Submitted by Rick Tabor, Rotary Club of Honolulu
Aloha My Rotary Friends, here’s an Ask / Activity for September. I’ve shortened our Punchbowl grave decorating ask. I previously sent the full ask & story. If everyone’s cool with the project, you can post & share either ask.
Mahalo, Rick
19th Annual Joint Memorial Service Call to Action on the Last Weekend in September
An Invitation From Our RSVP Club 100 Friends, Lynda Asato & Rick Tabor.
Here’s an event we could sure use your help with!
Help is needed to decorate the 5000 graves at Punchbowl. With enough help this is a fun family project. Please come join us and spread the word. Thank you.
Logistics:
Saturday September 28, 2023 8:30am at Punchbowl. Parking is free and open to the public, except for the reserved spaces on the Mall Drive.
On Saturday, September 28, look for the 100th & 442nd tables, will be under tents, with vases and buckets of flowers. Club 100 organizers will assign you to a section, hand you a map, bucket of flowers and cases and off you go, into history, in search of 100th Battalion soldiers. This year we’ll also see the 442nd decorating their decendents graves.
SAFETY ALWAYS;
Volunteers are advised to bring sunscreen, a hat, and please stay hydrated. We’ll have water. And no worries, there will be plenty of folks available to help you, so just ask, if needed.
We also need help September 30, Monday morning, removing (5000) flags. We’ll start that process at 8:30am.
And on Sunday, September 29 there’s a 9:30am joint memorial service. The 19th Annual Joint Memorial Service, honors the men who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Military Intelligence Service, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, who died in World War II or have since passed on. The service is open to the public and will be televised on ‘Ōlelo.
Why September 29th?
The memorial service is held annually on the Sunday September 29 — the day in 1943 that Sgt. Shigeo “Joe” Takata of the 100th Infantry Battalion became the first Japanese American soldier killed in action in World War II. Sgt. Shigeo “Joe” Takata was hit by shrapnel and fought death long enough to point out the location of the enemy, and our boys were victorious in Normady. Action for which Sgt. Takata was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Sgt. Takata rests in eternal peace at Punchbowl.
Questions welcomed. Contact Rick Tabor at [email protected]