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War Monument to Dedicated to Miyamura
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Gallup, New Mexico to honor Hershey Miyamura and veterans of all wars on Aug. 19.
Visitors stroll through a new memorial to veterans of all wars in Gallup, New Mexico, home of Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura.
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The City of Gallup, New Mexico has completed an elegant series of individual column type monuments dedicated to the veterans of all wars. The various pillars honor veterans of WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf Wars and the WWII “Indian Code Talkers.”
Included is a separate individual column solely dedicated to honor Gallup-resident Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, the only Japanese American in the Korean War to receive the nation’s highest combat award, the Medal of Honor. |
A dedication ceremony is scheduled on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Miyamura Tribute Monument in the Veterans Plaza in the City of Gallup, New Mexico beginning at 4 p.m. Rev. Mark Nakagawa of Centenary Methodist Church will attend and has consented to provide the invocation and benediction for the dedication service.
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Hershey Miyamura
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Miyamura first served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team at the end of World War II. When the Korean War began on June 25, 1950, he was recalled into active duty with the Army and was sent to Korea as a machine gun squad leader in Company H, 7th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. At Taejon-Ni, when being overrun by the Chinese Communist forces, Miyamura ordered his men to retreat while he held off the enemy with a machine gun, bayonet and his own hands. Records and eyewitnesses’ account for more than 50 of the enemy being killed before Miyamura was wounded and captured. After spending 28 months as a prisoner of war, he was released on Aug. 23, 1953 at the Freedom Village in Panmunjon, South Korea. It was only then, the news of the award was publicly announced.
The city had asked the Japanese American Korean War Veterans organization to support them by providing the cost of $30,000 for the Miyamura portion of the monument. |
The JAKWV initiated a fundraising project with a goal of $30,000 to make certain that the city would have the funds to build the separate Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura monument.
Co-Chairman Sam Shimoguchi reports raising the funds for the City of Gallup has reached its goal of $30,000 in record time, well ahead of schedule and the Japanese American Korean War Veterans and Miyamura’s family are ecstatic to know the promise to provide $30,000 to the City of Gallup can now be fulfilled. |
Shimoguchi also confirmed that this fund raising project was established pursuant to the request of the City of Gallup, New Mexico to raise $30,000 to erect this monument to honor Miyamura, and, as prospective donors were notified, in the event the fund raising project exceeded that goal, excess funds raised would be used to offset the Korean War Vets expenses to raise the $30,000 and the dedication costs. Any additional funds received will be used to complete an additional monument in the Japanese American National War Memorial Court at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, California.
The new additional memorial monument will honor the seven Japanese Americans who died during the sinking of the USS Maine in the harbor of Havana on Feb. 15, 1898, as well as Mark Yamane, the one person of Japanese heritage killed on the Island of Grenada, and those killed in Iraq: Deyson Cariaga, whose mother is Japanese, Paul Nakamura, Steve Sakoda, Michael Sonoda, Jr. and Daniel Tsue. |
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Plans to fly to Albuquerque with a bus to Gallup attend the dedication Aug. 19 ceremony are being formulated. Persons interested in joining with the JAKWV in attending the ceremony and visiting with the Miyamuras are asked to immediately contact Sam Shimoguchi, (310) 822-6688, or president of the JAKWV Victor Muraoka at (818) 368-4113. |
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