Board Members Message by Lynn Longfellow

This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the formation of the segregated WWII 442nd Regimental Combat Team. They were combined with the 100th Infantry Battalion (formed in 1942), and along with the Military Intelligence Service, fought for their honor and to prove their loyalty to their country while their families were incarcerated and stripped of their civil liberties. To this day, they are the most decorated American military unit in history for its size and length of service. For their heroic and distinguished service, the Nisei veterans were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2010, the highest civilian award Congress can bestow.

This year, the actual Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded to the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service, is travelling the country on an exclusive national tour, American Heroes: Japanese American WWII Nisei Soldiers and the Congressional Gold Medal. The tour kicked off January 12th at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and just recently opened at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The National Veterans Network (whose local coalition members are Oregon Nikkei Endowment and Oregon Nisei Veterans), is working together with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and National Museum of American History to present the medal and its story. Portland is one of only seven cities to host this historic exhibit. Oregon Nikkei Endowment and the Oregon Historical Society will present the exhibit at the Oregon History Museum from August 24 through September 29, 2013. This will be the first time ever that one of these rare coins will be allowed to tour the country before residing at its permanent home in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. As precious as the medal is (accompanied by its own Federal Marshall and armed guard), it is the story behind the medal that is more precious than the gold itself.

For this important element of the tour, the National Veterans Network partnered with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center to present an interactive social leaning experience via the Congressional Gold Medal app/website to teach the character based values exemplified by the veterans. Stories of courage, respect, humility, perseverance,

APRIL 2013 • VOLUME 18, ISSUE 9

April 6• Scholarship Applicant

Interviews

April 13, 9am• JACL District Meeting

Holladay Park Plaza

April 15, 7pm• JAS Board Meeting

Epworth April 27• JACL National Board

Meeting, San Francisco, CA April 28, 11:30am• Spring Bazaar

Epworth

May 5, 5pm• JA Graduation Banquet

Multnomah Athletic Club May 18• UP Chili Feed

Epworth

May 21• AAPI Community Mixer

Lan Su Chinese Garden

May 27, 1pm• Memorial Day Service

Rose City Cemetery

June 14• Flag Day

July 24-26• JACL National Convention

Washington D.C.

American Heroes: Japanese American WWII Nisei Soldiers and the Congressional Gold Medal

Board Members Message Continuedcompassion and citizenship are featured to educate and inspire generations to come. The app is available to log onto iPads at the exhibit, but more importantly, can be accessed now at cgm.si.edu.

This exhibit provides a wonderful opportunity for people in the Pacific Northwest to recognize and celebrate the legacy of service, sacrifice and valor of the WWII Japanese American veterans. The tour and its educational app will bring to life the lessons and contributions of these timeless and true American heroes. Local programming and events to share these rich stories and honor the veterans will be held throughout the four-week run of the exhibit in Portland.

The tour has been made possible with the support of the following National Sponsors: AARP, Cole Chemical, Comcast/NBC Universal, Japanese American Veterans Association/Bob Nakamoto, Pritzker Military Library, Shiratsuki Family Trust, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Mountain Community Fund. Tremendous local support to make the tour a reality has come from Portland JACL, Seattle Nisei Veterans Committee, Oregon Nisei Veterans, Sam Naito, the Bill Naito Family, Japanese Ancestral Society of Portland and the Portland Business Alliance.

Stay tuned for upcoming celebrations and events related to the exhibit which will be announced through Portland JACL and Oregon Nikkei Endowment.reminds us all why civil rights organizations like JACL are still a crucial part of American society.

The annual Japanese American Graduation Banquet will be held at the Multnomah Athletic Club on Sunday, May 5th. All of the community is invited to attend. For tickets, please contact Ron Iwasaki, 503-628-2965.

Since 1949 the Nikkei community has recognized high school seniors, who are graduating from high school. This year we are pleased to announce that Todd Yuzuriha will give the keynote address. When

Todd graduated Parkrose High School in 1972, he was the valedictorian of his class and he attended the banquet. He received the Portland JACL Scholarship.

