Go for Broke Monument: Difference between revisions

Go for Broke Monument
	34°03′04″N 118°14′20″W / 34.051181°N 118.239019°W
Location	355 E. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012
Designer	Roger M. Yanagita
Beginning date	1991
Dedicated date	June 5, 1999
Website	http://www.goforbroke.org/

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The Go for Broke Monument (Japanese: 日系人部隊記念碑,^[1]^[2] Nikkeijinbutai Kinenhi) in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California, commemorates Japanese Americans who served in the United States Army during World War II. It was created by Los Angeles architect Roger M. Yanagita whose winning design was selected over 138 other submissions from around the world.

Design and construction of the monument commenced in 1991 with the dedication occurring on June 5, 1999.^[3] It is located at the end of North Central Street, adjacent to the Japanese American National Museum, and is surrounded on three sides by a pay-parking lot serving East Temple Street. The monument is accessible by the public at no cost.

Monument

The monument has a large semicircular face of polished black stone, set at an angle facing the Sun as it is perceived as traveling across the southern sky, and embracing a pole upon which the American flag flies. The monument's curved back wall lists the names of 16,126 nisei soldiers. At the foot of the flag is the shoulder flash of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Across the top of the face is the motto: "Go For Broke" and below that are the insignia of the segregated, all-Nisei Army units: the famed 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team, as well as lesser-known nisei units, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 232nd Combat Engineer Company, and the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion.

"Remember Pearl Harbor!" was the unit motto of the 100th Battalion,^[4] while "Go for Broke" was that of the 442nd RCT.^[5] It has since been adopted as a motto for all of the Japanese-American units formed during World War II.

The monument's main feature, a large inscription on the face, describes how they served even as they were being deprived of their constitutional rights during the period of forced removal and incarceration. This inscription uses the term concentration camps to describe the facilities then officially called relocation centers. The inscription is attributed to 100th Infantry Battalion veteran Ben Tamashiro, best known for his more than 60 appearances in television advertisements for the Bank of Hawaii.^[6] According to his 2004 obituary in the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

After a nationwide search failed to elicit an appropriate inscription, his former commanding officer — Col. Young Oak Kim, who was in charge of the project — wrote to Tamashiro, according to his daughter. The words Tamashiro sent back were the ones chosen — with a single change. Instead of "internment camps" as he had written, the inscription was changed to "concentration camps."^[6]

Interpretive information is available from the Japanese American National Museum and a kiosk beside the monument. Also, the monument is often attended by veterans of the nisei units, who explain the monument and the events of World War II, and answer questions.

Main inscription

GO FOR BROKE – An American Story

Rising to the defense of their country, by the thousands they came – these young Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii, the states, America's concentration camps – to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II. Looked upon with suspicion, set apart and deprived of their constitutional rights, they nevertheless remained steadfast and served with indomitable spirit and uncommon valor, for theirs was a fight to prove loyalty. This legacy will serve as a sobering reminder that never again shall any group be denied liberty and the rights of citizenship. – Ben H. Tamashiro^[7]

Quotations below the main inscription

"You not only fought the enemy . . . you fought prejudice and won." – President Harry S. Truman as he welcomed the 100/442 RCT home

"Never in military history did an army know as much about the enemy prior to actual engagement" – General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Pacific Theater, referring to the MIS

"My fellow Americans, we gather here today to right a grave wrong . . . now let me sign H.R. 442." – President Ronald Reagan, Civil Liberties Act of 1988

"The Nisei saved countless lives and shortened the war by two years" – Charles A. Willoughby, General MacArthur's Intelligence Officer, referring to the MIS

References

^ 安倍首相が小東京訪問：日本と日系人の絆を確認 - Rafu Shimpo
^ 安倍総理大臣の米国訪問（結果） - 外務省
^ "Go for Broke National Education Center - Preserving the Legacy of the Japanese American Veterans of World War II". Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
^ "100th Infantry Battalion | Densho Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2013-05-11.
^ "442nd Regimental Combat Team | Densho Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
^ ^a ^b "Ben Tamashiro, 'Harry' in Bankoh ads, dead at 86 - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper". the.honoluluadvertiser.com.
^ "About Us: The Monument - Inscription". Go For Broke National Education Center. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-08-22.

