"I Don't Trust You"
The dismissal of all Japanese-Americans from military services was enforced throughout the Hawaiian territory. Those of Japanese descent who were serving in the HTG's Keawe Corps in Kauai were also dismissed despite having donated 58,018 work days to the direct defense of the Island of Kauai, according to the detailed records kept by Mr. Masao Yamada. Because the American public could not trust the Japanese-Americans, they were either imprisoned or alienated from the rest of the public and some citizens and aliens (Japanese Immigrants) were actually asked for seek repatriation to Japan. Many answered back in letters like the following:
“The subject of repatriation to Japan, as proposed to me by your government, has had careful consideration and I herewith tender my decision. After having spent the majority of my life in this territory, I do not wish to accept or even consider your human offer of repatriation to Japan. Instead, I have definitely concluded that Hawaii is my home and my future-resting place. I would deem it grateful favor should you allow me the privilege to remain here an continue to enjoy the kind hospitality of the local community and the protection under your government. I take this means to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity offered, and thank you, I remain, Very sincerely yours, Mrs. S. N. by H. N.”
Mr. Hung Wai Ching, the YMCA Secretary, spoke to the dejected guardsmen agreeing with them that they were ill-treated solely because of their Japanese ancestry. He continued that what had happened to them was unfair, unjust, and even un-American. But then, he asked them what are they were going to do about it. He challenged them to not quit before they had even started, and more importantly, to not adopt an attitude that they should do nothing while everyone else does something. He wisely and eloquently reminded them that a person did not have to wield a weapon in order to help the war effort. His speech motivated 169 former students/guardsmen to petition LTG Emmons to allow those rejected from military service to form a civilian labor battalion in order to help the war effort and help to prove their loyalty to the United States. This petition was timely as LTG Emmons had been reluctant to follow the presidential order to relocate the Japanese to internment camps. Reasoning that the Japanese made up nearly 37% of the population in Hawaii and they were absolutely crucial to the economic stability of the territory, he sent only 23 families from Kauai to Denson, Arkansas. Additionally, he approved the petition allowing the former students/guardsmen to form a labor battalion which became widely known as the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV). Initially, the VVV were under the supervision of Chinese-American Lieutenant Richard Lum, a native Hawaiian Tom Kaulukukui, two Caucasian sergeants, and a civilian supervisor Ralph Yempuku who were assigned to the 34th Combat Engineers Regiment at Schofield Barracks. The VVV divided into teams and busily worked on projects after projects: painting buildings, constructing field iceboxes, digging ditches, building roads, stringing barred wire, and improving the damaged military installations. They also lived a soldier’s life on Schofield Barracks--playing sports, competing with other units, and competing amongst themselves. Some of the VVV members furthered with their education with instructors brought in for special lectures while some took courses which provided college credit. Chaplin Masao Yamada needed to do something to turn things around to have the Americans trust the Japanese-Americans, so he wrote letters, preached, and joined the Honolulu Emergency Committee. Brigadier General A.E. Patterson, Commander of the Kauai District, wrote to them “my sincere appreciation to the excellent work being performed by Kauai residents of Japanese ancestry who have volunteered their services as the Labor Battalion.” On May 26, 1942, General George C. Marshall issued orders establishing the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion. On 4 June 1942, the remaining Japanese-Americans who had been serving due to the peacetime draft (Selective Training and Service Act of 1940) in the recently federalized 298th and 299th Infantry Battalions were disarmed. Under the cover of darkness and without being afforded the opportunity to farewell their family or loved ones, these 1,432 men boarded the Matson Liner SS Maui and under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Farrant Turner sailed to the mainland for training. After a week-long journey across the Pacific, they finally arrived to the Oakland port on June 12, 1942 and were renamed the 100th Infantry Battalion with the motto "Remember Pearl Harbor". From there, they took trains to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where the men completed basic training from June to December 1942. They not only finished with superior ratings in the field and on the drill grounds. There were also five soldiers who received Soldier's Medals for their heroism in saving the lives of several local residents who had nearly drowned in a frozen lake. In December 1942, the Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy visited Honolulu. Chosen to escort him around to the military installations was the YMCA Secretary Mr. Hung Wai Ching (now referred to as the Father of VVV). Mr. Ching made certain that the projects completed by the VVV were part of the tour and that the loyalty of the VVV was noticed. This visit along with the well-known achievements of the 100th Battalion in Wisconsin positively affected the Secretary's perception of Japanese-Americans.
