Memorial Project Scrapbook

These photos document the WW II Memorial Project 2009 - 2013.
For high resolution images, send your request to Stewart Feldman.

Dedication of Memorial - June 2, 2013

“The memorial has taken four years to complete, but has been well worth the effort. This will be one of the finest monuments dedicated to that generation who gave so much, and it is here in Northern California, where the heritage of Americans of Japanese Ancestry (Nikkei) has been so significant to our country.”   ~ E. Ken Tokutomi, Project Chairman

Placer Ume Taiko performed at the beginning of the ceremony.

The Invocation was given by Rev. Peter Inokoji-Kim, Sacramento Betsuin.

E. Ken Tokutomi (left) shared the history of this memorial project and thanked donors and volunteers who made it possible.  Robert Nakamoto (right), representing the Japanese American Veteran’s Association (JAVA), spoke about the role of those whom we honor.

Local veterans (left to right): Shig (Shigeo) Yokote, Mac Tsujimoto, Leo Hosoda, Norman Kamada, Frank Kageta, Jim Iso.  Christine Sato-Yamazaki, Chair of the National Veterans Network (NVN), delivered the keynote speech.

Elected officials included Placer County
District 5 Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery, Auburn City Council Member Mike Holmes,
and 4th District of California Congressman Tom McClintock (below).

Members of Placer Buddhist Church congregation unveiled the History Plaque donated by their church.

David Unruhe (JACL District Governor and Placer JACL Board member) and Placer JACL Treasurer E. Ken Tokutomi (project chair) admire the black granite panel inscribed with the names of 149 Placer County WW II Nikkei Veterans.      (see list)

Bench honoring Judge George Yonehiro, a veteran of the 442nd, was unveiled by his children, Melissa Yonehiro Caldwell and Capt. Marcus Yonehiro (USN, RET). At right, Placer County Superior Court Judges, who helped fund the bench, pose with E. Ken Tokutomi.

Read article in Rafu Shimpo

Visit the Congressional Gold Medal Exhibit at the DeYoung Museum, San Francisco

Installation Highlights

Installing Custom Displays for Commemorative Bricks

Installing Donor Rock

Installing Sculpture

Bronze Sculpture "Rescue of the Lost Battalion"
Unveiled October 6, 2012

History Plaque Donated by Placer Buddhist Church

Production Highlights

Veterans Visit Foundry to See Progess

E. Ken Tokutomi and Jim Iso (Served in MIS during WW II) with Sculpture

(L) Placer JACL Board member Fusae Miyamoto with the Texas Soldier prior to assembly
(R) Fusae with fellow Board members E. Ken Tokutomi and David Unruhe
with head of Texas soldier prior to assembly

The Pour!

(L) Molten bronze is poured into molds at Frostad Atelier
(R) E. Ken Tokutomi with bronze boot (after the mold is cooled and broken off)

The Enlarged Sculpture (Clay on High Density Foam)

Three surviving veterans of the 442nd (photo on left: Frank Kageta, Shig Yokote, and Norman Kamada) visited the foundry last fall to see the project in progress. Project Chairman E. Ken Tokutomi and Foundry owner Ronnie Frostad are in the lower photo with the three veterans.

See Placer County WW II Roster

Fundraising Highlights

Presentation of Display Cases to Benefactor Level Donors

(above) E. Ken Tokutomi & Sheriff Ed Bonner; Judge Suzanne Gazzaniga & Ken;
(below, at Dedication) Yoshiaki & Esther Hokama; Ken & Marilyn Tokutomi
with Ronald W. & Melissa Yonehiro Caldwell

Winner Gives Bronze Sculpture To 442nd Veteran
Auburn Attorney Mark A. Berg Honors Frank Kageta

A single ticket drawn by Placer County Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery at the Auburn Veterans Day Luncheon led to a dramatic and surprising gift. That ticket entitled the winner, Auburn Attorney Mark Berg, to a signed and numbered bronze miniature of the large bronze monument, “Rescue of the Lost Battalion,” that is being constructed to honor Americans of Japanese ancestry who served our country in World War II.

