The ‘Cornerstone’ is Laid

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WAILUKU - Ground was broken on the "cornerstone" and final phase of the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center's "living memorial" in Wailuku on Monday afternoon.

The Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Americans), their children and supporters, along with county and state officials, gathered for the blessing of the grounds for the center's education building, which will join the center's existing senior citizen care facility, operated by Maui Adult Day Care Centers, and preschool, operated by Kansha Preschool.

The $1.4 million education center, which is expected to be completed in 10 months, will house a classroom/workroom along with a long-awaited archive room to hold oral histories from the veterans as well as photographs, documents and personal scrapbooks kept by soldiers and their families during World War II.

"The education center was our main focus, or the cornerstone of the project. That's how it started," said Leonard Oka, founder of Maui's Sons and Daughters of Nisei Veterans and center board member.

Oka said the dream for the center began in the 1980s, when veterans and their families wanted a place to keep and showcase archives of the veterans and their war service.

"It's actually the most important phase in terms of ensuring that the legacy of the Nisei veterans continues," said Executive Director Barbara Watanabe.

She said the archive room and the classroom will be used to educate the public, especially students and youth groups, about the values the veterans had - "how very humble, everyday Maui guys" did something "very insurmountable."

During World War II, the young men and their families faced discrimination in the United States, including being sent to internment camps. But the men felt they had to prove themselves to America, and the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team were among the most decorated units of their size in American history. The Military Intelligence Service was also credited with shortening the war in the Pacific by two years and saving more than one million Allied lives.

The education building was designed to take advantage of the insulating properties of the earth, as it will be built into the hillside on the property along Kahului Beach Road. The exterior walls of the archive room and most of the classroom are below grade.

The building will have temperature and humidity controls to protect the archives from mold and mildew. Currently, the archives are being stored in a temperature-controlled Wailuku office.

When completed, the archives will be open to the public. Oka said organizers also want to have some of the archives available for viewing on the Internet.

Oka said the Maui center is important, as the Neighbor Islands' story often is not included in histories and reports, which tend to showcase veterans from Oahu or Los Angeles.

"We have a lot of heroes and their stories that come from Maui. This is one way we can not only collect it but share it," he said.

Hiroshi Arisumi, the chairman of the board and a veteran of the 442nd, said, "I was in Italy when the war ended. Of course, we were all very happy and relieved. But many of us were wondering how we would honor the fellas who were killed during the war and weren't going to be coming home with us.

"When Leonard Oka and the other sons and daughters of Nisei veterans approached us in the mid-1980s about building a memorial center, I thought it was a really good idea. And when this intergenerational concept was developed, it seemed like the right way to honor the KIA (killed in action) because it is about honoring life and caring for each other.

"The education center will be a way for the young people in our community to learn about what it was like for the Japanese-American community after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was a tough time.

"Through our educational programs, we can teach young people about the values we got from our Issei parents. They always told us to work hard, to not give up, to not bring shame on our family. Those are some of the values we want to make sure get passed on to the young people of our community for generations and generations.

"Those values will help them when they face their own life struggles."

The education building will be 2,100 square feet on the bottom floor, which will house the classrooms and archives. An upper floor of the same size will hold a pavilion.

Arisumi Brothers Inc. will construct the building. Funding came from a $750,000 state grant, a $300,000 county grant and donations from private foundations, corporations and individuals.

The center is called a "living memorial," as it is not just a building with a name on it, Oka said.

"It has life in it. It serves the community with the elderly and youth, at the same time serving the purpose of education," he said.

The memorial center's motto - "Committed to perpetuating their legacy through education and continuing service to all generations" - is derived from those of veterans clubs, which stress "continuing service." Organizers say that is just what the center will accomplish.

Watanabe, a former Maui resident who now lives on Oahu, will soon leave the executive director's position. A search is on for a new director.

For more information on the position or about the organization, see: www.nvmc.org.

To make a donation call 244-6862 or send mail to P.O. Box 216, Kahului 96733.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.