External links

[1] 安倍首相が小東京訪問：日本と日系人の絆を確認 - Rafu Shimpo

[2] 安倍総理大臣の米国訪問（結果） - 外務省

[3] "Go for Broke National Education Center - Preserving the Legacy of the Japanese American Veterans of World War II". Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-06.

[4] "100th Infantry Battalion | Densho Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2013-05-11.

[5] "442nd Regimental Combat Team | Densho Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.

[tam-6] "Ben Tamashiro, 'Harry' in Bankoh ads, dead at 86 - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper". the.honoluluadvertiser.com.

[MonumentInscription-7] "About Us: The Monument - Inscription". Go For Broke National Education Center. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-08-22.

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+{{Short description|Monument in Los Angeles, California, United States}}
-The '''Go For Broke Monument''' in [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California]], commemorates [[Japanese Americans]] who served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]]. It was created by Los Angeles architect Roger M. Yanagita whose winning design was selected over 138 other submissions from around the world.
+{{Infobox monument
+| name          = Go for Broke Monument
+| native_name   =
+| image         = File:Go for Broke Monument.jpg
+| image_size    =
+| caption       =
+| location      = 355 E. 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012
+| mapframe      =
+| designer      = Roger M. Yanagita
+| type          =
+| material      =
+| length        =
+| width         =
+| height        =
+| weight        =
+| visitors_num  =
+| visitors_year =
+| begin         = 1991
+| complete      =
+| dedicated     = June 5, 1999
+| open          =
+| restore       =
+| dismantled    =
+| dedicated_to  =
+| map_name      =
+| map_text      =
+| map_width     =
+| map_relief    =
+| coordinates   = {{coord|34.051181|-118.239019|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
+| website       = http://www.goforbroke.org/
+| extra_label   =
+| extra         =
+}}
+The '''Go for Broke Monument''' ({{langx|ja|日系人部隊記念碑}},<ref>[https://rafu.com/2015/05/%E5%AE%89%E5%80%8D%E9%A6%96%E7%9B%B8%E3%81%8C%E5%B0%8F%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E8%A8%AA%E5%95%8F%EF%BC%9A%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%A8%E6%97%A5%E7%B3%BB%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%AE%E7%B5%86%E3%82%92%E7%A2%BA%E8%AA%8D/ 安倍首相が小東京訪問：日本と日系人の絆を確認 - Rafu Shimpo]</ref><ref>[https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/na/na1/us/page4_001169.html 安倍総理大臣の米国訪問（結果） - 外務省]</ref> ''Nikkeijinbutai Kinenhi'') in [[Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California]], commemorates [[Japanese Americans]] who served in the [[United States Army]] during [[World War II]]. It was created by Los Angeles architect Roger M. Yanagita whose winning design was selected over 138 other submissions from around the world.
-Design and construction of the monument commenced in 1991 with the dedication occurring on June 5, 1999.<ref>http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_educational_history.asp</ref> It is located at the end of North Central Street, adjacent to the [[Japanese American National Museum]], and is surrounded on three sides by a pay-parking lot serving East Temple Street.  The monument is accessible by the public at no cost.
+Design and construction of the monument commenced in 1991 with the dedication occurring on June 5, 1999.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_educational_history.asp |title=Go for Broke National Education Center - Preserving the Legacy of the Japanese American Veterans of World War II |access-date=2010-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129222328/http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_educational_history.asp |archive-date=2010-01-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is located at the end of North Central Street, adjacent to the [[Japanese American National Museum]], and is surrounded on three sides by a pay-parking lot serving East Temple Street. The monument is accessible by the public at no cost.
 ==Monument==
+[[File:GoForBrokeMonumentNames.jpg|thumb|Detail of some of the names listed on the back of the monument]]
-The monument has a large semicircular face of polished black stone, set at an angle facing the sun as it travels across the southern sky, and embracing a pole upon which the American flag flies. The monument's curved back wall lists the names of 16,126 [[nisei]] soldiers.  At the foot of the flag is the shoulder flash of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
+The monument has a large semicircular face of polished black stone, set at an angle facing the Sun as it is perceived as traveling across the southern sky, and embracing a pole upon which the American flag flies. The monument's curved back wall lists the names of 16,126 [[nisei]] soldiers. At the foot of the flag is the shoulder flash of the all-Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
