Photo By Sgt. Zachary Gardner | Judge Vincent Okamoto, left, and Lt. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, center, welcome home a...... read more read more
Subscribe
SEATTLE – To help bring closure and shed light on a dark chapter in American history, the Nisei Veterans Committee officially welcomed home more than 30 Vietnam veterans at the Nisei Veterans Committee Memorial Hall, May 17.
More than 9 million men and women served on active duty during the Vietnam War from Aug. 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975. It was one of the most polarizing subjects in American history. Events like the My Lai Massacre were often generalized by protesters to reflect all service members, causing widespread shame and damnation of those who served.
“A veteran can adapt easily back into society, but the wounds of war are deep,” said Allen Nakamoto, commander of the NVC. “Like the black holes of the universe, it swallows hope. Time passes and normalcy and happiness will come again, but still the abyss is only a flash away. Even the spouse and the family will not know.”
After World War II, Japanese-American service members founded the NVC to help restore a community that had been taken from them due to wartime segregation. During the war, it was feared that some Japanese-Americans would side with Japan and not the United States. More than 100,000 people were forced from their homes and relocated to internment camps throughout the Western United States because of their Japanese ancestry. It was in one of these camps outside of Poston, Arizona, that Judge Vincent Okamoto was born.
Okamoto is the youngest of 10 children. He has six older brothers that have all served in the military. Growing up, Okamoto would watch his brothers drink beer and tell stories about the wars. Despite being born in a place that embodied racism and questioned the loyalty of his family, Okamoto always felt the need to serve his country, just like his brothers had done.
After earning his commission in 1967 as a second lieutenant from the University of California, Los Angeles Reserve Officers' Training Corps, he volunteered to serve in Vietnam. It was there that his actions would earn him a Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, along with 10 other service medals making him the most decorated Japanese-American veteran of the Vietnam War.
After two years of combat in Vietnam, Okamoto returned home to a divided country. He didn’t receive the same homecoming his brothers did. He wasn’t a hero. People hated him.
“The first lieutenant said, ‘For those of you who are catching connecting flights out of San Francisco, you might not want to wear your uniforms because they are having protests today,’” said Okamoto. “I was 24 years old, and I had just gotten back from Vietnam. I was happy as a clam. To have someone tell me that it was best to take off my uniform really offended me. It really pissed me off. So I wore my uniform down to the San Francisco Airport and he was right. There were people booing me, making comments like 'warmonger' and 'fascist.' That was not the reception that I thought we had earned.”
For most veterans, the war doesn’t end when they come home. Many face years of torment and depression from the stigma placed on them. Organizations like the NVC provide a valuable service to the community by creating an outlet that brings service members together with those who have shared their experience.
“Last night we had dinner,” said Okamoto. “After more than four decades to see all these guys sit down together, laugh, suck up beers, and tell stories that they haven’t talked about for years is really gratifying. It’s one of the high points in my life thus far.”
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2014 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 130807 |
| Location: | SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 189 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Vietnam Vets receive thanks after 40 years, by SGT Zachary Gardner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
