Objet : FW: More on the Tad Nagaki Story

Subject: More on the Tad Nagaki Story

Natasha, Please post this on Weihsien Topica.

Mary Previte

Once in a lifetime experiences - - connected to Weihsien -- keep coming my way.

A few days ago, a stranger came to my door with a bagful of Japanese delicacies, roasted tea, assorted rice cakes, gifts he was told to bring me, he said, by Japanese-Americans relatives in Hawaii who wished to thank me for my article about Tad Nagaki. This visitor lives about fifteen minutes from my house in New Jersey.

Tad Nagaki, you will recall, died in April, the last of the American liberators on the team that parachuted from a B-24 bomber to liberate us from the Weihsien Concentration Camp in August, 1945.

To my astonishment this magazine article I wrote about Tad Nagaki, which appeared first in 2002 in an obscure military magazine aimed mostly for veterans who served in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World World War II, was picked up almost immediately by JAVA , the Japanese American Veterans Association, and posted on their web site. The United States State Department found it somewhere, translated it into Chinese, and published it in a Chinese language magazine that it distributed to influential leaders throughout China. When Tad Nagaki's health was declining, his grandsons asked me -- if Tad would die -- could I fly to Nebraska to give a eulogy. What an honor beyond an honor! But driving on strange roads in America's heartlands is way beyond my ability these days. Instead, I wrote a eulogy for Tad -- in advance -- for a grandson to read at Tad's funeral when that day came

That eulogy and the letter I wrote to our Weihsien Topica network appeared again on the JAVA web site and was picked up by National Public Radio and a Military Intelligence Service magazine in Hawaii .

When we were children in China, who would have dreamed of a world connected by the Internet?

National Public Radio broadcast a brief tribute to Tad Nagaki as part of a series around our Memorial Day week in May, honoring veterans of World War II who have died this year.

Yesterday, I received a brief, hand-written note from a Patrick Hada in Hawaii. I have never met Mr. Hada. I was fascinated -- and I think you will be, too. Mr. Hada writes the truth.

Dear Ms. Previte

Just a word of appreciation for your article on Tad Nagaki. When I was a kid in the 50's we had a slight disdain for the AJA (Americans of Japanese Ancestry) on the mainland. "Kotonks" we called them. Over the years, I have learned that those who do extraordinary deeds are not limited to race, gender, age, sex ----(illegible), kotonks or whoever. They spring out of the extraordinary circumstances or, in your case, jump out of airplanes.

Thank you for your story.

Pat Hada.

The man who came to my door a few days ago explained for me the AJA prejudices: "AJA's from Hawaii viewed AJA's on the mainland as being very different. The Hawaii AJA's resented the mainland AJA's because the mainland AJA's spoke standard English while the Hawaii AJA's spoke Hawaiian Pidgin English (as I do). "

Mary Taylor Previte

Envoyé : mercredi 17 juillet 2013 18:54
À : tapol@skynet.be

Objet : Essay on camp life in winter, written 10 months after the war ended

Dear Leopold,

It is a long time since I last wrote to you. I hope you are keeping well.

I was looking at my English exercise book which I was using in the summer of 1946 when I was aged 15, and attending a Grammar School in London. In it is an essay we had to write for homework, on "A typical winter's day in the war".

I think all the others in the class in 1946 were in the UK then. As you can see from the attachments, I wrote about life in Weihsien. Looking back, there is more background information I could have included, but the essay would then have been much too long! I also attach a typed copy of the essay with the occasional 'sic' where there was a spelling mistake.

There has been very little coming in recently about Weihsien. If you think my essay should be on the Weihsien website, please do put it there.

It may bring back some memories. What about 'weihsien-topica'?

With age I don't lead such an active life. In fact the main weekly activities are orchestra (violin) and band (trumpet) rehearsals, and some church meetings.

My warm regards to you,
Peter

+URL In January 1946 I became a pupil at a Grammar School in London.doc

De : Gregg Hirata
Envoyé : mercredi 10 juillet 2013 19:43
À : Mary Previte

Objet : MIS Veterans Club of Hawaii Newsletter

Dear Ms. Previte:

Mahalo for allowing us to use excerpts from your eulogy of Tad Nagaki.

I've attached a PDF of our July edition for your information. Aloha,
Gregg Hirata
Editor