely not least, I must express our

sincerest gratitude for all of our wonderful

100th/442nd Color Guard and Reservists. Their

loyalty and dedication to our Veterans and

organization are unsurpassed. I know all of our

Veterans are proud of them and how well they

represent “The Enduring Legacy of the 100th

Infantry Battalion”.

(Editor’s Note: The

following is the entire

text of the speech given

by 2nd VP Irene Anzai at

the recent 74th

Anniversary Banquet).

My name is Irene

Anzai and I am the

daughter of Yoshio

Anzai who was a member of C Company. I have had

the privilege of serving with the veterans and

descendants on the Long Range Planning Committee

in 2007 and of leading the Committee for the past four

years.

I would like to start by reading to you a quote and

asking if you know who might have written this:

“The Board of Directors believes that the time

has come to adopt a plan for the future of the Club

100. As members of the Club 100 advance in age,

membership in the Club 100 diminishes with each

passing year, and the remaining members become

less active in carrying out the activities and purposes

of the Club 100.”

These words are from a packet of information put

forth in 1989 by an esteemed group of Club leaders –

Raymond Nosaka, Tokuji Ono, Ben Tamashiro,

Hakaru Taoka and Mike Tokunaga. In that year,

they were considering a proposal under which the

Club would join with the Japanese Cultural Center of

Hawaii (“JCCH”) and the Honolulu Japanese

Chamber of Commerce in the construction of a new

building. The proposed agreement involved the Club

turning over its property to the JCCH in return for

space and rights within the new building.

Ultimately, the veterans decided that the terms of

the deal were not advantageous to the Club and did

not approve the proposal but it is important to note

that as early as 1989, the veterans were concerned

about the future of the Club. They were open to

collaborative endeavors with other nonprofits and

they were willing to consider selling the Club

property and moving into a new building.

In this year, 2016, twenty-seven years since the

veterans considered that first proposal, the active

members of the Club, after much thought and

deliberation, have made a decision about the future of

our Club. As many of you are already aware, on May

21, 2016, at a special membership meeting, the

members voted to authorize the Board of Directors to

enter into negotiations with ‘Iolani School regarding a

long-term lease of the Club’s land to ‘Iolani for the

purpose of re-developing the property. The vote was

195 in favor and 17 against. This vote marks the

beginning of a new chapter for the Club.

For years, the Clubhouse has served as a crucial

gathering place for the veterans to meet, talk story,

play cards, plan and hold events, and whenever there

was a need, to support and help each other out. For

the families of the veterans, the Clubhouse has been

the site of so many wonderful memories. Quoting

from an article written by Arlene Sato, a descendent

and devoted Club member:

“The C Chapter quarterly family nights and

Christmas parties were the best. I can’t believe that

we actually spread goza on the floor and fanned the

shichirin to make hekka. Those were the good old

days.”

There is no doubt that the Clubhouse as it currently

exists will be missed by all but the members

recognized that the Clubhouse and the apartment

building have grown very old. The cost of repairing

and maintaining the buildings has continued to grow

larger and the burden of managing such repairs has

fallen on the shoulders of fewer and fewer active

members. Our members also sadly but realistically

acknowledged that our veterans are now of an age that

no veteran is using the Clubhouse on a regular basis.

So through our examination of all of these issues and

our exploration of various options including reaching

out to other nonprofits in our community, the Board

received a proposal from ‘Iolani School to enter into a

collaboration for the redevelopment of the Club’s

property.