Todd grew up in Portland and has been married to Elaine for 29 years. They have three children--Jill, Ken, and Joy. Todd is the son of Shig and Yo Yuzuriha.

Todd is currently President of the Board of Directors for Evergreen Public Schools and on the Board of Trustees for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. He is the co-host of “The Money JAR”, a podcast about kids and money.

Todd retired as Vice President of Engineering for Logitech where he led product development for the company’s audio and video game products. He held management positions at Labtec, Sharp, and Tektronix.

He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Stanford, a master’s degree in engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, an MBA from the University of Portland.

Todd enjoys playing trumpet for the Minidoka Swing Band, Vancouver Brass Ensemble, and the Vancouver Pops Orchestra

Todd Yuzuriha will be the keynote speaker

Japanese American Graduation Banquet

Many of the Portland JACL board members attend the Portland City Hall farewell reception for Consul General and Mrs. Murabayashi on March 19, 2013

Alice Sumida, President of the Hyakudokai Club pres-ents the Consul General and Aurora Murabayashi with a farewell gift at Chinese Village on March 23, 2013

Floyd Mori, Executive Director Emeritus of JACL re-ceives the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Rosette at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan to the United States on March 14, 2013 in Washington DC

Portland JACL in the Community

Photo © 2013 Setsy Larouche

Photo © 2013 Setsy Larouche

Photo © 2013 Yoshio Oda

Portland JACL in the Community

Larry Nakatsu is with Lorry Nakatsu (MIS) in front of the Congressional Gold Medal at the WWII Muesum in New Orleans, January 12 and 13, 2013

Lorry Nakatsu with General Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

Linda Tamura signs a copy of her book Nisei Soldiers Break their Silence for Rich Iwasaki at Portland State University on March 19, 2013

Photo © 2013 Setsy Larouche

Photo © 2013 Setsy Larouche

Clark Center Meals on Wheels April 2013 Menu 2740 SE Powell Blvd., Portland OR

Monday 1 - Sweet & sour chicken or Hawaiian pizzaTuesday 2 - Roast turkey or Greek salad (meatless)Wednesday 3 - Fresh roast beef w/ gravy or Asian BBQ porkThursday 4 - Spaghetti w/ meat sauce or Open face turkey sandwichFriday 5 - Oregon Steelhead Salmon or BBQ meat-ball sandwich

Monday 8 - Ginger chicken stir fry or Omelet w/ mushroom sauceTuesday 9 - Meatloaf w/ gravy or Shrimp salad Wednesday 10 - Pork yakisoba or Vegetable pizzaThursday 11 - Chicken teriyaki or Tuna salad sand-wichFriday 12 - Baked fish w/ Creole sauce or Chicken fajitas

Monday 15 - Stir fry pork or Chef salad

Tuesday 16 - Chicken breast w/ gravy or Breakfast casseroleWednesday 17 - Yoji-san curry or Taco saladThursday 18 - Chili, Spaghetti or Grilled vegetable sandwichFriday 19 - Chicken pot pie or Broccoli quiche

Monday 22 - Swedish meatballs or Turkey sandwichTuesday 23 - Roasted parmesan chicken breast or Mediterranean sandwichWednesday 24 - Asian stir fry or Battered fish sand-wichThursday 25 - Chicken enchilada casserole or Open face roast beef sandwichFriday 26 - Shrimp fettucine or Tomato basil veggie burger

Monday 29 - Turkey pot roast or Shrimp quicheTuesday 30 - Roast pork or Vegetable pizza

Hugs from Ikoi No KaiBy Sharon Takahashi

(Hugs have no cholesterol or sugar content, can be dispensed singly or in large doses, and have been known to raise endorphin levels. They can be stockpiled, cost nothing to store, and make marvelous gifts on short notice. Side effects are smiles, body warmth and a general sense of good feeling.)

It seems like only yesterday that Multnomah County notified us that we would no longer receive our fund-ing and we scrambled to put a Ikoi No Kai on a stable course. The next three years showed us that folks in the community were willing to help us continue our mission.

