Japanese-American WWII Veteran Honored

Japanese-American WWII Veteran Honored
By Associated Press
August 11, 2005, 10:03 PM EDT

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The only Japanese-American believed to have flown over Japan during World War II is receiving the Distinguished Service Medal, the third highest of the U.S. Army's decorations.

A banquet in Ben Kuroki's honor was scheduled for Friday in Lincoln, and on Saturday he is to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Nebraska.

After several years of providing documentation and filling out forms, the award has been approved by the military, said W. Don Nelson, the Nebraska director for U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson.

The son of Japanese immigrants who was raised on a Nebraska farm, Kuroki became a gunner and flew on 58 bomber missions over Europe, North Africa and Japan.

Kuroki, 88, who now lives in Camarillo, Calif., said he feels humbled by the efforts of so many Nebraskans who have worked to see him awarded with the medal.

"I feel that it gives credence to the word 'democracy,' and it's Americanism at its very best," he said. "I feel that more so than any personal glory it gives to me."

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kuroki's father urged him and his brother to volunteer for service. After being turned down by recruiting officials in North Platte, the brothers were able to enlist in Grand Island, 150 miles to the east.

Kuroki earned his way onto a bomber crew and flew missions that took him all over the world, including Japan.

Because of his Japanese ancestry, he was initially rejected when he asked to serve on a B-29 bomber that was to be used in the Pacific. But after repeated requests and a review of Kuroki's stellar service record, Secretary of War Harry Stimson granted an exception.

After the war, Kuroki enrolled at the University of Nebraska, where he studied journalism. In 1984, he retired as the news editor of the paper in Ventura, Calif.

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