“The subject of repatriation to Japan, as proposed to me by your government, has had careful consideration and I herewith tender my decision. After having spent the majority of my life in this territory, I do not wish to accept or even consider your human offer of repatriation to Japan. Instead, I have definitely concluded that Hawaii is my home and my future-resting place. I would deem it grateful favor should you allow me the privilege to remain here an continue to enjoy the kind hospitality of the local community and the protection under your government. I take this means to express my sincere appreciation for the opportunity offered, and thank you, I remain, Very sincerely yours, Mrs. S. N. by H. N.”
Mr. Hung Wai Ching, the YMCA Secretary, spoke to the dejected guardsmen agreeing with them that they were ill-treated solely because of their Japanese ancestry. He continued that what had happened to them was unfair, unjust, and even un-American. But then, he asked them what are they were going to do about it. He challenged them to not quit before they had even started, and more importantly, to not adopt an attitude that they should do nothing while everyone else does something. He wisely and eloquently reminded them that a person did not have to wield a weapon in order to help the war effort. His speech motivated 169 former students/guardsmen to petition LTG Emmons to allow those rejected from military service to form a civilian labor battalion in order to help the war effort and help to prove their loyalty to the United States. This petition was timely as LTG Emmons had been reluctant to follow the presidential order to relocate the Japanese to internment camps. Reasoning that the Japanese made up nearly 37% of the population in Hawaii and they were absolutely crucial to the economic stability of the territory, he sent only 23 families from Kauai to Denson, Arkansas. Additionally, he approved the petition allowing the former students/guardsmen to form a labor battalion which became widely known as the Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV). Initially, the VVV were under the supervision of Chinese-American Lieutenant Richard Lum, a native Hawaiian Tom Kaulukukui, two Caucasian sergeants, and a civilian supervisor Ralph Yempuku who were assigned to the 34th Combat Engineers Regiment at Schofield Barracks. The VVV divided into teams and busily worked on projects after projects: painting buildings, constructing field iceboxes, digging ditches, building roads, stringing barred wire, and improving the damaged military installations. They also lived a soldier’s life on Schofield Barracks--playing sports, competing with other units, and competing amongst themselves. Some of the VVV members furthered with their education with instructors brought in for special lectures while some took courses which provided college credit. Chaplin Masao Yamada needed to do something to turn things around to have the Americans trust the Japanese-Americans, so he wrote letters, preached, and joined the Honolulu Emergency Committee. Brigadier General A.E. Patterson, Commander of the Kauai District, wrote to them “my sincere appreciation to the excellent work being performed by Kauai residents of Japanese ancestry who have volunteered their services as the Labor Battalion.” On May 26, 1942, General George C. Marshall issued orders establishing the Hawaiian Provisional Infantry Battalion. On 4 June 1942, the remaining Japanese-Americans who had been serving due to the peacetime draft (Selective Training and Service Act of 1940) in the recently federalized 298th and 299th Infantry Battalions were disarmed. Under the cover of darkness and without being afforded the opportunity to farewell their family or loved ones, these 1,432 men boarded the Matson Liner SS Maui and under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Farrant Turner sailed to the mainland for training. After a week-long journey across the Pacific, they finally arrived to the Oakland port on June 12, 1942 and were renamed the 100th Infantry Battalion with the motto "Remember Pearl Harbor". From there, they took trains to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, where the men completed basic training from June to December 1942. They not only finished with superior ratings in the field and on the drill grounds. There were also five soldiers who received Soldier's Medals for their heroism in saving the lives of several local residents who had nearly drowned in a frozen lake. In December 1942, the Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy visited Honolulu. Chosen to escort him around to the military installations was the YMCA Secretary Mr. Hung Wai Ching (now referred to as the Father of VVV). Mr. Ching made certain that the projects completed by the VVV were part of the tour and that the loyalty of the VVV was noticed. This visit along with the well-known achievements of the 100th Battalion in Wisconsin positively affected the Secretary's perception of Japanese-Americans.