University of Hawai'i University Relations Media & Publications Honolulu, HI 96822	(808) 956-8856 Telephone (808) 956-3441 Facsimile ur@hawaii.edu E-Mail
For Immediate Release:	November 20, 1998
Contact: Bob Takao, professor of military science 956-4135

UH Army ROTC salutes cadets and alumni The University of Hawai'i Army ROTC Department will be recognizing deserving cadets and honoring distinguished alumni with a battalion review, awards ceremony and alumni recognition being held from 8:15 to 9 a.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the Rainbow Baseball Stadium. There will be a formal parade with the Marine Corps Band of the Pacific and numerous O'ahu high school junior ROTC programs represented. Speeches will be made by retired Lt. Gen. Allen Ono, who is the guest of honor; Dean Smith, UH senior vice president and executive vice chancellor; and Ted Tsukiyama, UH Varsity Victory Volunteers (VVV) historian, who will recount the significance of the group's contribution to Hawai'i territorial defense after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Following the ceremony at Rainbow Stadium, the unit will host an open house from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., at the AROTC building, located across the street. There will be tours, demonstrations and refreshments. The entire event is free and open to the public. The UH Army ROTC Program has a distinctive history that dates back to World War I. UH was the only Senior ROTC unit in the US and its territories to be called to active duty and serve in WW II. On December 7, 1941, cadets were made part of the Hawaii Territorial Guard and assisted in guarding vital facilities on the island of O'ahu. In January 1942, cadets of Japanese ancestry were discharged from their units without explanation. Their subsequent request to the military governor to volunteer for service in any capacity he saw fit was granted and they were organized as the VVV, working for the Army as members of a labor unit under the US Army Corps of Engineers. Many Nisei volunteered for and served with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe.

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