-Across the top of the face is the motto: "Go For Broke" and below that are the insignia of the segregated, all-Nisei Army units: the famed [[U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion|100th Infantry Battalion]] and [[442nd Regimental Combat Team]], as well as lesser-known nisei units, the [[Military Intelligence Service]], 522nd Field Artillery Battalion, 232nd Combat Engineer Company, and the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion.
+Across the top of the face is the motto: "Go For Broke" and below that are the insignia of the segregated, all-Nisei Army units: the famed [[U.S. 100th Infantry Battalion|100th Infantry Battalion]] and [[442nd Regimental Combat Team]], as well as lesser-known nisei units, the [[Military Intelligence Service]] (MIS), [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)#522nd Field Artillery Battalion|522nd Field Artillery Battalion]], 232nd Combat Engineer Company, and the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion.
-"Go For Broke!" was the [[List of military unit mottoes by country|unit motto]] of the 100th Battalion, and was adopted by the 442nd RCT.<ref name = "StarBulletin">{{cite news | last = Kakesako | first = Gregg K. | title = Changes On The Way For Hawaii Army National Guard | url = http://starbulletin.com/2000/04/05/news/story10.html | publisher = Honolulu Star-Bulletin | date = 2000-04-05 | accessdate = 2008-08-22}}</ref> It has since been adopted as a motto for all of the Japanese-American units formed during World War II.
+"Remember Pearl Harbor!" was the [[List of military unit mottoes by country|unit motto]] of the 100th Battalion,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/100th%20Infantry%20Battalion/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511091521/http://encyclopedia.densho.org/100th%20Infantry%20Battalion/ |archive-date=2013-05-11 |title=100th Infantry Battalion {{!}} Densho Encyclopedia}}</ref> while "Go for Broke" was that of the 442nd RCT.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://encyclopedia.densho.org/442nd%20Regimental%20Combat%20Team/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425164918/http://encyclopedia.densho.org/442nd%20Regimental%20Combat%20Team/ |archive-date=2014-04-25 |title=442nd Regimental Combat Team {{!}} Densho Encyclopedia}}</ref> It has since been adopted as a motto for all of the Japanese-American units formed during World War II.
-The monument's main feature, a large inscription on the face, describes how they served even as they were being deprived of their constitutional rights during the period of [[Japanese American internment|forced removal and incarceration]]. This inscription uses the term ''[[concentration camps]]'' to describe the facilities then officially called ''relocation centers''. The inscription is attributed to 100th Infantry Battalion veteran Ben Tamashiro, best known for his more than 60 appearances in television advertisements for the [[Bank of Hawaii]].<ref name=tam>{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Mar/30/ln/ln44a.html|title=Ben Tamashiro, 'Harry' in Bankoh ads, dead at 86 - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper|website=the.honoluluadvertiser.com}}</ref> According to his 2004 obituary in the [[Honolulu Advertiser]] and [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]:
+The monument's main feature, a large inscription on the face, describes how they served even as they were being deprived of their constitutional rights during the period of [[Japanese American internment|forced removal and incarceration]]. This inscription uses the term ''[[concentration camps]]'' to describe the facilities then officially called ''relocation centers''. The inscription is attributed to 100th Infantry Battalion veteran Ben Tamashiro, best known for his more than 60 appearances in television advertisements for the [[Bank of Hawaii]].<ref name=tam>{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Mar/30/ln/ln44a.html|title=Ben Tamashiro, 'Harry' in Bankoh ads, dead at 86 - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper|website=the.honoluluadvertiser.com}}</ref> According to his 2004 obituary in the ''[[Honolulu Advertiser]]'' and ''[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]'':
 <blockquote>After a nationwide search failed to elicit an appropriate inscription, his former commanding officer — [[Young-Oak Kim|Col. Young Oak Kim]], who was in charge of the project — wrote to Tamashiro, according to his daughter. The words Tamashiro sent back were the ones chosen — with a single change. Instead of "internment camps" as he had written, the inscription was changed to "concentration camps."<ref name=tam /></blockquote>
-Interpretive information is available from the [[Japanese American National Museum]] and a kiosk beside the monument.  Also, the monument is often attended by veterans of the nisei units, who explain the monument and the events of World War II, and answer questions.
+Interpretive information is available from the [[Japanese American National Museum]] and a kiosk beside the monument. Also, the monument is often attended by veterans of the nisei units, who explain the monument and the events of World War II, and answer questions.
 ==Main inscription==
