Vets spanning the Korean War to the recent Gulf Wars stand in formation. Seated in front: Wally Takata, Korean War veteran, and Lynnie Tabata, whose husband George Tabata also served in Korea.
By DAVID MIYOSHI
On Aug. 16, Japanese American military veterans once again stepped onto the streets of Little Tokyo — not simply as parade participants, but as the living continuation of a proud tradition.
They represented service across generations, from the Korean War and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. Differ-ent eras had shaped them, and different uniforms had once identified them.
Yet as they marched together in the Nisei Week Grand Parade, they shared a common purpose: to honor those who came before them, stand beside those who served with them, and ensure the Japanese American record of military service remains visible to the generations that follow.
Before the contingent stepped off, the veterans enjoyed a Hospitality Suite gathering hosted by the Veterans Me-morial Court Alliance (VMCA) and the Asian American Community Media Project (AAcomp), with food, drinks, and an opportunity to share old war stories.
Kiyo Fukumoto salutes as Don Suehiro waves to parade watchers.
Following the gathering, the veterans gathered together at the Japanese American National War Memorial Court for a group photograph. This image captured more than a parade formation. It preserved a rare assembly of men and women whose service spans decades of American history — and whose presence affirms that the legacy of Japanese American military service did
not end with World War II.
That legacy has deep roots in Nisei Week. Founded in 1934, the festival was sus-pended for eight years during World War II, when Japanese Americans were forcibly re-moved and incarcerated. When Nisei Week returned in 1949, Japanese American veterans marched in the parade for the first time. Among them were men who had served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service (MIS).
Their march carried extraordinary meaning. They walked in uniform through the same Little Tokyo com-munity from which families had been uprooted. Their presence embodied courage without bitterness, patriotism tested by injustice, and a community determined to rebuild. What began in 1949 became one of Nisei Week’s most honored traditions.
The veterans who marched in 2026 inherited that tradition, but they also enlarged it. They brought with them memories of the frozen Korean Peninsula, the heat and uncertainty of Vietnam, and the deserts and mountains of more recent wars. Each answered the nation’s call in a different time. Together, they demonstrated that service is not confined to a single celebrated generation; it is a continuing commitment renewed by those willing to accept its burdens.
For spectators along the parade route, the veterans were a reminder that history can be encountered face to face. Their measured steps, shared formation, and quiet pride joined past and present. They honored the Nisei soldiers who opened doors through sacrifice, the families who endured separation and loss, and the veterans of later gen-erations who carried the legacy forward in their own way.
The 2026 march was therefore more than ceremonial. It was an act of remembrance, fellowship, and public witness. VMCA and AAcomp helped bring these veterans together and preserve the moment in photographs and video, but the veterans themselves gave the occasion its meaning.
By marching, they made history visible — and reminded all who watched that the Japa-nese American tradition of ser-vice is not merely remembered. It is still moving forward.
First published in the Asian American Community Media Project (AAcomp) newsletter.