Japanese American National War Memorial Court
Japanese American Veterans Joint Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 11:00 am at Japanese American National War Memorial Court in Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, California 90012.
The joint memorial service is sponsored by Veterans Memorial Court Alliance (VMCA), Go For Broke National Educations Center (GFBNEC), Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC), Japanese American National Museum (JANM), Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), and Keiro.
The key-note speaker will be actress Tamlyn Tomita. Tomita is a former Nisei Week Queen who began her acting career in “Karate Kid II.” She is a vocal advocate for the Japanese American community who generously donates her time and talent to help many community organizations. One of her current projects is “Defining Courage,” David Ono’s live/video tribute to the Nisei soldier heroes of WWII.
Mistress of ceremonies will be Kelly Sera, board member of Veterans Memorial Court Alliance.
Singing the national anthem and “God Bless America” will be Marlene Mitsuko Yamane, who sang and danced on a Japanese TV show and continues to sing with Asian Persuasion. She is also the daughter of a 100th Battalion veteran.
Harold Payne will sing his original composition “Quiet Heroes,” a tribute to the Nisei soldiers of WWII that he performed at the recent Sansei Rocker’s concert.
Also participating will be representatives from the many veteran and community organizations throughout the Southern California area. The Koyasan Buddhist Temple Boy Scout Troop 379 and the Redondo Union High School Marine Corp Jr. ROTC will again perform the uniformed ceremonies of the service. Representatives from the Buddhist and Christian faiths will offer prayers to these brave men.
