Daniel Akaka: “As we mark our fourth anniversary of our involvement in Iraq, I wish to highlight an important chapter in our military…”

“As we mark our fourth anniversary of our involvement in Iraq, I wish to highlight an important chapter in our military history. With foresight that proved to be a significant factor in America's victory in World War II, the U.S. Army established a Japanese language school a few months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, and recruited students, second-generation Americans of Japanese ancestry, or Nisei, who would become interpreters and translators in the Military Intelligence Service. Their ability to infiltrate the psyche of our enemy through their knowledge of Japanese culture and language is credited with bringing the war in the Pacific to a quicker conclusion and later, helping turn bitter foes into strong allies. In 1994, I was among a number of Members of Congress, including my colleague and fellow World War II veteran, the senior Senator from Hawaii, Dan Inouye, who asked the Secretary of the Army to publish an official history of the Military Intelligence Service. Today, I am honored to announce the publication of Nisei Linguists, Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II, by Dr. James McNaughton, Command Historian, U.S. European Command.”