Bill Text: VA HJR54 | 2018 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Japanese Americans in World War II; commemorative postage stamp.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-13 - Left in Rules [HJR54 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HJR54-Prefiled.html
WHEREAS, more than 33,000 second-generation Japanese Americans, also known as Nisei, served with honor in the United States Army during World War II; and
WHEREAS, as described in the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership" led to over 120,000 Japanese Americans being forced from their homes in west-coast states and placed into "internment camps" such as the Topaz Relocation Center in Utah; and
WHEREAS, in a show of their American loyalty, 451 individuals who were incarcerated at the Topaz Relocation Center enlisted in the United States Army, leaving family and friends behind barbed wire to serve in the war effort; and
WHEREAS, these Americans served in the famed 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe; toward the end of the war, the two units were combined into the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team; and
WHEREAS, the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team fought nobly at Monte Cassino, broke the German "Gothic Line," liberated French towns such as Bruyères, Biffontaine, and Belvedere, and helped to liberate and aid Holocaust survivors at Dachau; and
WHEREAS, the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team became the most decorated American unit of the war and was the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the nation's history; and
WHEREAS, Nisei also served in the United States Army's Military Intelligence Service (MIS) as military linguists in the war with Japan in the Pacific Theater; and
WHEREAS, the MIS was credited by General Douglas MacArthur's intelligence chief, Major General Charles Willoughby, with shortening the war with Japan by two years and saving countless lives as the "eyes and ears" of American and Allied forces in the Pacific; and
WHEREAS, the MIS also served in key roles following the war during the Allied occupation of Japan and helped establish close relations between Japan and the United States that have lasted ever since; and
WHEREAS, the MIS is considered to be among the founding organizations of the Defense Language Institute, the center that trains military linguists for the United States Armed Forces today; and
WHEREAS, Nisei women rose to the call of action during World War II and served in the Women's Army Corps and Cadet Nurse Corps; and
WHEREAS, the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and MIS were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2011 for their exemplary service and patriotism; and
WHEREAS, the United States Postal Service is considering a commemorative stamp proposal that would tell the inspiring story of the patriotic service of Japanese Americans during World War II through a stamp featuring the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism, located in Washington, D.C.; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby encourage the United States Postmaster General to issue a commemorative postage stamp honoring the contributions of Japanese Americans during World War II; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to Megan J. Brennan, the United States Postmaster General, in order that the United States Postal Service may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter during their deliberations.