Now that this proposal has been approved, the

Board will in the near future be entering into

negotiations with ‘Iolani School to establish all of the

terms of our collaborative effort. In the meantime,

Continued on next page

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE by Irene Anzai Second Vice-President and Long Range Planning Committee Chairperson

PLANNING FOR THE

FUTURE Continued from page 5

however, our members have the

opportunity to envision all of the

possibilities that the future holds as

well as recognizing the hard work

that needs to be done. Highest on

our agenda is to ensure that the story

of our fathers will not be forgotten

and that the valuable lessons from

their experience will be passed on to

future generations. As most of you

are aware, we already have a

comprehensive website on the

history of the 100th due to the work

of Susan Muroshige and her team

funded by a very generous grant that

we received from the State of

Hawaii. Lloyd Kitaoka and others

on the Education Committee have

made presentations to hundreds of

students utilizing information from

our website and the displays at our

Clubhouse. We want to continue to

build on what we have already

accomplished and, working with

‘Iolani, we have dreams of a world

class museum that is innovatively

designed and filled with interactive

stations to engage students and to

make the lessons learned from the

100th relevant to their lives and to

events in today’s world. Upon the

finalization of our agreement with

‘Iolani, the members will have the

opportunity to join together to

brainstorm, create and to realize our

vision for the future of the Club.

We, as our fathers’ daughters, sons,

grandsons, and granddaughters, have

the passion, the dedication and the

commitment to perpetuate the

legacy, to educate both the young

and old, and to fulfill our fathers’

wishes to continue to serve the

community at large.

DOG CHAPTER NEWS by Joy Teraoka

Before I forget to submit any news for Dog Chapter, I hurriedly

write this to meet the PPP submissions deadline.

It was reassuring to see other Doggies at the 100th’s 74th

Anniversary Banquet. Mary Hamasaki and I sat with Moriso

Teraoka, his son and granddaughter, Marissa. Joyce and Karleen

Chinen were sitting at another table. (Photo of Mary Hamasaki, Joy

Teraoka and Ellen Kunihiro [Charlie Chapter]). The Harry

Nakayama’s

were seated

across the

room.

Although our

representation

has

diminished

with each

passing year,

we still had

one veteran—Moriso—there.

Good for Moriso. Although he

doesn’t drive anymore, he takes the

Handivan and still goes to Kapiolani

Community College three times a week to

attend classes and see friends. That’s

terrific!

A while ago I learned that Mildred

Hosaka is now contentedly living at

Manoa Senior Care Home. Other news is

that Kay Harada is doing okay at home.

Violet Kinoshita is undergoing dialysis

treatments. Our prayers are with her and hopes she feels better.

We veterans, wives and widows have gotten much older with all the

aches and pains that come with each passing year. However, we should

count all the wonderful blessings we have and be thankful for the

friends and family that are there for us. Keep plugging along and smile

— Aloha, Joy

MAINLAND CHAPTER NEWS by Teresa Takahashi

The 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans Club

- Mainland is having their annual barbecue on

Saturday, August 6 at 11:30 am at the Gardena

Buddhist Church. Fun, food, raffle and games for

all! If you’re in the area, please join us. And we are

all looking forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas

in October.

HEADQUARTERS CHAPTER NEWS by Janice Sakoda, daughter of Gary K. Uchida

The 74th Anniversary Banquet was very enjoyable

(thank you to all who worked so hard to make it

enjoyable for so many!) and it was great to see so

many HQ/Medic family members at the banquet,

especially those who don’t normally come to our

functions. You are all welcome to join us at our

monthly meeting, usually held the second Saturday of

each month. Our next meeting will be on Saturday,

August 13 at 10:00 a.m. in the Board Room. We’d

love to have more HQ/Medic people join us!

Remember, “the more, the merrier!” One of the

things we’ll be discussing is our Fall Social so please

come and

provide

your input.

It was

wonderful

seeing Ed

Ikuma at

the

banquet!!!

A few

weeks ago,

he wasn’t

feeling well

so we’re

doubly

happy that

he was able to join us. Even though he may not be

feeling well, he looked great! (Photo above of

Edward Ikuma with Elsie Oshita and Lloyd Kitaoka).

RURAL CHAPTER NEWS

by Stephen Saito

Rural Chapter will be holding its annual Grave

Decorating event on Saturday, September 24, 2016 at

8:00 am at the Mililani Memorial Park Mortuary as

part of the other grave decorating services that will be

going on that day. If anyone is interested in

volunteering their time for this event or is interested in

more information, e-mail Stephen Saito at

ssaitohi@gmail.com. If you co not have e-mail,

please call the Clubhouse Office at 946-0272 and

leave your contact information for me.

