Real American Heroes
Ever since I was a little kid, I've been fascinated with World War II, especially the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. I was born and raised in California and I'm proud to be a Japanese-American. Luckily, I've never faced any real forms of racism or prejudice. Sure I've been called a "Jap" and a "Chink", but that was when I was younger and it was always my buddies joking around.
My parents on the other hand are a different story. They were born and raised in Hawaii. My dad was 9 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was living in Waianae, because my grandfather worked in a sugar mill camp. He remembers watching the Japanese planes flying overhead as they made their way to the harbor.
My mom and her family were living in Honolulu on the same property they own today. She was 6 years old, so she doesn't remember too much about December 7th, 1941. The only thing she remembers is a couple of buildings burning down nearby and seeing giant puffs of black smoke in the distance. She also recalls that my grandfather (my mom's father) was an air raid warden and was in charge of making sure everyone turned out their lights at night.
Both of my parents and their families were very fortunate not to be sent to internment camps on the mainland. I guess there were too many Japanese in Hawaii to send, so only Buddhist priests, Japanese school teachers, and other people of importance were taken away. Although the government or the military did confiscate and destroy all of the family's artifacts that related to Japan (pictures of Emperor Hirohito, Japanese records, etc.).
Last year, my family went back to Hawaii for vacation. My parents wanted to take my nieces and nephew on the Pearl Harbor tour, so they could learn about this major event in United States History. It was amazing to see the oil still oozing out of the U.S.S. Arizona and to learn so many interesting facts. We also had the opportunity to meet and talk to two U.S. Navy Veterans and one U.S. Army Veteran who were actually there on the day of the attack.
On the morning of December 7th, 1941 Staff Sergeant Herb Weatherwax was on a weekend pass and was rushing back to Schofield Barracks when he heard on a local radio station about the attacks. On his way, he witnessed the destruction that took place at Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Army Airfield.
Alfred B. Rodrigues is a Navy Veteran and was stationed at Bishop's Point (at Pearl Harbor). Earlier in the morning, Mr. Rodrigues was on watch duty when he heard about the USS Ward dropping depth charges on an unidentified submarine. Later, as he was just about to eat breakfast, the alarm sounded and the planes began sweeping in. Mr. Rodriguez was issued a .30 caliber rifle and began shooting at the planes.
PhM2c Sterling Cale had just finished night duty and signed out with the master-at-arms. A little later, he noticed planes diving on Battleship Row and thought it was a mock attack, until he eventually saw the "Rising Sun" on the planes' wing tips. Six days after the attack, he was placed in charge of burial detail responsible for removing the bodies off of the U.S.S. Arizona.
My mother and father will always be my role models and my very own personal heroes. However, these three men are Real American Heroes and it was an honor to have the opportunity to meet them and hear their stories. Thank you for everything you have done for our country.
My parents on the other hand are a different story. They were born and raised in Hawaii. My dad was 9 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was living in Waianae, because my grandfather worked in a sugar mill camp. He remembers watching the Japanese planes flying overhead as they made their way to the harbor.
My mom and her family were living in Honolulu on the same property they own today. She was 6 years old, so she doesn't remember too much about December 7th, 1941. The only thing she remembers is a couple of buildings burning down nearby and seeing giant puffs of black smoke in the distance. She also recalls that my grandfather (my mom's father) was an air raid warden and was in charge of making sure everyone turned out their lights at night.
Both of my parents and their families were very fortunate not to be sent to internment camps on the mainland. I guess there were too many Japanese in Hawaii to send, so only Buddhist priests, Japanese school teachers, and other people of importance were taken away. Although the government or the military did confiscate and destroy all of the family's artifacts that related to Japan (pictures of Emperor Hirohito, Japanese records, etc.).
Last year, my family went back to Hawaii for vacation. My parents wanted to take my nieces and nephew on the Pearl Harbor tour, so they could learn about this major event in United States History. It was amazing to see the oil still oozing out of the U.S.S. Arizona and to learn so many interesting facts. We also had the opportunity to meet and talk to two U.S. Navy Veterans and one U.S. Army Veteran who were actually there on the day of the attack.
On the morning of December 7th, 1941 Staff Sergeant Herb Weatherwax was on a weekend pass and was rushing back to Schofield Barracks when he heard on a local radio station about the attacks. On his way, he witnessed the destruction that took place at Pearl Harbor and Wheeler Army Airfield.
Alfred B. Rodrigues is a Navy Veteran and was stationed at Bishop's Point (at Pearl Harbor). Earlier in the morning, Mr. Rodrigues was on watch duty when he heard about the USS Ward dropping depth charges on an unidentified submarine. Later, as he was just about to eat breakfast, the alarm sounded and the planes began sweeping in. Mr. Rodriguez was issued a .30 caliber rifle and began shooting at the planes.
