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,
A New Friend, A New Member, and a Moment Worth Remembering
What happens when two veterans sit down and start talking? Two hours disappear in an instant.
This past weekend, I had the genuine pleasure of meeting James “Butch” Kawashima for the very first time at the BWI Hilton. Butch is a Vietnam War veteran who had just flown into the Washington, D.C., area as part of the Honor Flight program — and from the moment we sat down together, the conversation took on a life of its own.
For those who may not be familiar, Honor Flight is a national nonprofit that brings U.S. military veterans to Washington, D.C., completely free of charge, so they can visit the memorials built in their honor. The mission says it beautifully: to celebrate America’s veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at our nation’s memorials. The vision is just as moving: a nation where every veteran experiences the honor, gratitude, and community support they have earned and deserve.
Butch and I talked for two solid hours. The conversation was so rich and engaging that I completely forgot to snap a photo with him — and honestly, I’m not all that sorry about it. Some moments are better lived than documented. At some point during our visit, we picked up his phone and signed him up as a member of the Japanese American Veterans Association right then and there. It was a small gesture, but it felt like exactly the right thing to do.
Welcoming Butch into JAVA was a privilege and spending that time with him was a good reminder of something we already know but can never hear enough: every veteran carries a story worth hearing, honoring, and preserving.
Want to get involved?
Veterans outside the D.C. area looking to participate in an Honor Flight can find a hub in their state and county here: https://www.honorflight.org/hub-by-county/
D.C.-area members interested in volunteering or serving as a greeter can sign up here: https://dcwelcome.honorflight.org/
Want to see the program in action? Check out this short video from the 2025 Honor Flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_QGcCkD4Gw
Respectfully,
Howard High
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.