IMUA ‘IOLANI
May 27, 2011
What’s Inside?
Neon and Space Adventures pg. 6
A Voice for Students since 1923
Honolulu, Hawaii
Volume 86, Issue 4
The heroes next door
By Matthew Callahan
It is an unassuming, one story building, painted sky blue, although the color seems to have washed out over the years. Many of us pass this building on our way to school and, by now, do not even notice it, merely dismissing it as part of the scenery. However, the polite, witty, and much forgotten men who congregate in that blue building from 9am to 3pm every day played a great role in protecting America’s freedom.
2010-2011 Sports Recap pg. 4
Those men are members of the 100th Infantry Battalion. The story of the 100th Infantry Battalion begins almost seven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. America was, by then, throttling its war machine to ride full speed ahead. America was in a war craze. Every single available man, woman, and child was helping with the war effort, whether it was fighting, working in the factories, gathering scrap metal, or selling war bonds. On June 4, 1942, 1,432 Nisei (second generation JapaneseAmericans), who were members of the Hawaii National Guard, departed from Maui under the cover of night for Oakland, California, without being allowed to say goodbye to their families. After arriving in Oakland, they rode trains to Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. Robert Arakaki was one of the members who went to Wisconsin for training. He talks about the
culture shock on the journey from Hawaii to Camp McCoy. “In Hawaii the haoles were always the rich, educated ones who owned all the big companies,” Mr. Arakaki said. “When we arrived in California, we found that we had the same education, if not better, as some of the whites in California.” Arakaki said that he saw snow for the first time in Wisconsin. Goro Sumida, another 100th Infantry Battalion veteran who trained in Wisconsin, described how white foreigners were actually kind to them. “The Swedish and Scandinavian people, y’know, they were very kind to us as they were discriminated against too, since they were considered to be the enemy by some too,” Mr. Sumida said. After leaving Wisconsin, they trained in Texas and Louisiana. Mr. Arakaki said, chuckling, “In one drill we were supposed to
Kelia Cowan | Imua Iolani Above: Goro Sumida was drafted at the age of 19 and became a member of B company in the 100th Battalion. Below: Members of the 100th Battalion eat lunch together and enjoy each others’ company three or four times a week. be crawling so the supposed ‘enemy’ would not see us, but when a rabbit ran right through us everyone stood up and started running. That was the first time we had seen a rabbit. However, the
steaks in Texas made everything worth it.” Later, the battalion transferred to Camp Shelby in Mississippi before its members were deployed. Mississippi, located
From A&P stores to AP teacher
Mini Society pg. 20
Index
A&E-- 6 Editorials-- 2-3 Features-- 3 & 8 ‘Iolani Writes-- 14-17 College Map- 10-11 Lower School-- 20 Sports-- 4-5
By Iris Kuo John Kay is about to hit the big 5-0. Of teaching. At ‘Iolani. Mr. Kay has been teaching at ‘Iolani since 1962 and recently renewed his contract with the school for the next school year— his fiftieth at ‘Iolani. Many children at ‘Iolani worry about taking tests, performing well in games, and filling the big shoes their parents lay out. As a child, Mr. Kay worried about surviving the dangers at school and in the streets, and finding replacements for the tattered shoes that he kept outgrowing. Mr. Kay grew up in what he calls the jungle of Chicago on 77th street, a mere 3 miles from Hyde Park, the well-groomed neighborhood in which President Barack Obama lived. But despite their proximity, the world of Mr. Kay’s childhood bore little re-
semblance to Obama’s neighborhood. His family’s house leaned on the one next door. His school didn’t have books. Fights among students were frequent. “You don’t want to hear about the fights,” he said during our interview, crinkling his eyes into a smile. Then the smile faded as he traced a faint, raised line on his wrist. “Got the scars to prove it.” He was big for his age, towering 6’ 1” tall. He already worked a 40-hour week at an A&P store to help support his family. Fooled by Mr. Kay’s height, the manager appointed him produce manager. As produce manager, Mr. Kay had to put the customers’ goods in a paper bag, staple it shut, then write the price on the bag. The job lasted about 9 months. After stapling a woman’s finger to her produce bag, he was fired. He went on to a string of
short stints as an usher, a steelmill worker, and a lifeguard. None of the jobs lasted longer than a year. When he finished high school, a minister from the Lutheran church he attended each Sunday took him to Carthage College in Illinois, a Lutheran school of about 450 students. He attended at virtually no cost to his parents; playing football covered his tuition costs, serving food in the cafeteria covered his room and board, and cooking in the student union covered his spending money. He had to pick a language to take, so he took German. “I’m adopted, so [my parents] didn’t really know what ethnicity I am, but they thought I was some kind of German, so that’s what I signed up for.” It was easy for him, and he did well, so after
Kaela Shiigi | Imua Iolani Mr. John Kay, referred to as “Papa Jack”, will reach his 50th year of teaching in the fall. In addition to teaching students, he teaches teachers about AP Biology, serves as a College Board consultant, and truly cares about his students.