{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-leads-hawaii-congressional-delegation-in-posthumous-promotions-of-seven-nisei-wwii-soldiers", "Rep. Tokuda Leads Hawai\u02bbi Congressional Delegation in Posthumous Promotions of Seven Nisei WWII Soldiers", "2025-09-25", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=2&", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 The Secretary of the Army posthumously promoted seven second-generation Territory of Hawai\u02bbi Japanese Americans, aka Nisei soldiers, and former University of Hawai\u02bbi Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to the rank of second lieutenant. The promotions follow a June 26, 2024, request from the Hawai\u02bbi Congressional Delegation urging then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth to review the military records of the seven cadets and consider their eligibility for posthumous officer commissions.\n\nThe seven servicemembers served in University of Hawai\u02bbi's Army ROTC program, which was suspended during World War II. Shortly after signing up with the Hawaii Territorial Guard, all Nisei were expelled under policies related to Executive Order 9066 and widespread anti-Japanese American discrimination. After being removed, the seven servicemembers volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army as enlisted soldiers in the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. All seven were killed in combat in Europe in 1944.\n\n\u201cThese young men wanted to serve as leaders in the U.S. Army. They trained for it, they earned it, and they were denied that chance because of wartime prejudice. But they still put on the uniform and gave their lives in defense of our country. Today, we finally recognize them as the officers they were meant to be,\u201d said U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02). \u201cThis is about acknowledging the history of our Nisei veterans and honoring their sacrifice the way it should have been honored 80 years ago. I\u2019m grateful to the University of Hawai\u02bbi ROTC program, the Army, and the many who supported this long-overdue recognition.\u201d\n\nThe former cadets are:\n\nSSG Grover Nagaji (1920 \u2013 1944, Born in Honolulu)\n\nSGT Howard Urabe (1923 \u2013 1944, Born in Kapaa)\n\nSGT Robert Murata (1922 \u2013 1944, Born in Honolulu)\n\nSGT Jenhatsu Chinen (1922 \u2013 1944, Born in Wahiawa)\n\nSGT Daniel Betsui (1922 \u2013 1944, Born in Hanapepe)\n\nPFC Hiroichi Tomita (1923 \u2013 1944, Born in Wailuku)\n\nPVT Akio Nishikawa (1922 \u2013 1944, Born in Paia)\n\nThe University of Hawai\u02bbi awarded all seven men posthumous bachelor\u2019s degrees in 2012. They were not commissioned as officers at the time of their deaths due to their earlier expulsion from the ROTC program. The Army\u2019s decision to grant these promotions was based on documentation and research provided by the University of Hawai\u02bbi Army ROTC program and the review process requested by the Hawai\u2019i Congressional Delegation. The request was supported by the University of Hawai\u02bbi Army ROTC program, current cadets and alumni, the U.S. Army Pacific, and the Governor of Hawai\u02bbi.\n\n\u201cThe promotion of these seven former UH Army ROTC cadets is a meaningful, long-overdue step to recognize these brave men who served our country and fought alongside their fellow Americans on the battlefield in WWII,\u201d said U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI). \u201cEven in the face of the prejudice that followed Executive Order 9066\u2014which included being expelled from the UH ROTC program\u2014these men volunteered to serve with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. It has been 80 years since these brave, dedicated servicemembers were killed in action while protecting our country, and I am proud to work on righting this historic injustice and correcting their ranks to honor their sacrifice.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese seven sons of Hawai\u2018i were just barely out of their teens in our UH ROTC program when their commitment to serve their country loyally as United States Army officers was questioned by that country solely because of their race,\u201d said U.S. Representative Ed Case (HI-01). \u201cTheir perseverance in proving that loyalty as volunteer enlisted soldiers led to their ultimate sacrifice far from their home on the battlefields of Italy and France. The awarding of these gold bars three generations later means far more than final and just achievement of the rank of Second Lieutenant. It stands as still another in a long line of testaments to the commitment of Japanese Americans willing to fight and die to preserve and protect the values of democracy and freedom for a country that had not returned their loyalty.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m glad to see the Army is doing the right thing. These servicemembers made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and deserve every honor they\u2019ve rightfully earned,\u201d said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).\n\n\u201cIt is only right to honor these seven Americans who, through setback, strife, and sacrifice, continued to remain committed to the ideals and principles espoused in the Constitution of the United States. This is a testament to the strength and courage of them, and all Nisei, who fought and died for freedom on a global scale while in the midst of tenuous conditions for Americans of Japanese descent in the U.S. at the time,\u201d said Lieutenant Colonel Jerrod Melander, UH Professor of Military Science. \u201cThe UH Army ROTC Program continues to honor those former Cadets, Cadre, and Alumni who gave the ultimate sacrifice for this Country. This is one way to maintain the connection with our past and keep the Legacy alive. We shall never forget!\u201d\n\nPhotos and biographies for the seven cadets can be viewed here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-leads-hawaii-congressional-delegation-in-posthumous-promotions-of-seven-nisei-wwii-soldiers"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.069554127752781, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}