Japanese American Veterans Association
We are an educational, patriotic, fraternal organization dedicated to maintaining and extending the institutions of American freedom. Our members include veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars. Although the majority of our members are Americans of Japanese Ancestry, our members are not exclusively Japanese Americans.
Dear JAVA Members and Friends,
Under the cherry blossoms, we walk to ensure that the light of our ancestors’ legacy never fades.
The words I shared during the Freedom Walk ceremony on March 28, 2026, carry a weight that I believe must resonate far beyond those gathered at the memorial. I am sharing this speech with our entire membership because the story of the Nisei soldiers is not just a chapter of the past, but a living lesson in human dignity and unyielding faith in American ideals. These sentiments are critical; we must ensure that every generation understands how these men chose service and loyalty over hatred, even when their own nation failed them. By reiterating these truths, we honor their sacrifice and commit ourselves to a future where fear and prejudice never again shape the laws of our land.
I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF). Their continued dedication to preserving this sacred space and hosting this annual event allows us a place to gather, remember, and renew our commitment to justice and freedom. I encourage you to visit their website at https://www.njamemorial.org/ to learn more about their vital work in keeping our history alive.
We gather today beneath the cherry blossoms, not simply to take a walk, but to take part in something deeply meaningful. These blossoms remind us that life renews itself, that hope can return, and that beauty can rise again. But they also bloom over ground that holds the memory of those who came before us, those whose names, sacrifices, and struggles must never be forgotten. We walk today so that their story will never be lost to time.
There was once a painful chapter in our nation’s history when fear and suspicion caused an entire people to be treated unjustly. Rights were taken away. Families suffered. Innocent people were denied the basic fairness that every American should expect. And yet, even under that burden, many did not respond with hatred and disruption. Instead, their sons, the Nisei soldiers, chose to serve this country in uniform.
They served with courage, loyalty, and quiet strength, even while carrying the pain of what had been done to their families and communities. Their lives teach us something profound. They showed that sorrow and duty can walk together. They showed that human dignity is stronger than prejudice. They showed that the worth of a person can never be defined by fear, suspicion, or injustice.
Their service was not only an act of military duty. It was also an act of faith in the ideals of this country. It was a powerful statement that they belonged, that they mattered, and that no injustice could erase their humanity.
Let us promise that the next generation will know this story. Let us make sure our children and grandchildren inherit a nation that remembers its failures, honors those who endured them, and chooses a better path. We must remain vigilant. We must never allow fear or prejudice to shape the laws of our land or the conscience of our people.
So today, we walk in remembrance. We walk in loyalty to the ideals that those soldiers upheld. And we walk with a renewed commitment to keep their spirit alive through the way we live, the way we lead, and the way we stand up for others.
We walk for patriotism. We walk for justice. We walk for freedom.
In service and with gratitude,
Howard High
President, Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA)
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, mass hysteria erupted in America against all persons of Japanese ancestry. Nisei (American-born children of Japanese immigrants) were viewed as innately disloyal and were barred from enlisting in the armed forces. The 1,432 Nisei who were already in the U.S. Army in Hawaiʻi were placed in the 100th Infantry Battalion and shipped to Wisconsin for training and subsequently deployed to Italy for combat. Mike Masaoka, Executive Secretary of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), encouraged the Nisei to petition the government to allow them to serve in combat to prove their loyalty.
Masaoka believed a strong performance by the Nisei in combat was the best weapon to defeat racism and prejudice. In response to these petitions and the exemplary training record of the 100th Infantry Battalion, in early 1943 the U.S. Army formed the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, consisting of 4,000 volunteers from Hawaiʻi and the mainland, many from internment camps.