What a thrilling day we had on March 4, as Sharon Ogata and her crew prepared meals for over 100 friends and volunteers to celebrate our 34th anni-versary. We were hosts to Consul General and Mrs. Hirofumi Murabayashi, Shokookai representatives Hideo & Chikako Kobayashi and Hiroshi Uemura, and Japanese Ancestral Society President Gordon Kondo. Our flower maven Rose Kasahara had her blooms ready and Shoko Wilkinson helped her.

A huge thank you goes to the Ikoi No Kai commit-tee which meets each month to deal with our clients’ suggestions, facility needs and staffing concerns. Kay Endo (ex officio rep of the Japanese Ancestral Society), Noriko Dozono, Pat Gilman, Gordon Kondo, Seichi Konno, Connie Masuoka, Don Matsuda, Shig Oka, Chris Shiraishi, Katie Tamiyasu, and Henry Ueno are The Committee. Site manager Loen Dozono serves as our communication conduit for issues and gives us insight on happenings. Ed Tamiyasu has helped us with meal trends and data, statistics which we need when applying for grants and other funding. Their professional skills and volunteer hours are price-less. My thanks, in advance, to Don Matsuda, who will take the helm of the committee in April. A change in leadership brings new ideas and perspectives.

Our donor base for 2012 grew, too. Arigato to: Akiko Akagi, Sharon Yasui Carrell, Jim Fujii, Tom Fujii, Karen Fujimoto, Brian & Nancy Furumasu, Frances Gale, Wako Henjyoji, Kazumi & Ritsuko Heshiki, Dan

(continued on next page)

Hugs from Ikoi No KaiHinatsu, Michele Hinatsu, Toy Hirata, Hiroko Hodgkin, Ken Honda, Tom Honma, Rose Ikata, Nobi Ishida, John Iwasaki, Linda Iwasaki, Paul Iwasaki, Fude Kagawa, Ryuko Kakishita, Dana & Eleanor Kakishita, Kirby & Heidi Kanada, George & Amy Kanegae, Rose Kasahara, Diane Kasubuchi, Terry Katayama, Ed & Grace Kawasaki, Jane Kawashima, Ken & Katie Kawazoe, Ami Kinoshita, Verna Lee, Margaret Lynch, Dick & Barbara Maruji, Misao Minagi, Richard & Jean Miyahira, Taka Mizote, Tsuyako Monas, Hank Mura-matsu, Judy Murase, Lisa Nakashimada, George & Keiko Nakata, Nikkei Fujinkai, Daryl & Heidi Nishida, Richard Nishimoto, Akira & Yoko Nishioka, Greg Nitta, Debbie Nozaki, Yuki Ogawa, Shigeko Oguri, Shig & May Oka, Lil Okazaki, Gary & Diane Onchi, Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, Bill Otani, Frances Palk, Atsuko Richards, Joanne Richter, Carolyn Saiget, Shiuko Sakai, Don & Naomi Sakata, Vicky Shimizu, Earl & Elna Shinseki, Jeff & Marilyn Sholian, Paul Tamura, Calvin & Mayho Tanabe, Linda Tanaka, Ben & Alice Tano, Leslie Tsunenaga, Henry & Atami Ueno, United Way, Franklin Uyeda, Veleda Club, Kaneko Wagar, Vivian Wong, Grace Yabuki, Jeff & Cathy Yarne, Homer & Miyuki Yasui, Dianne Yatsu, Derrick & Alison Yoshinaga, and Minnie Young.

We are thankful to the Friends of Ikoi No Kai who pledged $20 a month or more to help us. They are

Alaska Tanker Co., Anonymous (2), Blount, Inc., Judy Briney, Sho & Loen Dozono, Robert & Noriko Dozono, Kay Endo, Dwight Fujimoto, Robert & Peggy Fujimo-to, Sally Hinatsu, Eisaku & Alice Hiromura, Pat Iboshi, George Kajiwara, Alice Kida, Gordon Kondo, Seichi & Shu Konno, Don & Diana Matsuda, Taro & Wanda Miura, Sumi Murakami, Sam Naito, Jim Nakadate, Bill Nakamura, Dale & Sharon Ogata, Yowko Ichioka Richardson, Ken & Katie Saito, Sharon Sessions, Bill & Ida Sugahiro, Kay Sweeney, Andrew Takahashi, Wayne & Sharon Takahashi, Katie & Ed Tamiyasu, Lennie Tanaka, Lew & Jean Tomita, Jim & Amy Tsugawa, United Way (2 employee pledges), Dick & Barbara Uyesugi, and Mary Yamaguchi.

