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Providing for the Preservation of the Historic Confinement Sites Where Japanese Americans Were Detained During World War II

By: Ed Case
By: Ed Case
Date: Nov. 16, 2005
Location: Washington, DC


PROVIDING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORIC CONFINEMENT SITES WHERE JAPANESE AMERICANS WERE DETAINED DURING WORLD WAR II -- (House of Representatives - November 16, 2005)

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Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1492, which I am truly honored, especially representing Hawaii, the State with the highest number of Americans of Japanese ancestry, to cosponsor.

I, like others, express my deepest appreciation on behalf not only of our AJAs, but all Americans, to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas), the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall), for bringing this vital measure before the people's House.

The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II is a tragic and shameful chapter in our history, replete with misunderstanding by too many and courage by too few. Although AJAs on the U.S. mainland, particularly the west coast, bore the brunt of this national mistake, Japanese-Americans throughout our country were affected.

After Pearl Harbor, about 10,000 people in Hawaii were investigated, and almost 1,500, mostly AJAs, were detained on all of Hawaii's main islands. The principal camps were at Sand Island and Honouliuli on Oahu. I attach to these remarks a compelling article from the June 2, 2004, Honolulu Star-Bulletin reporting the remembrances of some of Hawaii's surviving detainees.

Mr. Speaker, it is right and appropriate that we provide for permanent memorials of this difficult time, when good people did bad things out of fear and ignorance. I especially appreciate that among these memorials will be Honouliuli, so that the people of Hawaii and elsewhere may put a place and a reality to the words of Harry Urata, of Hawaii, who said: ``They made a mistake. Everybody makes mistakes. But don't repeat that.''

Mahalo.

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