GREEN THUMB CLUB

by Janice Sakoda

On Saturday, August 6, we will have

an excursion to the Annual Halawa Xeriscape Garden

Open House and Unthirsty Plant Sale. http://

www.boardofwatersupply.com/cssweb/display.cfm?

sid=2128 You will be able to purchase a variety of

drought-tolerant and native Hawaiian plants. In

addition, there will be workshops and classes. If you

are interested in carpooling, please email Arlene Sato

at arleneksato@yahoo.com or 387-1954 (since Arlene

babysits, she may not be able to answer the phone

when you call so please leave a message or send her a

text and she’ll return your call). I plan to be there

about 9:00 a.m. I've been told that parking is along the

street and it gets crowded so you may need to walk a

bit to get there. Bring a hat or umbrella and wear

comfortable shoes.

As a general rule, our Green Thumb meeting will

continue to be held the last Saturday of each month

(however, August’s Green Thumb meeting will be the

excursion to the Halawa Xeriscape Garden Open

House). September’s Green Thumb meeting is

scheduled for Saturday, September 24 and, in keeping

with the Club’s motto of, “For Continuing Service”,

we will be helping with decorating the graves at

Punchbowl (or elsewhere if you prefer) starting at

8:00 a.m. Remember, “many hands make light

work”!

If you have any suggestions or ideas on

excursions, feel free to share it with me or any Green

Thumb member.

If you’re interested in being included in our email

group, please let me (Jan Sakoda) know

(bustersfriend@hotmail.com) Dates and times may

change so please email me if you’re interested so we

can keep you updated of any last minute changes.

LAS VEGAS MINI-REUNION by Ann Kabasawa

Mini-Reunion attendees are

reminded that there will be an

informational meeting on Sunday, August 7 from

10:00 am at the Clubhouse. You will need to make

your final payment on your travel package at this

meeting. Please RSVP with me at 781-8540 or e-mail

diverseinnov@gmail.com.

The Puka-Puka Parade is the official newsletter of

the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans organization

and is published monthly, twelve times a year.

The opinions expressed in the PPP are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the

position of the 100th Infantry Battalion Veterans.

Please e-mail your articles, comments or questions

about the PPP to club100vets@gmail.com.

If you do not have access to email, please mail or

deliver your articles, comments or questions to the

Clubhouse Office.

The deadline to submit articles for the

September 2016 issue is Monday, August 15

100th Infantry Battalion Veterans

520 Kamoku Street

Honolulu, Hawaii 96826

(808)946-0272

club100vets@gmail.com

www.100thbattalion.org

Office Hours:

M, T, Th, F - 9 am to 1 pm

W - 9 am to 12 noon

AUGUST 2016 100TH INF BN VETS CLUB CALENDAR

BOARD Meeting Saturday, August 20 at 9:00 am

ABLE Chapter No meeting

BAKER Chapter Saturday, August 6 at 1:00 pm

CHARLIE Chapter No meeting

DOG Chapter Saturday, August 6 at 9:30 am

HQ/MEDICS Chapter Saturday, August 13 at 10:00 am

MAINLAND Chapter Saturday, August 6 at 11:30 at the Gardena

Buddhist Church

GREEN THUMB CLUB Saturday, August 13 at the Annual Halawa

Xeriscape Garden Open House and Unthirsty

Plant Sale

LINE DANCING No class on Wednesday, August 3

Wednesday, August 10, 17, 24 and 31

from 9:00 am to 11:00 am

CLUB EVENTS

(all events at the Clubhouse unless otherwise indicated)

MINI-REUNION MTG Sunday, August 7 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Clubhouse CLOSED Friday, August 19 for Statehood Day

Dates and times subject to change. Please contact your Chapter President,

Committee Chairperson or the Clubhouse Office for information or updates.

100th Infantry Battalion Veterans

520 Kamoku Street

Honolulu, HI 96816

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