 '''GO FOR BROKE''' – An American Story
-Rising to the defense of their country, by the thousands they came – these young Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii, the states, America's concentration camps – to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II.  Looked upon with suspicion, set apart and deprived of their constitutional rights, they nevertheless remained steadfast and served with indomitable spirit and uncommon valor, for theirs was a fight to prove loyalty.  This legacy will serve as a sobering reminder that never again shall any group be denied liberty and the rights of citizenship. – Ben H. Tamashiro<ref name="MonumentInscription">{{cite web|publisher=Go For Broke National Education Center |title=About Us: The Monument - Inscription |url=http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_monument_inscription.asp |date=2008 |accessdate=2008-08-22 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830040636/http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_monument_inscription.asp |archivedate=2008-08-30 |df= }}</ref>
+Rising to the defense of their country, by the thousands they came – these young Japanese American soldiers from Hawaii, the states, America's concentration camps – to fight in Europe and the Pacific during World War II. Looked upon with suspicion, set apart and deprived of their constitutional rights, they nevertheless remained steadfast and served with indomitable spirit and uncommon valor, for theirs was a fight to prove loyalty. This legacy will serve as a sobering reminder that never again shall any group be denied liberty and the rights of citizenship. – Ben H. Tamashiro<ref name="MonumentInscription">{{cite web|publisher=Go For Broke National Education Center |title=About Us: The Monument - Inscription |url=http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_monument_inscription.asp |date=2008 |access-date=2008-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830040636/http://www.goforbroke.org/about_us/about_us_monument_inscription.asp |archive-date=2008-08-30 }}</ref>
 ==Quotations below the main inscription==
+"You not only fought the enemy . . . you fought prejudice and won." – President [[Harry S. Truman]] as he welcomed the 100/442 RCT home
+"Never in military history did an army know as much about the enemy prior to actual engagement" – General [[Douglas MacArthur]], Supreme Commander, Pacific Theater, referring to the MIS
-'''You not only fought the enemy . . . you fought prejudice and won.''' – President [[Harry S. Truman]] as he welcomed the 100/442 RCT home
+"My fellow Americans, we gather here today to right a grave wrong . . . now let me sign H.R. 442." – President [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Civil Liberties Act of 1988]]
-'''Never in military history did an army know as much about the enemy prior to actual engagement''' – General [[Douglas MacArthur]], Supreme Commander, Pacific Theater, referring to the MIS
+"The Nisei saved countless lives and shortened the war by two years" – [[Charles A. Willoughby]], General MacArthur's Intelligence Officer, referring to the [[Military Intelligence Service|MIS]]
-'''My fellow Americans, we gather here today to right a grave wrong . . . now let me sign H.R. 442.''' – President [[Ronald Reagan]], Civil Liberties Act of 1988
+==See also==
-'''The Nisei saved countless lives and shortened the war by two years''' – [[Charles A. Willoughby]], General MacArthur's Intelligence Officer, referring to the MIS
+* [[Go for Broke! (1951 film)|''Go for Broke!'' (1951 film)]]
+* [[Japanese American service in World War II]]
-== See also ==
+* [[Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial]]
-*[[Go for Broke! (1951 film)|''Go for Broke!'' (1951 film)]]
+* [[Day of Remembrance (Japanese Americans)]]
-*[[Japanese American service in World War II]]
-*[[Day of Remembrance (Japanese Americans)]]
+* [[Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project]]
-*[[Sadao Munemori]]
+* [[Empty Chair Memorial]]
-*[[Young-Oak Kim]]
+* [[Fred Korematsu Day]]
+* [[Harada House]]
+* [[Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II]]
+* [[National Japanese American Veterans Memorial Court]]
+* [[Nisei VFW Post 8985]]
+* [[Sakura Square]]
+* [[Sadao Munemori]]
+* [[Young-Oak Kim]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 41: / Line 84: @@
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.goforbroke.org/ Go For Broke National Education Center]
+*[http://www.goforbroke.org/ Go For Broke National Education Center]
-* [http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Mar/30/ln/ln44a.html Ben Tamashiro Obituary]
+*[http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Mar/30/ln/ln44a.html Ben Tamashiro Obituary]
+{{Internment of Japanese Americans|collapse_state=collapsed}}
-{{coord|34.051181|-118.239019|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA|display=title}}
 [[Category:Japanese-American history]]
 [[Category:Internment of Japanese Americans]]
 [[Category:Japanese-American culture in California]]
+[[Category:Japanese-American memorials]]
 [[Category:American military personnel of Japanese descent]]
 [[Category:Monuments and memorials in Los Angeles]]

