Honoring Heroes by Singing Their Praises

By ROBERT M. HORSTING

Growing up in Gardena, Harold Payne became very familiar with three Japanese American men who were well-known and respected in his neighborhood.

Harry’s Texaco was where his family brought their cars for servicing, enjoying the confidence that he would keep their rides road-ready. Harold recalled that Harry Komatsu was a jovial and colorful guy, a fun person to be around.

This is also where Payne met Hiroshi “Horse” Tadakuma, a mechanic you didn’t want to distract when concentrating on diagnosing a car’s issues, stating, “He was like a surgeon.”

The third man was Frank Fukuzawa, a teacher who, along with his wife Nami, Harold described as “the nicest unconditionally helpful people.”

Even though these men were very well known to him, he was unaware of a secret from their past, which went undiscovered until he was in his late teens or early 20s.

One day Harold went to Harry’s Texaco station. Noting he hadn’t seen Harry in a while, he asked where he had been. Mr. Komatsu told him he had just returned from a trip to France, where they had just held a parade for him and his friends. Curious to hear more, Harold asked what the parade was for.

Harry explained that while in the Army, his regiment liberated the town of Bruyeres, which celebrates that event annually. They even named a street honoring them, “Rue du 442eme Regiment Americain D’Infanterie” or “Rue de 442nd Regimental Combat Team.” Now the secret was out!

The history he was never taught in school was now being told to him because the timing was right, and Harold wanted to hear more. He had never heard about the segregated 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat, let alone the fact that many of his neighbors were forced to leave behind belongings that they couldn’t carry and were among the 120,000 people of Japanese heritage forced into America’s concentration camps.

Two-thirds of them were American-born citizens, just like him, and the remainder weren’t allowed to become naturalized citizens by law, despite having lived in the U.S.A. for 20-plus years, and even those who were U.S. Army veterans of World War I.

Imagine Harold’s surprise hearing this story of strife and perseverance about the people he already held in such high regard, referring to them as “role models.” Now, he had even more reason to respect them for the way in which they carried themselves. Seeing how they not only looked forward to re-establish their lives but strived to build better lives for their children impressed Harold.

To learn more, he read and heard first-hand accounts about the 100th/442nd’s accomplishments as the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in U.S. military history, and that other Japanese Americans served in the Pacific Theatre as interpreters and interrogators in the Military Intelligence Service.

Having learned this history, Harold marveled, “So while their families were put in ‘internment camps’ they volunteered to serve, despite that, to prove their loyalty.” This not only impressed Harold but these memories would later inspire him to write the words and music to honor these veterans, “Quiet Heroes.”

Though originally written and performed in 1997, “Quiet Heroes” has recently been featured in two high-profile events. The Harry Manaka-produced Sansei Rocker concert at the Aratani Theatre featured Harold singing “Quiet Heroes” as a member of the nine-member band, and he performed a solo for the Veterans Memorial Court Alliance Joint Memorial Day Service in Little Tokyo. at which Actor Tamlyn Tomita provided the keynote message.

Thinking over the words he wrote, Harold said, “I had the honor to write and perform a song and dedicate it to the three guys on my block who were part of the 442nd, Harry Komatsu, Hiroshi ‘Horse’ Tadakuma and Frank Fukuzawa.”

To see Harold’s “Quiet Heroes” music video homage to these American heroes, link to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsfs5HXWKE0

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