Friends and Family of Nisei Veterans (FFNV), a Japanese-American WW II veterans organization, will host a meeting 12:30 p.m. Feb. 13, at the rear building of the Morgan Hill Buddhist Community Center, 16450 Murphy Ave. Potluck lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., and the public is invited.
The highlight of this meeting is to feature four speakers on the subject of a legendary segregated Japanese-American unit—the 442nd Regimental Combat Team—rescuing the “Lost Battalion.” The 442nd RCT, formed in 1943, was initially engaged in Italy and quickly became a formidable and well-respected fighting unit. “Go For Broke” was its motto. For its size and the length of service, the 442nd RCT became the highest decorated unit in U.S. Army history with 21 Medal of Honor awards.
On Oct. 24, 1944, the 1st Battalion of the 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Division (originally the Texas National Guard), became surrounded and trapped by German forces in the Vosges Mountains, France. The 1st Battalion was deemed “lost” because repeated attempts by 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 141st Infantry Regiment failed to rescue the 1st.
The Division Commander then ordered the 442nd RCT to rescue the “Lost Battalion.” Even though the 442nd RCT just came off bitter battles to liberate nearby towns and thus was severely short of manpower, they smartly saluted and valiantly pressed on. It was another opportunity to prove their loyalty to America after being classified as “enemy alien” after Pearl Harbor. On Oct. 30, after taking extremely heavy casualties, the 442nd RCT broke through and rescued the “Lost Battalion.”
Tom Graves, professional photographer and the author of “Twice Heroes”, will introduce other speakers. He will give the overview of the 442ndRCT, and present the importance of the battle to rescue the “Lost Battalion.” He will also comment on why this rescue lives on in history.
Franz Steidl, author of “Lost Battalions”, will give an introduction to the regional military situation, military motives behind the battle and its results. He will also make an audiovisual presentation.
Al Tortolano (soldier of the 1st Battalion, 141st Infantry, the “Lost Battalion”) will talk about his side of the battle, what his fellow soldiers faced and knew and what they went through before the rescue by the 442RCT.
Lawson Sakai (a 442nd RCT vet) will talk about the Regiment itself—its origin and training. He will then focus on his role during the battle to rescue the “Lost Battalion.”
Brian Shiroyama
Morgan Hill
Survey data in context
The Times recently published an article about the Godbe Research survey commissioned by the city to gather data to assess the overall perceptions of living in Morgan Hill, to gauge satisfaction with the city’s performance and obtain opinions about a variety of city characteristics. In that article, the following was written:
“About 62 percent of survey respondents said they would support an ordinance to update the city’s Residential Development Control System, extending it to 2035 with a population ceiling of 64,600 for that year. The current RDCS or growth control ordinance sets a population cap in Morgan Hill of 48,000 for the year 2020.”
The actual language in the survey that resulted in the 62 percent figure reads as follows:
“Shall an ordinance to update the city’s voter-approved Residential Development Control System (RDCS) and extend it to 2035, including a population ceiling of 64,600 for the year 2035 (consistent with the current growth rate) and policies to encourage more efficient land use, water conservation, sustainable transit-oriented development, and better implement the existing voter-approved RDCS allotment system, be adopted?”
The omission of language from the survey has the potential of creating a false perception of what the 62 percent supports, especially when another part of the survey indicates support for a growth moratorium. Regardless of which side of the growth issue residents favor, it’s important that the information being made available is accurate.
Chris Monack
Morgan Hill