PhM2c Sterling Cale had just finished night duty and signed out with the master-at-arms. A little later, he noticed planes diving on Battleship Row and thought it was a mock attack, until he eventually saw the "Rising Sun" on the planes' wing tips. Six days after the attack, he was placed in charge of burial detail responsible for removing the bodies off of the U.S.S. Arizona.
My mother and father will always be my role models and my very own personal heroes. However, these three men are Real American Heroes and it was an honor to have the opportunity to meet them and hear their stories. Thank you for everything you have done for our country.
My Hobby Hero
Every once in awhile, the overwhelming stress of life gets me down (I'm exaggerating a little for dramatic affect). When it does, there's one person who can make things all better. No, it's not Mama Fuji. It's not even my best friend. My students? Yeah right. Nope, it's Mr. Don West.
Anyone who collected cards in the 90's and stayed up late to watch Shot at Home knows who I'm talking about. This guy is a hobby legend and one of the funniest entertainers on the planet. If you've never seen him and want a good laugh, check out this site that's dedicated to him: http://donwest.org You can also check out vintage Shop at Home clips on Youtube.
Now, he's not only on the internet... he's also in my PC. All I need now is an auto of the one and only... Mr. Ken Goldin: owner of Scoreboard Inc. & Don West's partner in crime.
Anyone who collected cards in the 90's and stayed up late to watch Shot at Home knows who I'm talking about. This guy is a hobby legend and one of the funniest entertainers on the planet. If you've never seen him and want a good laugh, check out this site that's dedicated to him: http://donwest.org You can also check out vintage Shop at Home clips on Youtube.
Now, he's not only on the internet... he's also in my PC. All I need now is an auto of the one and only... Mr. Ken Goldin: owner of Scoreboard Inc. & Don West's partner in crime.
The Dragon
Although, I've never been a huge fan of wrestling... I must admit there was a 3 or 4 year period of my life that I stayed up waiting to catch glimpses of my two favorite wrestlers. One of them was the notorious bad guy with a bag of salt: Mr. Fuji. The other was an instant hero. The first time I saw "The Dragon" I was hooked. Mainly because everyone else loved the big named wrestlers like Andre the Giant or Hulk Hogan. With the exception of the Los Angeles Lakers, I've never been a fan of the front runners. I've always liked the underdogs... and this underdog was Asian to boot. Later on, I found out that he was 1/2 Japanese which was a bonus, because I didn't have many Japanese childhood idols. Anyways... after Mr. Steamboat disappeared from the WWF in the late 80's... I stopped watching wrestling and focused on video games and baseball cards (damn... I'm such a nerd... I should have just lied and said "girls").
Rudy Ruettiger
First things first... I hate Notre Dame. I think it's because they've always been dominant over Stanford and to me that's frustrating. Anyways, with that out of the way, I can now focus on another hero of mine. Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger.
I'll be honest, until 1993 I had never heard of Rudy. In fact, had the movie Rudy never came out, I probably wouldn't know who Rudy was. Luckily I did see the film, because Rudy is an inspiration to anyone who's every doubted themselves due to size.
In a nutshell, Rudy's family loved Notre Dame and his dream was to make his father proud by playing for them. However, poor grades and the fact that he was considered too small to play college football stood as a roadblock to Rudy. In the end Rudy perseveres, gets accepted to ND, and is eventually given a roster spot for the final game of his senior year. In that game, he's given the opportunity to get into the game for two plays. On the second and last play, he sacks another Rudy, Mr. Allen who was the quarterback for Georgia Tech. After the game, he is carried off the field by fellow ND players.
Each year, I show my students the movie Rudy, to remind them that it's important to follow your dreams. Plus, it's awesome watching 8th grade boys realize that it's okay for men to tear up during a movie.
I'll be honest, until 1993 I had never heard of Rudy. In fact, had the movie Rudy never came out, I probably wouldn't know who Rudy was. Luckily I did see the film, because Rudy is an inspiration to anyone who's every doubted themselves due to size.
In a nutshell, Rudy's family loved Notre Dame and his dream was to make his father proud by playing for them. However, poor grades and the fact that he was considered too small to play college football stood as a roadblock to Rudy. In the end Rudy perseveres, gets accepted to ND, and is eventually given a roster spot for the final game of his senior year. In that game, he's given the opportunity to get into the game for two plays. On the second and last play, he sacks another Rudy, Mr. Allen who was the quarterback for Georgia Tech. After the game, he is carried off the field by fellow ND players.
Each year, I show my students the movie Rudy, to remind them that it's important to follow your dreams. Plus, it's awesome watching 8th grade boys realize that it's okay for men to tear up during a movie.
Hoop Dreams
Spud Webb
Slam Dunk Champions PC
Childhood Favorites
Asian Benchwarmers
