Rafu Staff and Wire Service Reports
GLENDALE — Nearly 80 years after his death, a son of Glendale’s name officially has a place of respect and gratitude in the city.
On Saturday, Sadao S. Munemori Memorial Square was dedicated, giving name to a small park at Glendale’s municipal offices that is also home to the city’s Veterans Memorial, which bears the names of all of the city’s fallen soldiers, Munemori included.
Munemori was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1946. He was the only Japanese American recipient of the medal from the war until June 2000, when then President Bill Clinton awarded the medal to some 20 additional Japanese American soldiers who had fought in the war, including Sen. Daniel Inouye. They had received the second-highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, but it was believed that racial prejudice prevented them from receiving the Medal of Honor.
James Nakakihara, 64, a grand nephew of Munemori, said the dedication of the square makes his family feel “honored, grateful, hopeful and proud,” adding that he hopes Munemori’s memory will inspire “love and good deeds.”
“The fact that the city has stepped up and did this for our community – mycommunity – is nothing less than extraordinary,” said William Fujioka, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese American National Museum, at a reception following the dedication. He said Glendale is a city richer for its immigrant history, and that like other groups who settled in the region, “We came with hope.”
Glendale Mayor Daniel Brotman said little is known about what kind of kid Munemori was growing up, but when it counted most – and when it was most difficult – the young man answered the call.
“He stood out at a time when stepping out and standing up meant taking great risks,” Brotman said. “He stepped up to fight for his country, even at a time when his country herded his family and other Japanese American families into detention camps, simply because of their ancestry. It’s hard to imagine what his sacrifice meant to his family and his community, at a time when their patriotism was so questioned.”
Alhambra City Councilmember Jeffrey Koji Maloney, who also serves on the Board of Directors at the Go For Broke National Education Center, said Munemori’s legacy continues to be a source of personal inspiration.
“His story is symbolic of many Japanese Americans of his generation,” Maloney said. “He didn’t complain. He served, he gave and he sacrificed for his community.”
While fighting in Italy in April 1945, Munemori disabled enemy machine gun positions with grenades before jumping on and covering a live grenade thrown by the enemy. He died at 22, sacrificing himself to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.
Family members of one of the soldiers saved by Munemori’s actions, Akira “Andy” Shishido, were on hand for Saturday’s dedication.
Munemori grew up in Glendale before joining the Army at 19. He served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, which was made up of mostly Japanese American soldiers. His family, who had owned a vegetable farm in Glendale, were taken during the war to Manzanar, a camp in the Owens Valley, east of the Sierra Nevada.
A monument to Munemori stands in Evergreen Cemetery in Boyle Heights, where he is buried. A sign designating the Sadao S. Munemori Memorial Interchange is at the interchange of the southbound 105 and 405 freeways near Los Angeles International Airport. Another Munemori monument can be found in Pietrasanta, Italy.
Kenko Sone, Japan’s consul general in Los Angeles, said at the unveiling ceremony that he hopes the square will “inspire those who visit with the heroism and self-sacrifice of Mr. Munemori.”