A few days later the chairman of the Placer County JACL Monument Project, E. Ken Tokutomi, delivered the sculpture to Mr. Berg at his office near the historic Auburn Courthouse. Berg was impressed by the artistry of the work, and he proudly placed the piece in a prominent position on his desk.

As the two men spoke about what the sculpture represented, Berg proposed a question. “Is there a veteran of the 442nd who lives nearby? I would really like to give this beautiful artwork to him and his family.”

Ken suggested Frank Kageta, one of the Placer County residents who served in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and who was recently honored with a Congressional Gold Medal in Washington DC. In the 1970s Frank helped lead the effort for formal redress of the injustice committed by our government when they rounded up Japanese American families in the western states and send them to internment camps. Frank and a small group of other local veterans of WW II were honored in December, 2009, at the dedication of  the Placer County WW II Memorial site in Roseville. His son Stuart Kageta was also a speaker at the dedication.

On December 5, Berg and Tokutomi visited Frank at his home in Rocklin, where Mark presented the sculpture to him. Frank was emotional and humble, commenting that surely someone else deserved this more than he did. Tokutomi told him this would be a memento that Frank’s four children would hold dear, acknowledging Frank’s bravery in combat and his loyal service to America.

Roseville Awards Grant to Project in 2011

Special thanks to the City of Roseville for awarding this project a grant of $14,625

(left) E. Ken Tokutomi presents a bronze commemorative medallion
mounted in a custom display case to the Roseville Grants Committee (July 10, 2012)
(right) Mr. Tokutomi receives the check from the Grants Committee (July 12, 2011)

Thanks to Our Generous Contributors (Donor List)

Thank you for your support!

2010 Auburn Fundraiser Features Premiere of "Valor with Honor" Film

On June 24, 2010, the Sacramento, Florin and Placer County chapters of the Japanese American Citizens League sponsored the northern California premiere of a new documentary film, “Valor With Honor” at the State Theatre in downtown Auburn.      Read more

(left to right) 442nd Veterans Frank Kageta, Norm  Kamada, Shig Yokote,
and Geo Hamai sit with keynote speaker, JAVA President Bob Nakamoto

Placer County JACL Treasurer E. Ken Tokutomi speaking at the reception
in Central Square, Auburn.   Photos by Michael Kirby

December 16, 2009 - Placer County Dedicates Memorial Site

In December 2009, Placer County completed the first phase of a memorial to World War II American soldiers of Japanese ancestry. The County named “Go For Broke” Road in their honor and dedicated a magnificent site at the Bill Santucci Placer County Justice Center in Roseville, California. For details and more photos, click here.

Shown from left are Placer County Board of Supervisors members Jim Holmes, Kirk Uhler, Robert Weygandt, Jennifer Montgomery, and Board Chairman F. C. “Rocky” Rockholm, and 442nd veterans Frank Kageta, Shig Yokote, Al Nitta (seated), Norman Kamada; all from Placer County. To their right are two 442nd veterans from Sacramento who served also as part of the Nisei color guard at the dedication of the Placer County Memorial to the 442nd on December 16, 2009.

CSU Grants Honorary Degrees to WWII Internees

Hundreds of students of Japanese ancestry who were removed from CSU campuses in 1941 - 1942 and forced to delay or abandon their college education while relocated in internment camps, will be granted California State University special honorary degrees.

"Hundreds of students were removed from colleges and universities, forced to delay or abandon their dreams based solely on their ancestry," said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed.

"The internment of Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants during WWII represents the worst of a nation driven by fear and prejudice. By issuing honorary degrees, we hope to achieve a small right in the face of such grave wrongs."

JACL Honors Japanese American Veterans

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) paid tribute to the Japanese American veterans who served in the armed forces during World War II and the Korean War.

In the organization’s 3rd Annual Gala Awards Dinner held September 15 in Washington D.C., the JACL bestowed their appreciation to veterans of all conflicts and persons who are currently serving in the military, and particularly veterans of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and others who served in regular units during World War II, and veterans of the Korean War.