 |
| Rudy Tokiwa |
Rudy K. Tokiwa (Poston 213-4-A), was born on July 7, 1925 in Coyote, California to Japanese immigrant parents, Jisuke and Fusa Tokiwa. At the age of 13, Rudy spent a few years living with family in Manchuria and Japan. He returned to California around 1939, and graduated from Salinas High School.
After WW II began, Rudy and his parents, and brothers, Toshio, and Mikio, were forcibly evacuated to the Salinas Assembly Center. Weeks later, they were transported by train and on July 5, 1942, they arrived at the Poston Arizona internment camp block 213-4-A. Rudy registered for the selective service while in Poston, and later found outside employment at Cozad, Nebraska and left Poston on June 15, 1943. Rudy volunteered while he was outside of camp to serve in the U.S. military, and he succeeded in being sent to Camp Shelby to join the other all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team recruits, even though they wanted to train him for Military Intelligence. Rudy's older brother, Toshio reported to Fort Douglas, Utah on May 10, 1943.
Rudy's brother, Mikio, married Sakaye Mary Tsukumoto in January 1944 at Poston. Mikio and Sakaye lived at Poston block 213-14-G, and a baby boy, Jitsuo Wayne, was born later that same year at the Poston General Hospital. Mikio found outside employment in Cleveland, Ohio, and left Poston on July 11, 1944. Mary and her baby left Poston on September 3, 1945 and and Jisuke and Fusa Tokiwa left on September 21, 1945. They resettled in San Jose, California.
Rudy served in Europe in Company K, as a battalion runner and single-handedly captured a group of German officers. He fought in the famous "Battle of the Lost Battalion," and was present at the liberation of Bruyeres. Rudy earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Rudy was honored for his lifetime work with the PTA, as an umpire in the Little League, and assistance in founding a home stay program with the Hawaiian youth. He was active in the Community Youth Service sports program in San Jose, served as the Western Regional Director of the Boy Scouts of America, and helped to start the Boy Scout of America troop at the San Jose Betsuin.
Rudy was the founding president of Go For Broke, Inc (now the National Japanese American Historical Society of San Francisco), and he was an early worker for the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington DC. Rudy was recruited to lobby Congress for passage of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act as a representative for Nikkei veterans, and he was invaluable in gathering support among resistant members of Congress. Rudy also served as a founding membership chair of Go For Broke National Veterans Association, and he lobbied extensively for the passage of HR 442, the Japanese American Redress Bill, for which he received recognition from the JACL.
As 442nd Veteran Rudy Tokiwa had said: “There’s a lot of us that never came home. But I think in thought they are home. The guys went overseas and gave their lives to prove that we are Americans. And we’ve all got to be thankful.”
Rudy Tokiwa died on December 4, 2004 at age 79 in Palo Alto, California. He was preceded in death by son Roy; sisters, Sachi and Fumi Futamase; brother, Mikio; and parents, Jisuke and Fusa Tokiwa.
He is survived by son, Russell; daughters, Robin and Rochelle Kennedy; brother Duke; and sister Sue Tokushige.
Sources:
http://www.goforbroke.org/history/history_historical_campaigns_nisei.asp
http://www.digiclub.org/sofs/index.php?page_id=17&video_id=132
www.seattlenvc.org/newsletter/article.asp?aID=424