v t e Internment of Japanese Americans
Key topics	Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9102 Yasui Hirabayashi Korematsu Ex parte Endo Lordsburg killings War Relocation Authority History Life before World War II Life after World War II Propaganda Military service in World War II 442nd Infantry Regiment 100th Infantry Battalion Military Intelligence Service
Concentration camps	Gila River Granada Heart Mountain Jerome Manzanar Minidoka Poston Rohwer Topaz Tule Lake
Assembly centers	Arboga Assembly Center Fresno Assembly Center Mayer Assembly Center Merced Assembly Center Owens Valley Reception Center Parker Dam Reception Center Pinedale Assembly Center Pomona Assembly Center Portland Assembly Center Puyallup Assembly Center Sacramento Assembly Center Salinas Assembly Center Santa Anita Assembly Center Stockton Assembly Center Tanforan Assembly Center Tulare Assembly Center Turlock Assembly Center Woodland Civil Control Station
Citizen Isolation centers	Leupp Isolation Center Moab Isolation Center Old Raton Ranch Camp Camp Tulelake
Detention facilities	Catalina Federal Honor Camp Crystal City Alien Enemy Detention Facility Fort Lincoln Alien Enemy Detention Facility Fort Missoula Alien Enemy Detention Facility Fort Stanton Alien Enemy Detention Facility Kenedy Alien Enemy Detention Facility Kooskia Alien Enemy Detention Facility Santa Fe Alien Enemy Detention Facility Seagoville Alien Enemy Detention Facility Sharp Park Detention Station Tuna Canyon Detention Station
Army facilities	Camp Blanding Camp Forrest Camp Livingston Camp McCoy Camp Florence Fort Bliss Internment Camp Fort Howard Internment Camp Fort McDowell Internment Camp Fort Meade Internment Camp Fort Lewis Internment Camp Fort Richardson Internment Camp Fort Sam Houston Internment Camp Fort Sill Internment Camp Griffith Park Detention Camp Haiku Internment Camp Honouliuli Internment Camp Kalaheo Stockade Kilauea Military Camp Lordsburg Internment Camp Sand Island Internment Camp Stringtown Internment Camp
Notable incarcerees	See: Category:Japanese-American internees List of inmates of Manzanar List of inmates of Topaz War Relocation Center Estelle Peck Ishigo Ralph Lazo Isamu Shibayama Elaine Black Yoneda
Literature and arts	Allegiance Born Free and Equal Farewell to Manzanar Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Judgment Without Trial No-No Boy Snow Falling on Cedars The Buddha in the Attic The Invisible Thread The Moved-Outers Under the Blood Red Sun Weedflower When the Emperor was Divine List of documentaries List of feature films Go for Broke!
Legacy	Redress and court cases Evacuation Claims Act Civil Liberties Act of 1988 Renunciation Act of 1944 Day of Remembrance Fred Korematsu Day Empty Chair Memorial Go for Broke Monument Japanese American National Museum Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project Japanese Evacuation and Resettlement Study The Long Journey Home Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial Japanese American Internment Museum Sakura Square Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education
Category