JA VIETNAM VETERANS TO MARK MEMORIAL DAY WITH PANEL DISCUSSION MAY 23

A panel discussion involving a group of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA) Vietnam Veterans will be held at the Japanese American National Museum on Saturday, May 23, beginning at 2 p.m. to help mark the Memorial Day Weekend.

The panel will consist of Kenneth Hayashi, who worked in logistical services in Vietnam; David Miyoshi, who was a Marine; Jerry Yamamoto, who worked in stateside services; and Lawrence Takahashi, a combat veteran. The panel will be moderated by Superior Court Judge Vincent H. Okamoto, a highly decorated combat soldier in Vietnam.

Miyoshi was a captain in the Marines while in Vietnam. He and the others faced the dilemma of being Asian while America fought against the Vietnamese. He and Okamoto described their experiences in the National Museum’s Watase Media Arts Center documentary, "Looking Like the Enemy". Yamamoto was president of the 20th Anniversary California Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee last year. The memorial pays tribute to the 5,822 servicemen and servicewomen from California who were killed or missing in action in Vietnam.

Okamoto, who was recently inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning in Georgia, is author of the book, Wolfhound Samurai. The novel tells the story about a Japanese American combat soldier in Vietnam and the harrowing experiences he encounters while looking like the enemy. Christopher Nagata, the main character, is raised American with American ideals and learns the harsh reality of serving in the American military while looking like the enemy. The journey in earning the respect of his men, cradling his humanity and later being heralded a hero comes at an unimaginable cost.

Following the panel discussion, Okamoto will sign his book, which is the first published by the Nikkei Writers Guild, a division of Japanese American Living Legacy.

This program is free to National Museum members or with admission. For more information, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414 or go to www.janm.org.