Political Quotes

“I would like to take a moment to recognize a truly remarkable veteran and community member in my district, Mr. Shigeru Ochi, for his 100-year milestone birthday. On February 26, in Folsom, California, Mr. Ochi celebrated a century's worth of life experiences and history, which included many notable events and personal accomplishments, as well as much adversity and hardship. Mr. Ochi was born in 1924 and was raised in east Los Angeles, where he experienced the economic downturn of the Great Depression. Less than 2 months before he was to graduate high school, World War II commenced and was underway. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Ochi and his family were ordered to an internment camp in Inyo County due to their Japanese ancestry. After being released from the internment camp 1 month after his 19th birthday in 1943, he went on to pursue higher education at Macalester College in Minnesota. He was able to complete 1 year at the college before being drafted by the U.S. Army. Despite the challenge of living through incarceration in an internment camp, Mr. Ochi recalls being eager to show his loyalty to the United States by serving in our military. As part of his service, he graduated from the Military Intelligence Service Language School and was deployed to Hiroshima, where his family originated, to support his fellow soldiers and assist in post-war efforts. Following his service in World War II, he completed his degree.…”