We previously acknowledged koden in honor of Nobi Azumano, Marian Hara, Kozo Hiromura, Kennie Namba, Tosh Okino, Jim Onchi and Mazie Sakai. Ikoi No Kai received $35,200 in total donations in 2012.

In January 2013, a gift/sale of securities was received from Lily Irinaga, a longtime volunteer, in memory of husband Fred Irinaga. Her substantial donation will cover Ikoi No Kai’s rent to Epworth United Methodist Church for an entire year.

Thank you, all, for making our 34th year a resounding success and making the 35th look so promising.

Consul General Murabayashi with his daughter, Mayumi, and wife, Aurora, attend the 34th Anniversary of Ikoi No Kai, a senior lunch program run by the Japanese Ancestral Society on March 4, 2013.

Photo © 2013 Setsy Larouche

Copies & Printing

Co-President:Susan Leedhamsusan@pdxjacl.org

Co-President:Jean Yamamotojean@pdxjacl.org

Vice President:Kirk Tambarakirk@pdxjacl.org

Treasurer:Chip Larouchechip@pdxjacl.org

Membership:Setsy Larouchesetsy@pdxjacl.org

Secretary:Marleen Ikeda Wallingfordmarleen@pdxjacl.org

Rich Iwasakirich@pdxjacl.org

Jim Kennedyjim@pdxjacl.org

John Kodachijohn@pdxjacl.org

Lynn Longfellowlynn@pdxjacl.org

Connie Masuokaconnie@pdxjacl.org

Verne Naitoverne@pdxjacl.org

Jeff Selbyjeff@pdxjacl.org

Heidi Tolentinoheidi@pdxjacl.org

Your Portland JACL Newsletter comes to you thanks to DocuMart on SW Main in Portland, who prints it at a greatly reduced cost. Please consider them for your printing needs: 503-228-6253.

A big thank you to Chris Onchi, as well, Chris has been printing our labels, making data entry changes, and assisting with the annual calendar for many years. Her business is Chris’ Mailing Service: 503-452-6864.

Ikoi no Kai at Epworth1333 SE 28th Ave, PortlandMonday 1 - Korean beef bibimbopTuesday 2 - Spring cab-bage & pork saladWednesday 3 - ClosedThursday 4 - Chicken teriyakiFriday 5 - Meatball soup / somen salad

Monday 8 - Roast pork / Singapore noodlesTuesday 9 - Tilapia baked in parchment Wednesday 10 - ClosedThursday 11 - Satsuma jiruFriday 12 - Panko shrimp / shitake chiken rice

Monday 15 - Mochiko chicken / musubi plateTuesday 16 - Sweet & sour pork

Ikoi no Kai April 2013 Menu Notes:• Only the entrée is listed. Each day’s menu includes

soup or salad and dessert• April 9: Fujinkai Board Meeting, 10:30a.m.• April 15: Lunch Bunch• April 15: Games after lunch: Bridge, Hanafuda• April 18: Sing Along, 11:30a.m.• Blood pressure: April 9, 12, 15, and 23• Tai Chi: Thursdays except April 18

Wednesday 17 - ClosedThursday 18 - TempuraFriday 19 - Tomato beef yakisoba

Monday 22 - Fish fry / ginger scallion noodlesTuesday 23 - Chicken romaine saladWednesday 24 - ClosedThursday 25 - UdonFriday 26 - Closed for bazaar

Monday 29 - Thai chick-en / salad rollsTuesday 30 - Birthday sushi

Newsletter/Historian:Michael Yamamotomichael@pdxjacl.org